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dog_gone_it

Planting Magnolis bare root when ?

Dog-Gone-It
9 years ago

We have two Magnolia bare trees being shipped to us and they should be delivered within the next couple of days, up to a week away. We live in TN and we are currently experiencing a very warm spell as of today but then its going to drop off down to the cold single digits in a few days.
If we have to keep them inside, then should we keep the roots submerged in a bucket of water until it warms up a bit ? Or will this shock them and kill them (from inside 69 degrees to outside +/-30 degrees or lower) ?
We dont have a basement to put them in and if we put them in the shed then the roots will probably freeze. Can someone look at our local forecast for the Nashville area and give advice on how to store and/or what day you would plant ?
Thanks

Comments (22)

  • Embothrium
    9 years ago

    Magnolias aren't usually handled bare-rooted, is this a reputable nursery or somebody form e-bay that might not know this?

  • Dog-Gone-It
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Sorry to hear that they are not usually handled bare root.
    We bought them from ebay
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/181579064164
    They ship from the town of McMinnville TN
    http://tnhomeandfarm.com/agriculture/mcminnville-nursery-capital/
    Are we in trouble ?

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  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    9 years ago

    That really doesn't sound good. Magnolias aren't as easy to plant bare-root as many other trees. Also, they are not easily transplanted this time of year. Done the right way, at the right time, magnolias are no problem, but your tree may be facing a real up-hill climb in this case.

    One thing for sure is that you don't want to keep your magnolia inside in a bucket of water!!! I would either plant them outside now, or, plant them in a well-draining potting medium and hold them over in your shed. Another option would be to mound up a pile of decomposed bark fines (ie Nature's Helper) and plant them temporarily in that. The idea is that the roots need air, to prevent rotting, just as much as they need moisture.

    From now on, I'd suggest you check out suppliers before buying nursery stock. It appears to me that you have been victimized by someone who doesn't know what they are doing (or, even worse, doesn't care).

  • subtropix
    9 years ago

    Not good all around, I'm afraid. If you put them in water that would probably probably guarantee their death. Magnolias do not transplant well and shipping bare-rooted is frankly, ridiculous. In my zone (7), it is normally suggested to plant broadleaf evergreens in the Spring (not Fall), and you definitely missed the Fall window for planting. I checked your forecast, looks similar to mine...60's tomorrow then arctic cold, you minimum of 9 above F. even gets lower than our forecast low of 13. I am sure your trees are not hardened off to this cold...especially if they came out of Florida. Ever the optimist, I would pot them up in a good, well-draining soil and keep them as cool as you can till the Spring. Do you have an attached garage or attic that is cool but not subject to hard freezes. (An outdoor Magnolia, planted in the ground and hardened off to cold, is a completely different plant from what you have now.) Good luck!

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    what they said about your seller ... but they really dont tell you what to do about it .... hindsight is alwasy 20/20 .. unless i forget my glasses ....

    when you buy them.. is irrelevant to when you have them shipped ...

    in other words .. next time you order.. from a quality nursery.. have things delivered .. at the appropriate planting time for your area ...

    the real issue is.. are they dormant .. if so.. plant them .. what else is there to do ... BTW... evergreen or deciduous Ms????

    brandon is in TN .. but i dont see that he said.. when proper planting time is .... or if you can get away with in now..

    i would not fool with pots ... on your experience level ..... just heal them in ... dig hole.. stuff them in.. water them in ... we can move them to permanent locations in spring ...

    see link for planting guide.. by some dude named brandon .. yes.. its the same one ...

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • sam_md
    9 years ago

    Dog-Gone-It,
    So much for the "one size fits all" advice that we see so much of the time here on gardenweb. When I see posters telling others to "Always buy small & bareroot" I cringe. That kind of advice is simplistic and scroll worthy.
    When you get your southern magnolia, pot them up and put them in a cool, sunny room of your house for the winter.
    Plant them out next Spring and by all means avoid anything coming from McMinnville.

  • Dog-Gone-It
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for all the great help. So many different suggestions. As far as avoiding McMinnville well thats hard to do because they pretty much supply all the local nurseries.
    Thanks again.

