My condolences for your loss. I can't imagine anything as hard as losing a child. I have a 22 month old and I am tearing up writing this...

Having said that, do you have any pics of the planting hole and tree? Did you fert the tree? Was it container/B n B? What time of year did you plant it? How has the weather been? Do you water it appropriately?

John

Where are you? What kind of soil do you have?

I live in Prosper, Tx which is just north of Dallas and I have pretty heavy clay soil. It has been in the ground since 3/5/11. The tree is approx 6-7 feet tall, 4 feet wide and a local tree farm planted it. I don't have any pictures of the hole. I was hoping that the tree company knew what they were doing when they planted it. It was B & B. I have not fertilized it since it was planted. For some reason I thought I wasn't supposed to fertilize it yet. We have had a lot of rain this year, but we have also had lots of hot weather (at or very near 100). I have watered it, and think I have watered it well, but who knows. I do fear overwatering it so maybe that has kept me from watering it enough. The tree is planted in full sun. We have also had several major hail storms (golfball sized hail which destroyed all the roofs and many windows in my neighborhood), as well as an incredibly windy spring/early summer if any of that matters. Amazingly, I didn't see much damage on this magnolia from the hail storms.

Well, if the leaves aren't falling off, all else considered, it sounds like it is undergoing transplant shock. Make sure you have a nice wide mulch ring at least 1-2" think that is slightly wider than the canopy spread. When watering, insert your finger down to the the second knuckle and if dry, provide a nice deep watering. If you were overwatering, the leaves would start to turn yellow/brown and fall off (most of the time anyway). I believe most magnolias like moist soil with good drainage so you will have to find the right balance of watering that can be tricky with clay.

It has been a crazy spring here, too. I have lost a dogwood planted last fall, a redbud planted this spring, a southern catalpa planted this spring, and a yellowwood planted this spring all due the ridiculous amount of rain.

Oh and you were right about the fert.

Good luck!

its a tree or a flowering shrub ...

if it leafed out.. and the leaves are still there.. i dont really understand what more you want 3 months after planting ...

trees do NOT grow vigorously like annuals ...

i suspect you may kill it with too much love ...

for this kind of plant .. all we expect for two years .. is for it to retain its leaves [and drop them at the appropriate time in fall, which this does for me in z5] ... and not much more.. you cut off a vast majority of its roots to move a plant of that size.. it is doing all its work underground, which is why you are not seeing much above..

you have to figure out how to insure PROPER watering ... it should NEARLY dry in between waterings.. drowning it in a clay cauldron is a possibility.. until you figure out what is going on underground ...

sorry for your loss ... and good luck with your tree ..

ken

Ken, after 3 months of being planted I expected to see SOME growth. There has not been a single leaf that has grown since it was planted. Not one. And, the ones that were just starting to grow when it was transplanted haven't gotten any larger at all. I have another saucer magnolia in my front yard that was planted just a few months prior to this one and it is beautiful and full of leaves so I know they can grow well shortly after they are planted. I'm not looking for it to get larger this quickly, just to put out some leaves.

i suspect.. that 3 months ago.. was a bit late in regard to proper tree planting time in TX .. increasing transplant shock .. even if done by professionals ...

however.. a few more months .. further back .. put the second one more into the PROPER planting time ....

shall i presume the second was also as large ... because if it was smaller that also reduces transplant shock ...

i understand you have an exceptional emotional attachment to this one .... and you are concerned ..... and you are worried.. but i just dont know what more you want from it..

if it has green leaves .. its alive .. i expect nothing more.. for the first 2 years after i plant a tree/shrub/conifer ... on this expectation.. i am never let down .. and often .. they surprise me by doing more than i expect ... but often.. they just sit there ... presumably growing roots ...

and more importantly.. if the buds remain green and viable.. you are simply going to have to wait for it to get its act together ... there is nothing you are going to do.. to a large recent transplant.. to make it perform any better.. or any faster ...

just water properly .. and make sure you do not drown it in clay soil ....

try to be at peace with it ... and good luck

ken

This tree is in a delay mode of tranplant shock. It was starting to leaf out and it was blooming at the time it had it's situation changed and was put into the ground.
As Ken says above, this is late spring for Texas adding to the shock problem.
I do not see mention of the sun exposure for this tree but will assume that is has ample sun for stimulation of the leaves that remain.
Water the tree moderately, and do not keep it soaking wet. Do what you can to preserve the leaves you have and pray for the best next spring. You will likely be surprised and see the tree come to life after the sub-optimal year it will have had this year.
The best of luck to you with this important tree!

Hi, aggierose! It's September and I wonder how the saucer magnolia is? I'm in Chi town and have to have a saucer magnolia on my front lawn or I'll just have a fit! There are many, many saucer magnolias in my area even with our horrible weather and clay soil. Every single tree is simply gorgeous! I plan to order one at this time and get it in the ground this month. A 4 - 5 foot size. I fully expect to ammend the soil with organic matter and provide for good drainage, even though I have thriving succulents, evergreens, and perrenials on the same site. I plan to provide a burlap wind and salt guard guard, too while it's in transition. I hope that your baby's tree will thrive. It should, just give it 2-3 years. That's just my personal rule of thumb learned after years of experience with elderberry, crab-apple trees and hydrangea. Soil here is terrible so improving the soil is just par for the course. I pray for your peace and well being. Let me know how it goes?

dee 5: Perhaps it will work out OK for you, but magnolias are among the trees for which planting at this time of year is not recommended in cold growing zones such as yours. There is simply too little time for enough roots to grow to carry the tree through the winter.

A burlap screen will help, as will heavy mulching to keep the soil warm for as long as possible. Spraying the trunk and branches with an anti-dessicant after the tree is dormant can also help prevent moisture loss through the bark.

A 4-5' magnolia is usually a pretty sizeable investment, so you may want to consider delaying your plans until spring. If you're determined to plant now, I wish you the best of luck and join you in wishing peace and well-being for the original poster.