Magnolia Little Gems & Sunburn

[vGolfer]

We've got a row of 8 Magnolia Little Gems out the front of our house next to a ripple iron fence. They are about 3 years old now and almost 2 metres high. They get sun up until about 3pm.

They have been really knocked around by the recent hot days here in Melbourne and much of the newer growth has been absolutely burnt to a crisp.

Just wondering if I should try and shield them on the hot days or whether this is just 'nature taking its course'.


cheers

[journeyman Mick]

I'm no gardener (any visitor to our house and jungle will attest to that ) But maybe the ripple iron fence is radiating extra heat onto the plants?

Mick

[NewWoody]

There's some merrit in what Mick's mentioned about the radiating heat from the fence. I wouldn't think that alone would cause the new growth being burnt to a crisp...

There are a few factors...

The soil, is it free drainning? Too much so that the watering goes far deeper than the root zone...

or the other extreme, shallow root zone due to watering habbit, that is... have you "trainned" the roots to go deep when you water? I still can't stop my Mum's habbit of only surface watering her plants, this habbit trains their dependence on the regiment and thus most of her plants have mostly surface roots and or shallow root zone, and when the heat picks up, she doesn't understand why her trees wilt. Yet, I have the same plants and they can go for days without my watering without suffering.

On forecasted HOT days, are you watering them first thing in the morning before the heat comes? Give them a good soak in the morning and they should survive the heat.

Don't know what else to comment on as there's little info on your garden and soil conditions.

[Geno]

I've used to have a similar problem with rhododendrons here in Canberra. No matter how much water was pumped into them, they would get sunburnt in the height of winter.
Problem solved by jury rigging some shade cloth over them for Jan-Feb. Looks a bit silly but better than have the suckers fried.

[Wood Borer]

I'm no gardener (any visitor to our house and jungle will attest to that )

You are being too modest Michael, there is tons of vegetation in your back yard - some of it is delicious and the rest stops soil erosion.

[kiwigeo]

90% of the Rhododendrons and Maples in my Japanese garden wear Chinese umbrellas during the summer. Looks really stupid but no other practical way of stopping the sunburn.

[NewWoody]

Geno,
Unlike Little Gems, rhododendrons is not happy in full sun. Little Gems should be fine in full sun, I have them, no problems even in 40+ days. I have trainned mine to go deep in the root zone since little.

[journeyman Mick]

You are being too modest Michael, there is tons of vegetation in your back yard - some of it is delicious and the rest stops soil erosion.

Rob,
you're too kind , also you saw my yard after a long dry period there's now more than twice as much vegetation. There's some patches of guinea grass that are 3M high. That old van that was doubling as a storage space is now almost completely covered by the long grass. BTW, did I give you a chocolate pudding fruit and did you get to eat it?

Mick

[chromis]

Heat from the iron certainly wouldnt help.

You don't water mid-day do you?
Fertilised lately?
Disrupted the roots at all?

[Wood Borer]

It was eaten alright Michael, absolutely delicious thanks very much.

How are the magnolias now we've had a bit of rain and less direct sun exposure? Our lawn is starting to green up and grow up.

[vGolfer]

It was just the really hot days that absolutely scorched the relatively new leaves. I have a feeling the radiant heat from the fence may be causing some problems. The scorched leaves look really bad and the rain has had no effect in them. They'll fall off eventually I guess.

Apart from the scorched leaves, they are pretty healthy. I think I'll just need to drape some shade cloth over them on the really hot days.

[NewWoody]

Magnolia little Gems are known to be a reasonably hardy sun loving plant, my own speciments is a testament for that.

I think the shade cloth may help but mask the real problem. Furthermore, if it's the metal fence's radiant heat that's the cause, how would a shade cloth help this?

Please consult your local botanist or Greenthumb if in doubt. I have never seen or led to form a view that Magnolia Little Gems needing shade cloth.

Please don't confuse this with shade plants like rhododendrons, which needs shade or part shade. Rhododendrons relates to Azaleas and they like shade, there are some sun tolerant varieties of Azaleas... but that's besides the point. Magnolias and their variants(Michelias) tolerate the heat just fine.

Good luck.

[JDub]

I've used to have a similar problem with rhododendrons here in Canberra. No matter how much water was pumped into them, they would get sunburnt in the height of winter.
Problem solved by jury rigging some shade cloth over them for Jan-Feb. Looks a bit silly but better than have the suckers fried.

The heat in Canberra ATM is ridiculous, I planted 55 pittostriom (?sp) for a big screening hedge about two weeks ago, since then we have only had a handful of days that were below 35 degrees!

Ive lost about 1/3 of the plants even with good waterings twice sometimes three times a day (using both drippers and hand watering). The plants are North facing and get sun most of the day.:mad:

Last night I resorted to building a half arsed make shift screen from garden stakes and old cardboard boxes to try to get the remainder of the plants through this period..... my neighbours must think Im mad but I just tell them its a new variety of box hedge

Joel

[chromis]

All planting should be finished well before summer. Here in Perth around the start of Nov would be the deadline. Often the plants are not sun hardended properly, or damage the roots when getting then out of the container and then hit then with hot days they are not accustomed to.

If you are going to plant into the summer then you need to hand water plants twice a day (in perth) and expect some loss.

Only my opinion..