Small Magnolia back from the dead - now what?

[nashmower]

Hey - I got this question from one of my clients, and quite frankly, I'm not sure of the best course of action.

My thoughts were to let them grow for at least a season, and then to begin pruning them into 'shape'. The actual question from the client is below. Anyone been through this with a magnolia before?

Thanks-


"Hi there !
I have a tree question. You might remember that we had 3 of the small magnolia trees on the side of our yard. By all appearances, they were casualties of the drought last summer. Not being able to dig them up, Buck cut them down to small stumps. Well....lo & behold, the stumps began to sprout! Now they look like small magnolia shrubs. Is there a way that I should be pruning or training them to have a trunk of some sort? Or should I just leave them alone?
THANKS."

[Bill S]

First thing is I would advise a client not to cut down a tree, EVER! That is your job... You probably would have peeled a little bark back and discovered that the trees dropped their leaves from stress and you would have told the client to be patient that next year they will come back and be beautiful...

Anyway, that is not what you are asking, I just rant...

If they are serious about letting these trees come back I would prune 1/4 to 1/3 of the new growth each year to keep the tree from stretching. Fertilize in the early spring and again mid to late summer.

Personally, I would tell them to dig them up and replant, I am very impatient....

[joshua]

i would say your almost stuck with them being a shrub but wait and see. worst come to worst remove and replant new.