Anybody Ever Try One Of These?

[shinmai]

Thanks, I didn't think they would get any smaller, just hoping, they are about a third smaller than they were when I first got it so I guess I will just have it for the flowers, too.

When they do bloom, the blossoms don’t last long, but boy, are they aromatic!! I could walk in the back door and drink in the perfume of one on the front porch.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

In terms of "figuring it out"; you last pruned in May? And Monday, July 1 new flower buds had already formed. Or were the flower buds on branches that did not get pruned in May?

I'm looking for a guess as to when one must quit pruning to get flowers.

 

[0soyoung]

In terms of "figuring it out"; you last pruned in May? And Monday, July 1 new flower buds had already formed. Or were the flower buds on branches that did not get pruned in May?

I'm looking for a guess as to when one must quit pruning to get flowers.

It doesn't happen until after the summer solstice. Beyond that I don't clearly recall - I think circa August. I just recall starting to prune on of them last summer when I then noticed a big fat bud on what I had just cut off (blinding flash of the obvious).

A simple thing to do is to do no more pruning after mid-July. Tips quit sending extending or putting out new leaves have flower buds on tips that then get fat. Make note-to-self (now making note-to-self to make this note-to-self of when it happens). Maybe it is an unattractive mess through the winter, but they back bud very well when pruned after flowering, the following spring.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

In terms of "figuring it out"; you last pruned in May? And Monday, July 1 new flower buds had already formed. Or were the flower buds on branches that did not get pruned in May?

I'm looking for a guess as to when one must quit pruning to get flowers.

Leo,

I have not pruned it since the post I did in January. The only thing that I did was remove 50% of the leaves and maybe shorten a couple of really long branches, and then some wire, everything else was left alone. All of the growth you see is what it made this year. In the past, I would prune it several times in the spring through the end of June, but I have never gotten any flowers. This year I decided to not prune and see if it would make anything, and it did, a week or so after I took the leaves off, it started making these (hopefully) flower buds on the ends of the branches. So, I think they start forming really early, and by pruning until the end of June, I was cutting the flowers off. This is all just speculation as this is the first year that I have treated it this way, we will see if I can get a repeat next year.

I have another tree that behaves this way, my contorted camellia. If I prune past mid/ end of April, I will not get flowers on the outside branches, the new growth past that time frame will not make flowers, only interior older growth. It has buds forming on it now.

Your window may be a little (or a lot) later than mine since you are a lot farther north. Things tend to go quickly here after February.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

The leaves finally fell so it was time remove the wire:




I think I might have a few flowers

The look different than these:



Wire off, everything will get cut back to two nodes after I see the flowers:

 

[Mellow Mullet]

One more:

 

[Carol 83]

The leaves finally fell so it was time remove the wire:
View attachment 274174

View attachment 274176

I think I might have a few flowersView attachment 274175

The look different than these:

View attachment 274179

Wire off, everything will get cut back to two nodes after I see the flowers:

View attachment 274177

View attachment 274178

Very cool. At first glance, I thought you had a bear cub on your counter, pretty cat.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

How reliable have you found backbudding to be on your magnolia?

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Very cool. At first glance, I thought you had a bear cub on your counter, pretty cat.

I have to keep the bear cub out back, Mrs. Mulllet won't let me bring him inside. That is Margarita, our geriatric cat, she is 16, not supposed to be on the counter, but cats, whatcha gonna do with them?

 

[Mellow Mullet]

How reliable have you found backbudding to be on your magnolia?

It back buds really well, and is always throwing out random buds here or there from the trunk and larger branches, especially after a hard pruning.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

It looks like I might get lucky with this one, a least one flower is gonna show:

 

[plant_dr]

YAYY!!!!!

 

[Forsoothe!]

I have a North Star I have been working on for close to 10 years. No pictures because when it was ready for showing about 3 years ago, it top killed and I had to start over with an unbalanced frame. Like everything else that blooms on the tips of last year's growth, prune hard for shape by June for next year's shape and you get buds at the tips. The leaves reduce ~somewhat, enough to make me happy, but not enough to disguise what it is. The flowers are worth the effort.

 

[Potawatomi13]

but cats, whatcha gonna do with them?

At first looked like cousin It. When stroked they make nice relaxing humming sounds and good vibrations.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Update:

Well, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, two of the buds finally opened. A third is on its way. Hopefully, I can increase the number next year and get them closer to the trunk.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

And then there were three:

 

[j evans]

So John, how old is this tree? 10 - 12 years? Looks great.


How do I get rid of this stupid box?

 

[Mellow Mullet]

So John, how old is this tree? 10 - 12 years? Looks great.


How do I get rid of this stupid box?

Thanks! I don't know about the box, weird. I don't know really how old it is, I got I think 5 - 7 years ago at the flea market. 10 or so is not a bad estimate, there is a progression on my website with the before pictures.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Wow, that is a show that makes it worth the effort to get this tree to this point. Nice, well done.

Who cares how big the leaves are, look at them flowers.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Wow, that is a show that makes it worth the effort to get this tree to this point. Nice, well done.

Who cares how big the leaves are, look at them flowers.

Thanks!