I have just read another posting suggesting that magnolia pruning is best done spring/summer after blossoming - presumably to give the tree plenty of time to heal before winter. I've also heard that magnolia's don't like pruning much at all...... I want to take off a single large branch that's undamaged, but growing from quite low on the tree, to improve overall shape. Any hints or tips? is it too late for this year? Thanks!
Hi HWD: To remove an unwanted branch, that can be done almost anytime. Just be sure to make a nice, even, clean cut if you can. Pruning Magnolias for a desired shape or to generate more growth is probably best done right after the plant blooms. I will say that here we have not been overly successful cutting a branch on a deciduous Magnolia hoping to get more growth to come out just below our cut. In more cases than not all we end up doing is restrict the growth from the branch even more than it was instead. It is because of our lack of generating a response is why we do not recommend topping a deciduous Magnolia here as we will not get our desired effect of a bushier tree as a result. The same thing is vastly different for most evergreen Magnolias in which new growth can be generated from a desired pruning cut. I've topped and shaped our M. grandiflora cv. Little Gem before and it responded rather nicely to what I wanted it to do but I would not try to do that in a million years to my M. campbellii cv. Charles Raffill. Jim.
