Hello James,

Yes, acidic soil is ideal for Magnolias. We suspect a few things might be going on, and it's possible they are overlapping. Evergreen foliage sometimes takes a surprising amount of time to show symptoms of damage from drought, cold snaps, and other issues, which makes diagnosis tricky.

Southern Magnolias do normally shed old foliage in spring (plus, to a lesser degree, in summer and autumn as well). This natural shedding occurs with leaves that are several years old on the branch interiors or on lower growth, so should not include young leaves at the branch tips. If young leaves are off-color or disfigured, that has a separate cause.

Some of this might be residual damage from the late-season spring cold snaps, especially when they occurred after a dramatic warm spell. Plants that loose cold-hardiness as spring warms can't handle sharp downturns like overnight frosts/freezes without injury, because they don't regain that same degree of cold tolerance that quickly. Even unopened leaf buds that have broken dormancy are vulnerable, though the damage may not be obvious until that leaf has more fully expanded.

Fungal infection is a possibility for the deformed and burnt-looking young growth, though Southern Magnolia is not known to be particularly susceptible to any of the common spring foliage diseases, such as anthracnose. Usually the diseases that take hold in spring's cooler, wetter weather don't continue into summer because the hotter, drier conditions aren't conducive to the continued spread of those fungi. As such, fungicide for them is not recommended; plus, it's too late to treat once symptoms manifest because the treatments are preventative (to protect new growth), not curative.

Was the tree planted late in the season last year? (Around October or later?) If so, evergreen trees and shrubs may not have enough time to establish roots before winter dormancy, leading to greater risk of winter injury and desiccation.

Was the tree regularly checked for water after planting, and were its roots loosened after being removed from the pot? Magnolia tend to get fairly root-bound by the time they are a sellable size, and roots that are left tangled or matted together in the shape of the pot upon planting may not grow out into the surrounding soil, missing-out on the ability to get enough moisture and nutrients. When checking for water, the soil should be probed about five inches deep; if it feels fairly dry to the touch at that depth, a thorough watering of the tree's root area would be beneficial. If damp to the touch instead when checked, the tree probably doesn't need watering yet.

Was any pesticide applied on or near the tree prior to these symptoms appearing? This includes insecticide, fungicide, or herbicide, organic or otherwise. We ask because some chemicals can have phytotoxic impacts (causing tissue injury), and some herbicide ingredients can harm tree and shrub roots when absorbed from an application for lawn weeds.

For now, just monitor the tree for a worsening of symptoms (or for new symptoms), and check it for watering needs once or twice a week, depending on temperatures. The recent rains will certainly provide soil moisture, but brief downpours can't be relied-upon to deliver enough useful moisture to a tree, so check the soil before assuming it's wet enough or dry. Damaged leaves don't heal, even when the situation resolves itself, though plants may continue to gradually shed them, especially if producing new foliage. A primary sign of tree improvement will be normal-looking new growth and a reduction in leaf shed over time, though it's normal for trees to not produce much new foliage after about midsummer.

Miri