Saucer and Southern Magnolias

sgtsheart

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At the old homestead on our farm, there is a beautiful saucer magnolia tree. It belonged to my SO's grandma. Back in early fall I harvested a few seed pods from it and after letting them dry till the seeds fell off I put the seeds outside in a large flower pot to overwinter.
I didn't know anything about doing it, so I figured I'd just treat the seeds as nature would have. I layed them almost completely on top of the soil and then covered them with a heavy layer of leaves. I'm hoping this was the right way to perhaps get a seedling I can then replant.
Does anyone know?
P.S. The tree gets literally hundreds of seed pods. It's truly a magnificent tree.
 

sgtsheart

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Well that's why I mulched em heavy with the leaves. I was thinking that since the ones that fall off the tree naturally sometimes spawn shoots, it was worth a try.
 

Blisschick

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I know some need a certain amount of cold stratification before they sprout, but not certain how much. I have a sweetbay magnolia that I have seeds for that I put in the freezer awhile back. They need at least 3 months of cold to sprout properly.
 

Smitty's Farm

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The seeds should be stratified for 3 - 6 months in a moist media at 32 to 41 degrees F.

It is also recommended to collect cuttings when the terminal flower bud is formed, dip them in a rooting agent and stick them in a peat/perlite combo with misting. Usually there is a high percentage in rooting.
 

sgtsheart

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I could claim exhaustion or just ignorance here, but..

Smittys, moist media? Do you mean like cotton in a jar kept moist? Also, could you put the term 'terminal flower bud' in REALLY simple terms for me?
What kind of conditions do I want to keep this rooting in while I wait?
Thanks!
 

Smitty's Farm

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sgtsheart said:
I could claim exhaustion or just ignorance here, but..

Smittys, moist media? Do you mean like cotton in a jar kept moist? Also, could you put the term 'terminal flower bud' in REALLY simple terms for me?
What kind of conditions do I want to keep this rooting in while I wait?
Thanks!
Sorry, I haven't been on here for a few days.

Moist media just means the media meaning "soil" needs to be moist. We use to take a tray and put nice rich soil in it and get it wet and all mix up, but not soggy. Plant the seed in it and then stick it in a frig for 3 - 6 month for the cold stratification. The soil will stay pretty moist, but check it every so often.

Or if you wanted to try to propagate it by taking cutting from the tree here is what you do. Wait until the flower bud is formed on the end of the stem (Terminal bud) and take a cutting with your pruners of the stem about 4' long. Wound the cutting end and dip it rooting hormone and stick in a tray or pot that is mixed with peat & perlite. Mist it frequently by spraying it. Typically it would be put under a misting bench in the green house that mists on a timer.

I honestly don't know when it will root. If I remember correctly the Saucer Magnolia is a little hard to root.

I love that tree. it's so pretty how it blooms before the leaves emerge You should try an experiment with both procedures and see what works best.

Good luck! Keep me posted.
Kim
 

sgtsheart

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Thanks Kim, I really appreciate the info. Yes, it is a beautiful tree. There is so much on this farm that has just gone to waste, so to speak, since the elders got sick and were unable to care for it. The SO has a full-time and then some job, but now that my health issues have stabilized I plan to work on refreshing some of those beautiful assets here. I'll let you know how it goes.
 

Smitty's Farm

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sgtsheart said:
Thanks Kim, I really appreciate the info. Yes, it is a beautiful tree. There is so much on this farm that has just gone to waste, so to speak, since the elders got sick and were unable to care for it. The SO has a full-time and then some job, but now that my health issues have stabilized I plan to work on refreshing some of those beautiful assets here. I'll let you know how it goes.
Oops! I had a typo. The cutting should be only 4" not 4 '. Whew! that be a big limb. ha!ha!

How much property is the farm?
 

sgtsheart

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The farm is just 80 acres. We have two ponds and except for the site of the two homesteads, the one we live in and the one that's falling down (was the grandparents) the rest of the land is pretty much divided 50/50. Half pasture and half woods. There's some pretty little places where the woods have surrounded tiny little meadows and those are my favorite places. The pasture is leased to a neighboring farmer for his cows, as we don't have time to deal with large livestock right now.
We have apple trees, peach trees, figs, a horseapple tree (whatever that is, I'm not sure they have a use), black walnut and pecan trees. In the summer we are overrun wtih blackberries. The critters that roam here are coyotes, bobcats, a hybrid bobcat, many deer, many birds of prey and some egrets, the last bear to be seen on the place was spotted a long time ago, like 15 years ago. Oh! and how could I forget...the armadillos!
This place is my own little version of Eden and the times here the best of my life.
 

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