Teddy Bear Magnolia Care Guide

White Teddy Bear flowers look adorable, which is why more and more gardens are decorated with this plant. Here you will learn everything you need to successfully grow this magnolia.

Teddy Bear Magnolia care tips

• Locate Teddy Bear in a place with at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day
• Provide a well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5-7.0
• Water with 1-3 gallons of water after the soil has dried to a depth of 2 inches
• Mulch the surface with 1 inch of compost
• Trim off dead branches in early spring or fall
• Fertilize magnolia with phosphorus fertilizer
• Plant Teddy Bear 7 feet apart from other trees

Plant profile

Planting

For planting Teddy Bear, it is best to choose a cloudy spring or fall day. The best time of day is morning or evening. Avoid planting magnolia in the heat of summer.

It is best to plant this variety in a location with few hours of direct sunlight and where there is no stagnant water. Also, plant Teddy Bear at least 7 feet apart from other trees or buildings.

Dig a hole twice as large as the magnolia’s roots. Fill it with 1-2 buckets of high-quality compost and mix it with soil. Place the tree so that the trunk is not buried in the ground, if necessary, pour more soil on the bottom of the hole.

Backfill all free space with a mixture of earth and compost. After that, water the magnolia well.

Light requirements

Teddy Bear Magnolia needs an average of 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. The further north it grows, the more sun it needs. In zone 7, for example, it is best that it gets at least 8 hours of direct sun.

This magnolia can grow in full sun all day. In fact, it is a very sun-tolerant tree, even though some magnolias prefer half-shade.

Teddy Bear cannot grow in full shade. If it doesn’t get direct sun at all, the crown will be very loose and you won’t get flowers. So plant it at least in the half-shade where there are at least a few hours of direct sunlight.

Soil

Slightly moist and well-drained soil is best for Teddy Bear. But in general, it can tolerate a wide range of soils.

As for clay soil, this magnolia can also grow well in it, as long as no moisture stagnates near the roots. Sandy soil is less suitable for its cultivation because of the lack of moisture. So it’s best to change the sandy soil and add a few bags of compost or peat.

Teddy Bear likes a soil pH of 5.5-7.0. In other words, it likes acidic soil and cannot tolerate alkaline soil. In alkaline soil, the tree will not be able to absorb the right minerals and will suffer from chlorosis.

Watering

For the first 2 growing seasons, water Teddy Bear as soon as the soil is 1-2 inches dry. The frequency of watering depends on the weather, in hot weather the soil dries out faster so you will have to water 1-3 times a week. In rainy weather, watering is not necessary at all.

When watering, use at least 1 gallon of water, you need to get the soil well moistened. Avoid frequent surface watering.

Once the magnolia has established itself in its new location, watering can be reduced to a minimum or stopped completely. The exception to this would be in extreme drought or if you have sandy soil.

Too much watering can cause Teddy Bear Magnolia to over-water. In this case, the roots will become soft and may start to rot. Root rot can easily destroy the tree because it is very difficult to treat. So avoid overwatering it and eliminate stagnant water around the roots.

Pruning

Teddy Bear is one of those magnolias that does not need pruning. It is a medium-sized tree and there is usually no problem with space. But if you want to make it more compact or change the shape of the crown, you can trim it.

The best time to prune this magnolia is early spring or fall. Remember, no matter when you cut it you will still remove some of the branches with flower buds and blossom will not be as abundant.

Do not trim more than a third of the tree a year because otherwise it can get stressed and die. Only use sharp tools that have to be disinfected beforehand.

Deadwood and dried flowers can be removed at any time of year.

Problems

The main reason why Teddy Bear Magnolia leaves turn yellow is a lack of nutrients or root rot. In the first case, add iron chelate and magnesium to the soil; we will talk about fertilizers in more detail below.

Magnolia root rot is difficult to treat. The first and only thing you can do is to stop frequent watering or divert water away from the tree if it was the cause of overwatering.

The cause of Teddy Bear magnolia leaves turning brown is the underwatering or scorching sun. This is especially true for young magnolias. To fix the problem, shade the magnolia from the scorching half-day sun for several months and don’t let the soil dry out more than an inch.

Brown spots on magnolia leaves result from damage by fungus spores. To avoid this, provide good air exchange around the tree and spray the leaves with fungicide.

Leaf curling or holes in the leaves are the results of pests. In this case, spray the magnolia with an aqueous solution of horticultural oil.

Fertilizer

To get good blooms you can fertilize Teddy Bear. The best fertilizer is a multi-purpose fertilizer with a little more phosphorus. It is also good if the fertilizer contains some iron and magnesium because these elements are necessary for photosynthesis.

Put some compost in the planting hole and mulch the magnolia with compost. Compost is an excellent organic fertilizer and the tree will grow more vigorously with it.

Fertilize once a year in early spring. Avoid fertilizing in the fall and winter because the tree needs rest during this time.