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Magnolia Black Tulip is an amazingly beautiful crop variety obtained by New Zealand breeders as a result of crossing the Iolanta and Vulcan varieties. Magnolia Black Tulip is not very well known among Russian gardeners, as evidenced by the almost complete lack of reviews about it.
Description of Magnolia Black Tulip
It is an ornamental deciduous tree or shrub up to 5–6 m high with medium-sized green oval leaves. The pyramidal crown becomes more spreading and wider with age, reaching a diameter of 3 m. The root system is superficial.
The variety is characterized by good frost resistance and is practically not susceptible to diseases.
How Magnolia Black Tulip blooms
Magnolia Black Tulip blooms profusely at the very beginning of spring, even before the leaves appear, with large single flowers up to 18 cm in diameter. The goblet corolla formed by velvety petals gives the flower a resemblance to a tulip. One of the distinguishing features of the Black Tulip magnolia flowers is an unusual dark purple hue, which is considered one of the darkest among the red-flowering magnolia varieties.
In humid and not very hot summers, Black Tulip can bloom again in mid-June.
Reproduction methods
Magnolia reproduces very well vegetatively, i.e. by cuttings and layering. Seed propagation is rarely practiced.
To obtain a daughter plant from the cuttings, in the spring, the lower shoot of the mother plant is bent down, fixed on the soil and sprinkled with earth. After 1–2 years, the branch takes root, it is separated and transplanted.
You can start propagating the Black Tulip magnolia by cuttings in the middle of summer. To do this, cut the young branches of the plant, place them in a sand-based substrate and provide a constantly moist, warm environment. Rooting takes 2 to 4 months, and after a year, young shoots can be planted in open ground.
Another common way to grow magnolia is by grafting. On the trunk of another culture or a more hardy and frost-resistant magnolia variety, a cutting of the Black Tulip variety with vegetative buds is grafted. Most often, this method is used by professional gardeners, since reproduction by grafting requires certain skills and adherence to technology.
To grow magnolia Black Tulip from seeds harvested in the fall, they are sealed in boxes with universal soil and harvested in a cool place until spring. Before planting young plants in open ground, the seedlings are carefully looked after.
Planting and leaving
It is best to purchase a Black Tulip magnolia sapling from a nursery or garden center. Planting material should be chosen with a closed root system, since such plants take root better.
Recommended timing
Despite the fact that the agricultural technique of magnolia involves both spring and autumn planting, most experienced gardeners recommend planting this plant in open ground in mid-October, after the end of the growing season. The argument against planting in spring is the risk of recurrent April frosts, from which magnolia can be severely affected. Container magnolia can be planted throughout the summer.
Site selection and soil preparation
When choosing a site for planting this magnolia variety, open windy areas should be avoided. Despite its hardiness, the plant can suffer from cold winter winds. It prefers well-lit areas, but direct sunlight negatively affects the pigmentation of the leaves - they fade and acquire a light yellow tint. The direct midday sun is especially harmful to young seedlings. Magnolia feels good in diffused light and in partial shade.
Magnolia Black Tulip is not very demanding on the soil: it will grow best in soils with a neutral or acidic reaction; in substrates with a high content of lime and salts, its growth is noticeably impaired. The soil should be fertile, loose, moist, but without stagnant water. Sandy, loamy and clayey soils are well suited.
Preparing a site for planting magnolia primarily involves drainage of the soil, since the plant needs a lot of water, and it does not tolerate stagnant moisture. If the soil is limestone, it is acidified with peat.
How to plant correctly
To plant a magnolia, you need:
- dig a planting hole with a diameter of 100 cm and a depth of 60 cm;
- prepare a nutritious soil mixture from sod land, peat, sand and rotted compost;
- pour a layer of prepared soil mixture with a thickness of 20–30 cm on the bottom;
- place the seedling in the hole and cover with the remaining soil. The soil should not be compacted so as not to obstruct the access of air to the roots;
- water the plant;
- mulch the near-trunk circle with coniferous bark, sand or peat.
When planting several trees, the size of adult specimens is taken into account. As a rule, a distance of 4–5 m is maintained between them.
Growing rules
To provide the Black Tulip magnolias with comfortable conditions in the gardens of the middle lane, it must be borne in mind that territories with a warm, humid climate are its homeland, therefore regular watering plays a primary role. Top dressing and pruning are also necessary to grow a healthy, flowering tree. Advances in modern breeding have made it possible to achieve high frost resistance of this variety, however, proper preparation for winter is an important part of caring for the Black Tulip variety.
Watering
In dry summers, Black Tulip magnolia is watered 2-3 times a week with soft water. It is good to use rainwater, settled or acidified with a small amount of peat water. Usually, about 2 buckets of water are consumed per plant.
Young seedlings need more moisture, they are watered once every 7 days at the rate of 30 liters of water per plant.
Mulching will help to conserve moisture, get rid of weeds and improve the chemical composition of the soil.
Top dressing
The first 2 years after planting Black Tulip magnolia does not need additional feeding. In the future, plantings are fertilized with ready-made mineral complexes or a nutrient solution for irrigation is prepared independently. In 10 liters of water, dissolve 1 tbsp. l. urea and ammonium nitrate and add 1 kg of cow dung.
Magnolia is fed from early March to late summer. Fertilization with nitrogenous complexes is stopped in the middle of summer, so as not to disrupt the natural preparation of the plant for winter.
Pruning
Magnolia Pruning Black Tulip is produced in order to improve decorativeness and overall health. Formative pruning is not necessary. Immediately after flowering, it is enough to cut off the inflorescences and dried branches, and after winter, cut off the frozen shoots. Branches growing inward are also subject to removal.
Preparing for winter
One of the mandatory stages of preparing Black Tulip magnolia for winter is mulching of the near-stem circles. It is produced after the first frost. Spruce branches, conifer bark, peat or leaves are used as mulch.
In the middle lane, only young plants (up to 5 years old) are sheltered for the winter.The barrel is securely wrapped with two layers of burlap. Another insulating material will do. This will protect the plant not only from frost, but also from rodents. If the area with magnolia is blown by the winds, it makes sense to cover the crown of the tree with the same material.
Mature trees are able to withstand frosts down to -32 ° C, but if a harsh winter is expected, it is advisable to cover them.
The greatest danger to magnolia is posed by recurrent frosts, since when the temperature rises, vegetative processes begin and flower buds are formed, which are not able to withstand even a short-term drop in temperature to negative values.
Pests and diseases
Magnolia Black Tulip rarely gets sick, pests, primarily rodents, which infect the roots and trunk, pose a great danger to it. Special scarers will help to cope with them.
The spider mite is very harmful to the plant. By settling on the underside of leaves and multiplying rapidly, it can lead to the death of leaves. You can get rid of it by spraying the tree with insecticides or folk remedies, for example, infusion of onion or garlic husks, tobacco dust, mustard powder. It is also useful to carry out preventive spraying of plantings, especially if hot dry weather is established, since it is in such conditions that pests are especially active.
When growing magnolia on soils with a high content of lime and a lack of iron, it can get sick with chlorosis, in which for no apparent reason the leaves turn yellow and fall off. The acidification of the soil and its enrichment with iron chelate will help to correct the situation.
Conclusion
Magnolia Black Tulip is a young variety that is gaining an increasing number of fans among gardeners. A blooming tree can become a real pearl of a garden - the flowers of this variety of incredible beauty are invariably eye-catching. At the same time, agricultural technology is not very difficult - the plant does not impose special requirements for care and feels comfortable in the middle lane with minimal care.
