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In the southern regions of Russia, with the onset of spring, the lily-flowered magnolia blooms in parks and squares, surprising with its abundant, richly bright flowering, which delights and delights city residents. Flowering continues for several weeks, accompanied by a wonderful, fragrant aroma.
Description of Magnolia Nigra
Magnolia Liliaceae hybrid variety Nigra is a deciduous, large - up to 4 m in height and width - shrub with a highly branched, spherical crown. The trunk and branches of the crop are smooth, light gray in color. The alternately arranged, showy leaves fall off in the winter. The cylindrical fruits ripen in late October – November. The uniqueness of the Nigra variety lies in the darkest color of the inflorescences of all magnolias. It is dark ruby on the outside and white-lilac on the inside. Visually, this color combination looks almost black. Hence the name of this variety. The plant is light-loving, but tolerates light shading well in the southern regions, surprising with its delightful flowering.
The high decorative qualities of Magnolia Liliaceae Nigra are clearly presented in the photo below. It looks impressive in single and group plantings on lawns, against the backdrop of a variety of evergreens, near ponds and against the backdrop of buildings.
How Magnolia Nigra blooms
Simultaneously with the blossoming of the leaves, vase-shaped, large flowers appear, up to 12 cm long and 5 cm wide, with a dark external color and light white, purple or gray internal inclusions. The lily-flowered magnolia Nigra blooms twice - in spring and mid-summer, sometimes until autumn.
Reproduction methods
Magnolia Nigra Liliaceae can be propagated in several of the following ways:
- layering;
- cuttings;
- seeds.
The method of propagation by seeds, which has a high percentage of germination, has proven itself well. It is not difficult to propagate magnolia by layering, which naturally takes root around the mother bush. Layers quickly and easily take root, reaching moist, fertile soil. For cuttings, sphagnum moss is used, where prepared cuttings with roots are placed. They are pre-soaked in root-stimulating solutions. Before several leaves appear, Magnolia Nigra cuttings are covered with plastic caps and provided with regular watering, fertilizing and ventilation. Only after this they are planted in open ground in a permanent place.
Planting and caring for lily-flowered magnolia Nigra
Complex, special care of magnolia is not required. The main thing is abundant watering, especially during drought. Feeding with mineral and organic fertilizers is required for good growth and development. Every year in the fall, the tree trunk circle is mulched with coniferous bark, peat or fallen leaves.This measure will provide additional fertilizer with natural organic matter. To make the lily-flowered magnolia Nigra decorative, mandatory pruning is carried out. This measure is also necessary for removing damaged, dried branches. The shallow root system does not allow active loosening of the soil around the bush. Therefore, loosening must be done very carefully, trying not to damage the small roots.
Recommended timing
Magnolia Liliaceae Nigra is planted mainly in the fall - in September or early October, when the seedlings are dormant. As practice has shown, this will ensure 100% survival rate of the plant. Planting in spring - in April does not exclude the risk of freezing and death of young seedlings from return frosts.
Site selection and soil preparation
The place for Magnolia Liliaceae Nigra should be open, but protected from drafts and sharp gusts of northern and eastern winds. It is worth choosing bright, sunny areas, ideally with protection from the scorching sun at midday. You should not place any plants near the bush, and you should also not dig up the ground around it. Magnolia will not develop well and bloom fully on calcareous and saline soils. The soil must be nutritious, fertile and loose. The best option is slightly acidic or neutral soil. In the first year of life, its root system gains strength, so Nigra develops slowly and with difficulty. But proper care will ensure the beauty and power of the flowering shrub later.
The size of the planting pit for the Nigra lily-flowered magnolia should be three times the volume of the root system of the seedlings.Add a little sand and rotted compost to the soil. Drainage is required at the bottom.
How to plant correctly
A little soil mixture is poured into a prepared hole with a drainage layer of crushed stone, broken brick or ceramic tiles, a lily-flowered magnolia Nigra seedling is placed vertically and the hole is filled with the remaining soil. The basal neck of Nigra should be placed 3-5 cm above the ground surface, which after planting is carefully compacted and shed generously. After moisture is absorbed around the bush, mulching is done with peat or pine bark.
A video about Magnolia Liliaceae Nigra will clearly demonstrate planting rules:
Growing rules
Caring for magnolia Nigra is simple and similar to the agricultural techniques of other varieties of this flower crop, a description of which can be found on the website. Basic growing rules:
- mulching with coniferous bark reduces soil acidity and allows you to retain moisture, which makes it a mandatory measure;
- weeding can only be done by hand;
- young bushes must be covered for the winter with burlap or spunbond, arranging a light pyramidal frame.
Watering
Magnolia variety Nigra requires abundant, regular watering throughout the growing season for its active growth. A young plant, up to 5 years old, needs to be watered once a week, but during dry periods the amount is increased to 2-3 times weekly. The soil around the tree trunk should always be moist, but not wet. Warm water is used for irrigation.
Top dressing
Fertile soil, preparations for seedlings, provide sufficient nutrition for Nigre for two years. From the age of three, the plant needs regular feeding.In spring, you can use organic matter in limited quantities. However, preference should still be given to mineral fertilizers. Ready-made mineral complexes are suitable for this, where the dosage is indicated in the instructions. Self-prepared composition is also suitable for feeding:
- 20 g ammonium nitrate;
- 1 kg mullein;
- 15 g urea;
- 10 liters of water.
For an adult bush, you will need 40 liters of solution for a single feeding, which is carried out once for 30 - 40 days. With the onset of August, the amount of fertilizing is reduced, and then stopped altogether. Thus, Magnolia Liliaceae Nigra will be able to gradually enter the dormant stage and prepare for a long winter period.
Trimming
When growing lily-flowered magnolia in the garden, there is no need for formative pruning. Only in single plantings as a tapeworm can the plant be slightly pruned to give it a more neat, decorative shape. Sanitary pruning is carried out only after flowering, with the removal of frozen, damaged branches, thickening the crown of dry shoots, as well as wilted flowers. In spring, the lily-flowered magnolia Nigra is in a state of sap flow, and pruning will reduce the natural defenses of the shrub. Therefore, spring pruning of magnolia cannot be carried out! After cutting, the damaged areas are treated with garden varnish.
Preparing for winter
Magnolia Liliaceae Nigra has average winter hardiness and in particularly harsh winters, young shoots along with the buds may freeze. Therefore, covering for the winter with several layers of burlap wrapped around the trunk and branches will eliminate the risk of freezing.This is especially true for young plants.
Pests and diseases
When growing magnolia liliflora variety Nigra, it is worth considering that it is quite resistant to diseases and pests. At the same time, do not forget:
- Magnolia Nigra can be harmed by a large amount of fertilizers: overfeeding will have a bad effect on its further development;
- rodents pose a threat to the root collar and small roots;
- spider mites prefer to feed on the juices of fleshy leaves, which causes the lily-flowered magnolia to shed its leaves with the onset of summer;
- yellow spots with green veins on the foliage indicate the occurrence of chlorosis.
Since lily-flowered magnolia does not tolerate saline, calcareous soils, the soil for it must be diluted with acidic peat. This measure is the best prevention of chlorosis. The soil for Nigra can be obtained from coniferous forests and provided with abundant watering, which reduces the salinity of the soil. For rodents, you can use solutions based on foundation, which are used to treat damaged areas.
Conclusion
Lily-flowered magnolia is unusually spectacular during the period of budding and flowering, emitting a pleasant aroma and attracting bees. The Nigra variety is excellent for growing in small gardens and personal plots in southern and central Russia.
