magnolia problems

[flowerdale]

Hi, I have just refurbished my house and garden, normally lawnmower is a sheep or two!? Now having put so many man hours in livestock are locked out. I have planted about 70 planters on the patio area and its keeping me rather busy. I have a 2ft magnolia in a pot and the leaves are starting to turn brown and look as though they are dying. I am so confused after looking on the internet as I have read conflicting info. Is this normal,or do you suspect snail/slug activity? I have read that the specimen is evergreen and also deciduous. Many thanks in advance for any advise, thanks.

[flowerdale]

Hi, no the leaves are not eaten. It is the top few leaves that are starting to turn, nothing at the bottom. I wondered if there was something in the soil. I used pre-purchased compost and sand but my own organic matter to pot them.Thanks.

[John McGaw]

On 9/15/2010 5:19 PM, flowerdale wrote: snip... I have read that

Evergreen or deciduous depends on what sort of magnolia you have. Magnolia grandiflora

is evergreen where it is hardy and has leaves which are waxy and so stiff that they rattle in the wind -- almost like they were made of plastic.

In my experience they are close to unkillable and I can't imagine any beast eating on it. I have the remains of a huge specimen in my yard which I forced to cut down five years ago. Despite having the stump ground and all major roots dug out I'm still forced to hack away at and spray the new growth which comes up several times every year.

[Garrapata]

Could be from drying out from under watering, or a hot or windy spell before the root are established or root damage from over watering or poor drainage, over fertilizing, fungi, insects or ? Could be pesticide damage.