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    9 years ago

    "In my zone (7), it is normally suggested to plant broadleaf evergreens in the Spring (not Fall), and you definitely missed the Fall window for planting."

    I wouldn't want to plant most magnolias in the fall anywhere in temperate or colder zones. Some other broadleaf evergreens would probably do fine in locations where the ground wasn't already frozen or soon to be that way, but most magnolias are prone to root rot when planted in fall or winter (especially when the roots are compromised). So far as a "fall window", I would suggest that such didn't really exist in this situation anyway.

    "Do you have an...attic that is cool but not subject to hard freezes."

    In my attic, they'd have a 0.0% chance of living through the winter. It would do little if anything to protect from cold temperatures and would fry the heck out of the plant on warmer days.
    __________

    "BTW... evergreen or deciduous Ms????"

    Magnolia grandiflora...see Dog-Gone-It's link above.
    __________

    "When you get your southern magnolia, pot them up and put them in a cool, sunny room of your house for the winter."

    I sure wouldn't do that.

    "...and by all means avoid anything coming from McMinnville"

    That is surely based on personal feelings (maybe some kind of regional pride thing?) rather than any sound horticultural rationale. I would suggest always trying to source your plant from McMinnville (or somewhere in Tennessee) as a first choice (no regional pride intended, LOL).

  • hairmetal4ever
    9 years ago

    Well, McMinnville, Tennessee is where most wholesale eastern US nurseries are located.

    Most are perfectly fine nurseries, but there is one in particular the name of which I cannot remember, but sells under multiple names, that has a very very bad reputation. I think that's why people say to avoid McMinnville.

  • hairmetal4ever
    9 years ago

    I will add one thing:

    There is a world of difference between bare-rooting a container plant AT THE TIME OF PLANTING, and within a matter of minutes and properly planting it in native soil at the proper time of year, versus shipping a bare root tree of a species not fond of it in a bag of sawdust across the country.

    I'm still not sure I would even bare root a Magnolia grandiflora at planting, however. Then again, I've never planted one.

  • tlbean2004
    9 years ago

    What kind of magnolia tree is this? Deciduous?
    Southern magnolia might be bad to ship bareroot, but other kinds may not.

  • Embothrium
    9 years ago

    Magnolias have a burst of root elongation after winter stem buds are set in late summer or fall, same as other trees. But also same as with other trees if you have to do any cutting of the roots as a result of them being in a wad this interferes with fall root elongation, as the damaged root ends will stop growing until spring - with replacement roots coming on at that time.

  • User
    9 years ago

    Dog gone it,
    What kind of Magnolia is it?
    Go read the auction and see what kind it is.
    Magnolias come in different species.
    We have no idea what kind it is.
    When you get it, if it has no leaves on it, it is dormant. it looses all its leaves in the winter time. Yes, its a magnolia, just a different kind.
    Go buy yourself a pot with a nice wide top on it, (magnolias roots spread out right under the soil), and some potting soil, make sure it says potting soil, and water it a bit, then leave it alone.
    It has no leaves, so just let it sit til spring, it'll wake up and start to leaf out when spring comes, all on it's own.
    Every week, just check the soil to make sure it isn't dry. If it is, jsut water it a bit. That's it.
    When the spring comes, and danger of frost is over, usually in your neck of the woods around April 15th, tax day, go find yourself the spot you want to plant it in.
    Dig a nice WIDE hole, (remember the roots spread out), and plant your magnolia AFTEr you wash THE ROOTS OFF AGAIN.
    You don't want the potting soil on the roots when you plant it in the new hole outside in your yard. Wash all potting soil off.
    After you plant it outside in your regular soil, then water it in real good, and then apply 2-3 inches of mulch all around the plant.
    MULCH is important, DONT FEED IT, MULCH IT.
    It will keep the soil around the roots, which are close to the top of the ground , moist.
    No matter what kind of magnolia you have, if you follow this, you should be fine.
    Remember, after the spring, WASH potting soil off, plant, and mulch. 2-3 inches. The roots need it, and be careful with a lawn mower around the tree, you will cut the roots up if you mow too close to the tree, The mulch will remind you.
    Congrats on your new tree.

