Is my magnolia tree dying already?

NIMAN

I planted a magnolia tree out of Lidl approx 6 weeks ago, and its not looking too healthy. Planted it at the same time as the Rhododendron on the left.



Although its in the shade of the overhanging hedge, it still gets the sun up until around midday. I am sure it also gets plenty of rain on wet days too.

I planted it in bagged top soil, the stuff you'd buy in B&Q. No compost or anything else used. I haven't fed it with anything since either.

Heres some more up close photos, although they are difficult to make out against the green background.




So is it on its way out, or should I bear with it?
Is it getting enough sun/water?
Should I buy a specific feed for it?

lottpaul

Definitely no feed. Plenty of water though -- normal rainfall may not be enough and if the weather improves you will need to water both of them thoroughly every day.
Any idea what the ph of your soil is? Do you have other rhodos, azaleas etc? Are they growing well? If not you may have to add iron feed etc. Keep grass and weeds away from the stem of the shrubs too.

Supercell

I think it may be the cold this year, mine is looking a bit sorry for itself at the moment too, I'm hoping when it warms up that it will recover.

Marhay70

Supermarket plants have often been kept in less than ideal conditions, not hardened off, allowed to dry out etc. Did you immerse the plant in water before planting? The comparison with the Rhododendron is not really valid as profuse flowering can be a sign of stress.
I would wait and see until next year but magnolias are usually fairly tough, keep it well watered and keep the surrounding area free of grass.

NIMAN

Thanks all.

I bought a feed for it earlier and watered it in before I got to read this advice not to feed it!

I didn't immerse it before planting either.

I'll keep it well watered over the summer and see how it fares, but then I fear of overwatering.

Can you get a ph testing kit?

lottpaul

NIMAN wrote: »

Can you get a ph testing kit?

Easily available in most good garden centres or hardware shops. Also worthwhile testing a few different parts of the garden. Readings can vary in a big garden.

NIMAN

Neighbours have a more mature one planted, maybe 2 or 3 years ago, and theirs ain't looking the healthiest either.

I'll not give up hope yet.

Would things like soil ph and watering be more important than amount of sun it's getting?

Marhay70

It wouldn't like a very alkaline soil, somewhere between ph 6 and 7 would be fine but anything above 7 would be pushing it. It's not clear from your photo just how shaded the spot is but magnolias usually like a little shade.
More important than over watering is drainage, magnolias like to be kept moist but they would certainly not like to be waterlogged. Dig a hole about 1 cu. ft. close by, fill it with water and watch how long it takes to drain, if it takes more than a hour or so, you may have a drainage problem or a high water table and that's a whole other problem.
Given that your neighbours' magnolia is not thriving, it is possible that your soil is not suitable, in that case the rhododendron won't do well either.