How to Prune Magnolias - Instructional Video w/ Plant Amnesty

Tips, Tricks

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Learn how to prune Magnolias from renowned pruning guru Cass Turnbull, founder of PlantAmnesty. PlantAmnesty's mission is to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs, due to mal-pruning. Check out the PlantAmnesty website at www.plantamnesty.org.

Comments

Cass, I live on Long Island, NY. I saw Royal Star Magnolia at the Nursery last year and planted two. They have come alive beautifully this Spring. Is there any pruning I can do (and avoid water sprout) if branches start to grow over my driveway. Thanks.

I have a saucer magnolia it has never been trimmed it is close to the house and limbs are on the roof we just bought this house in july when is the best time to prune it back because it is so big and pretty we also have limbs almost hanging to the ground.

Pretty much worthless

It is probably a Magnolia, but I don’t know which one, maybe a star magnolia that do start out as shrubs and turn into a trees. I do think it will sprout if you start too early or do too much, taking off lower limbs. I would suggest letting it grow for a few years, then take off a branch or two a year. If they sprout back, do less, not more, in following years. If it is a saucer magnolia, they are difficult to keep limbed-up, because the lowest limbs tend to always dip down. As a relatively small (meaning short) tree is hard limb it up to create clearance for mowing or traffic. It is short, but very, very wide. People must have enough land to deed to the tree for it to be successful. They keep a mulched bed for bulbs under the tree, to avoid having to mow there.

This may or may not be our problem. Magnolias have fuzzy buds in the winter. A good indicator that it is a magnolia you were sold. You may also want to check out the PlantAmnesty youtube video on pruning trees

Good luck, Cass

I planted what was said to be a magnolia tree earlier this year. It was bought from a local arboretum and they dont have information. I guess someone just grew it from a cutting. It's 6-7' tall,crown to top and it's now got small branches from the (still small) trunk,and it already had branches starting pretty low. It's much more shrub-shaped than tree-shaped... Do you think it's reasonable to try to prune it (next year...zone 5) into a more tree-like shape? Do you think it'll rebel? Thanks!