you should have started your own post.. where are you in IN ... north or south ... are SOUTHERN mags really viable where you are ... of was bigbox selling them in the wrong location??? did you have the recent frost/freeze event that much of the midwest had ... a tree planted last year shouldnt need water.. this early in spring ... so i doubt water is an issue ... release it from the shipping stake.. to insure those green bands arent strangling it.. if you need a real stake.. we can advise on such are those new leaves.. or is it evergreen for you??? imo.. never .... ever.. use rubber mulch for plants.. its for playgrounds ... mulch breaks down and improves the soil .. rubber will be there for the rest of earths existence ... thats not good. .. what is your base soil .. do you remember from when you planted it??? ... and how did yu plant it? ken

Could it be damage from the extreme cold we had? Have you fertilized it? I read you were supposed to fertilize for the first 3 growing seasons. Perhaps when it puts out new leaves they'll hide the damaged ones?

Just speculating here... 40" of rain per year in DC is a good amount. A lot of factors are involved in a dry well's rate of percolation into the soil, but this potentially keeps the root zone much wetter than a) this species prefers and/or b) this particular tree experienced up until two years ago. The root damage alone is egregious, but keeping the environment moist around damaged roots can spell disaster. What is the soil like around the dry well just after a good rain? Do you know the complete details of this dry well (e.g. exact location, number of pipes/downspouts leading into it, etc.)? Also, stop fertilizing it, particular in this stressed state. Unless you know your soil has deficiencies, just eliminate the fertilizer for good.

Your first mistake was planting it on the south side of the house. Look at it this way, if it does survive, and THRIVE, it will want to become a big tree (even if it is marketed as a "dwarf". Also, do not assume that the SOUTH side of the house is the best for a broadleaf evergreen. That south side also liable to result in leaves burning (from the sun) during subarctic cold spells. I expect that in Zone 6b, it will survive with occasional die back of some branches and on the most sun exposed surfaces. Now, I have seen pictures of them espaliered on houses but the south side of a house is also a HOT exposure and your climate is mid-continental (and tends toward the extremes). I have a few LG's in Zone 7 NJ and most winters they are fine but in those winters of arctic vortices, they did suffer, but, they make a really, really nice and fast recovery in the growing season. I like this cultivar chiefly for its length of flowering season (try May to Halloween..., no other one that I have flowers that long), but it is not the cold hardiest cultivar. (For zone 6B, Edith Bogue, Victoria and Bracken's Brown are better choices.) I rarely see any damage on my LG;s however from heavy snow loads. You might spray the leaves in November with an anti-desicant to help with winter, sun scold. Years ago, I planted a non-dwarf variety right next to my house (also south side), thinking it was necessary for survival. The tree was gorgeous and grew past the second story of the building (many M. grandifloras grow WIDE and tall), I felt awful when it had to be chopped down due to it massive size and ridiculous proximity to the house. However, I do not believe Magnolia roots damage structures and they tend to be very ropey and very shallow rooted, which by the way does NOT equal easily damaged by wind. Mine went through Superstorm Sandy without shedding a branch as other trees and structures crashed down around it. I would also suggest mulching it well (helps in both heat and cold, and maintain watering if dry.