How to Propagate Magnolias from Cuttings and Layering
Learn the right timing and techniques to create new magnolias from a favorite tree. A practical guide to expanding your garden with successful propagation.
Creating a new magnolia from an existing one is a rewarding way to add more beauty to your landscape. Propagating a favorite magnolia ensures the new tree will have the same flower color, size, and fragrance. This process allows gardeners to multiply their collection or share a piece of a beloved tree by nurturing a cutting or layered branch into an independent plant.
Best Time and Methods for Propagation
The timing of propagation is important, as the condition of the wood dictates the best approach. Softwood cuttings, which are taken from fresh, new growth, should be gathered in late spring or early summer. From late summer into early fall, the wood becomes more firm, making it suitable for semi-hardwood cuttings.
For the home gardener, cuttings and layering are the most practical methods. Taking cuttings involves removing a piece of a stem and encouraging it to grow its own roots, a technique that can produce several new plants at once. Layering induces a branch to root while it is still attached to the parent plant, offering a higher success rate but yielding fewer plants. While magnolias can be grown from seed, the process is slow and the resulting tree may not be identical to the parent.
How to Propagate Magnolias from Cuttings
To begin propagating from cuttings, gather your materials. Using sterile tools and potting mix helps prevent disease from harming the vulnerable cuttings. You will need:
- Sharp, sterilized pruners
- A rooting hormone
- Small pots with drainage holes
- A sterile potting medium, such as a mix of perlite and peat moss
- Clear plastic bags
Select healthy shoots for your cuttings in the morning when the plant is well-hydrated. Take a 6- to 8-inch section from the tip of a branch, making your cut just below a leaf node. Immediately place the cuttings in water to prevent them from drying out. Prepare each cutting by removing all but the top two or three leaves to reduce moisture loss; if the remaining leaves are large, you can cut them in half.
With a clean knife, make a shallow, 2-inch vertical wound at the base of each cutting’s stem. This wounding exposes more of the cambium layer, which can encourage root formation. Dip the wounded end into a rooting hormone powder or solution. Plant each cutting into a pot filled with the moist rooting medium, creating a hole first to avoid rubbing off the hormone. Water the medium and cover the pot with a clear plastic bag to create a humid environment, but avoid sealing it completely to allow for some air circulation.
How to Propagate Magnolias by Layering
To begin layering, select a young, flexible, low-hanging branch that can easily bend to the ground. This process is best initiated in early spring on one-year-old growth. The branch should be healthy and long enough to be pegged into the soil while its tip remains above ground.
Prepare the branch by wounding the section that will be buried. With a clean, sharp knife, scrape away a one- to two-inch section of bark on the underside of the branch, or make a few angled cuts into the stem. Applying rooting hormone to these wounds can aid in root development.
Dig a shallow trench in the soil directly below the wounded section of the branch. Bend the branch down and secure the wounded part into the trench using a landscape pin or a bent piece of wire; a stone placed on top can help keep it in place. Cover the buried section firmly with soil, leaving the leafy tip of the branch exposed and growing upwards.
Caring for Your New Magnolia Plant
Check for root development on cuttings after several weeks by gently tugging on the stem; resistance indicates roots have formed, though this can take a few months. For layered branches, it may take a full year or two before a strong root system develops. Once substantial roots are present on a layered branch, you can sever the new plant from its parent.
Once a cutting has rooted or a layered branch is severed, the new plant must be hardened off. This process involves gradually acclimating it to outdoor conditions over one to two weeks. Start by placing the plant in a sheltered spot with dappled sunlight for a few hours each day, slowly increasing its exposure to direct sun and wind.
Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged, as young plants are susceptible to drying out. Let the plant grow in its pot or a protected nursery bed for at least a full season. Once it has developed a robust root system and shows healthy new growth, it can be transplanted to its final location in the garden.