Planting Magnolis bare root when ?

Randy Dandy · #1 01/03/15, 10:33 AM

We have two Magnolia bare trees being shipped to us and they should be delivered within the next couple of days, up to a week away. We live in TN and we are currently experiencing a very warm spell as of today but then its going to drop off down to the cold single digits in a few days.
If we have to keep them inside, then should we keep the roots submerged in a bucket of water until the weather warms up a bit ? Or will this shock them and kill them (from inside 69 degrees to outside +/-30 degrees or lower) ?
We dont have a basement to put them in and if we put them in the shed then the roots will probably freeze. Can someone look at our local forecast for the Nashville area (actually 45 mins west of Nashville but close enough) and give advice on how to store and/or what day you would plant ?
Thanks

Danaus29 · #2 01/03/15, 10:49 AM

Water will drown them. If your ground is dry enough I would dig a hole now, then cover with a bunch of straw or leaves then a tarp. The straw or leaves would keep the soil from freezing and the tarp would keep it dry. Once planted, water well then mulch the soil after it freezes and check every day to make sure the freeze/thaw cycle doesn't push them back out of the soil. Or pot them up and put them in the shed.

billinwv · #3 01/03/15, 01:28 PM

I plant mine as soon as I get them(after 4 hr. soak). My last 12 came when we had 6" of snow. Scraped it away and got them in the ground.

COWS · #4 01/03/15, 02:01 PM

Some of us were cleaning a cemetary. One of the guys dug up a small magnolia, shook the dirt off , took it home and set it out. I warned him that the roots needed to have dirt brought with it. His tree died. Later, I dug up another one with dirt and he set it out. It survived. I think in your case I would put in a pot with dirt, watering it, and store it in a garage if possible and keep it from freezing. After it lived and is growing nicely then set it out, watering it.

I dug up another with dirt and gave it to my daughter in a pot. She kept it a long time trying to decide where to put it. She finally set it out on undeveloped land next door so she would have the enjoyment of it without the responsibility, LOL.

If you have friends with a large magnolia tree check under it. It may have sprouts under it and they will let you have one. Also you might collect seed pods and start your own tree(s). After they get going they are very hardy and long lived. I have never seen one die of old age. My mothers place, now mine, has a magnolia at least 60 years old.

COWS

po boy · #5 01/03/15, 02:15 PM

I'm about 40 miles East of Nashville and looking at some real cold temps the 7th and 8th............ See here

Where are they coming from and what conditions were they grown under?????

If they were mine, I would put in some moist soil, put in my crawl space and plant the 10th or 11th.

Randy Dandy · #6 01/03/15, 04:41 PM

Thanks for all the help.
The trees are coming from McMinnville TN but what condition they were growing under I cant say for sure. If I had to guess they were recently dug up at an outside (field) nursery in McMinnville. The seller told me that we would be just fine putting them in the ground and that they come with instructions. I hate to doubt their words of instructions but I dont know if they thought about the very frigid temps we are about to get and didnt know if we should wait.
We dont have a crawl space. We live in a basement style house with 2 outside uninsulated sheds.
I will send the seller a message to ask the conditions under which they are grown.

Randy Dandy · #7 01/04/15, 09:42 AM

I asked the seller about the growing conditions and they said that they were rooted in the greenhouse in sand.
They suggest we plant in the ground as soon as we get them and follow the instructions. Maybe we should have more faith in the seller ?