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    9 years ago

    "What kind of magnolia tree is this?"

    "What kind of Magnolia is it?"

    Magnolia grandiflora

    I would make this blink, but that's not easy these days....and people still would be overlooking it and asking what kind of tree this was.

    This post was edited by brandon7 on Sat, Jan 3, 15 at 20:15

  • tlbean2004
    9 years ago

    ok, i saw that it was SM.

    Here is an excerpt i found from a website...

    When to Plant
    The best time to plant a southern magnolia is determined largely by how the roots are packaged. Rarely are these trees available in bare-root form, but if purchased bare-root, plant right after you purchase it. Balled and burlapped (B&B) trees often are available in August through February, and should be planted shortly after purchase. However, these trees are available most commonly in containers, and can be either left in the container or planted any time of the year. However, planting during times of extreme heat should be avoided.

  • Dog-Gone-It
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks again for all the great suggestions. Yes these 2 bare root trees that we are going to plant are indeed Magnolia Grandiflora.
    I asked the seller under what conditions they were grown and they said that the trees were rooted in the greenhouse in sand.
    The seller tells us we should plant them directly into the ground after we get them and to follow the planting instructions.
    Maybe we should have a little more faith in the seller and follow their instructions. We were just concerned I guess.

  • alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
    9 years ago

    I've planted many of them "bare root". Most are actually container grown, they just have the potting mix removed before shipping, in these cases nearly all roots should be intact. If they're field dug then that's not a good thing. I have bought many off of ebay, and only once did I recieve some that looked to be field dug, needless to say those didn't make it.

    If I can't plant trees right away I usually put them all in a big pot, fill with potting mix, and water them in. Keep them cold, but not freezing.

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    9 years ago

    Yeah, I'd have at least as much faith in this seller as I would a guy that offered me a Rolex, while opening up his coat to show me his inventory, in a dark alley somewhere. The good thing is that if it dies, you'll have learned something and will have the opportunity to go out and buy a nice Magnolia grandiflora cultivar and at the right time of year.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Have you had any indication of the size of these 'trees'. The description sounds as if they may just be rooted cuttings. Perhaps when they arrive you can come back with some more information?

  • alabamatreehugger 8b SW Alabama
    9 years ago

    As for ordering trees from McMinnville (thru ebay), I have bought many of them, and like I mentioned, only one or two times did I recieve bad plants. In fact I just bought 5 Sycamore trees for $12.99, and they looked perfect when they arrived, they even stuck in a 6th one for free.

    Theres a seller out of Arkansas called 'dogwoodritter' that sells great plants too.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    can we see some pix of the stock when you get them ...

    ken

    ps: it would have been so much easier if brandon just told us if it was deciduous or not.. rather than chiding us for missing the latin .. lol ... tough xmas break dude?????

    pps: they need to be planted.. no bucket of water for a week ... or in the house ... etc ...

    if i were you ... i would open the package .. soak them in a bucket for no more than an hour ... and then go plant them outside ... and if its a work night or some such .. and dark at 5pm ... just flop one shovel full of soil out.. set them in.. and put the soil back.. let ma nature HOLD THEM OVER ... its called healing them in ... until you can plant them properly on the weekend .. they are not babies.. no in the house.. no coddling.. no college fund ... and they will be stressed.. not hungry.. no fert ....

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    9 years ago

    Ken, if you didn't want the Latin, then just see the title....It's a Magnolia (and that's as good as you should expect from only a common name)! Of course you know that...but would rather give me a hard time. Happy holidays to you too bud. LOL
    _______________________________

    I forgot to mention/ask before, I wonder if the seller would consider giving a warranty. Since they are selling their plants at the wrong time of year and in an atypical manor (for this tree) and giving planting advise, maybe they should be willing to stand behind their work. I'm not usually one to expect a lot from nurseries with regards to warranties (it's really not their responsibility, but that's another topic). However, in this case, I think the nursery does owe it to you. They should at least be willing to guarantee that the plant will leaf out next spring.