S & J Nursery’s Guide to Growing
Greenback Magnolia / MGTIG
in the Northeast Florida Landscape
( Magnolia grandiflora ‘Greenback / MGTIG)
NOTE: This page is being kept for informational purposes only as I no longer have a supplier for this Magnolia variety. I will stock it again when and If I am able to locate them as I love the narrow habit that makes them perfect as a privacy screen for our area.
Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Origins:
– A selection of the North American Native Magnolia Grandiflora
Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Preferred Exposure:
– Full sun to partial sun/shade situations are tolerated in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscape.
Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Foliage | Bark:
– Magnolia Greenback/MGTIG remains evergreen keeping its foliage in the winter season.
– Foliage of the Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Southern Magnolia is smaller than typical of the species, they are a medium green glossy on the surface and a lighter tarnish green on the underside.
– Leaves are thick, smooth textured and slightly cupped or turned under.
Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Soil Preference / Salt tolerance:
– Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG will prefer slightly acidic soil but will tolerate sand, loam, clay, slightly alkaline and even occasionally wet soils.
– Only moderately salt tolerant
Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Size Variance:
– Can reach sizes of 25-40 feet H | and spreading narrowly only to about 10+ ft feet wide.
Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Growth Habit:
– Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG are densely foliated trees with an almost columnar oval to pyramidal growth habit and tend to have branches very near ground level unless pruned up by removing the lower branches to expose underneath the tree.
Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Growth Rate:
– Southern Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG trees are moderate growers with an extremely long life span.
Southern Magnolia Bloom:
– These trees have a very large and highly fragrant creamy white leathery blooms that reach10 inches across with a central cone that will enlarge and open up after the petals have gone to expose beautiful bright red seeds that are utilized by various wildlife in the North Florida | Jacksonville |
St. Augustine area landscapes and gardens.
– Its no wonder these impressive blooms are the state flower for both Louisiana and Mississippi.
Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG Water Requirements:
– Plants will need daily water after being planted from a container or transplanted into the landscape and supplemental irrigation during periods of reduced local rainfall for the first season or two.
Butterfly or Bird Attracting:
– Seed cones are utilized by various wildlife.
Best Uses For Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine landscape:
– Southern Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG is an ideal selection for a smaller garden area or where space limitations would make the broader Southern Magnolia selections out of place. Its extremely narrow columnar growth habit also makes it the perfect selection for a privacy screen or hedge line, it wont like so many other species take up much yard width wise but will supply excellent coverage that will remain evergreen in the winter time and have the added bonus of the large and fragrant blooms.
– Use Southern Magnolia Greenback / MGTIG as a foundation accent without having to fear it growing to wide for your home or building, or having invasive or destructive root systems.
– Southern Magnolias also make excellent street trees.
Care of Live Southern Magnolia:
– Although Magnolia trees can be planted from a container into the
landscape any time of the year in our North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area landscapes, Magnolias root systems are very wide for their size making
transplanting sometimes difficult, so if you decide to move one from one location to another in the yard be sure to do it in winter or spring for the best result possible.
– Water every day during the establishment period, See watering your newly planted trees for more information. Magnolia’s must be watched for the first one to two seasons after being planted or transplanted in the landscape and supplemental water supplied in any time of drought. They are slower to establish themselves into the landscape than many other trees and should be watered
well once a week when local rainfall is scarce.
– Magnolias respond well to pruning, when shaping a younger tree they should be pruned 6 inches deeper than where you would like to see the re-growth appear. Everywhere you trim the tree will sprout new growth and begin to branch out and fill in. So if you have a sparsely foliated Magnolia tree get out the pruners and remove as many growing tips as possible, prune deeper into the branch in
scarcely foliated areas to get them to branch out and fill in the gaps.
– Magnolias have lots of branches all though they will be smaller in diameter in comparison to other larger growing shade trees like an Oak. Prune out the occasional occurrence of a branch at a sharper angle than 45 degrees or if damaged etc. by removing the branch all the way back to the trunk.
– Provide a 1 ft diameter circle of mulched area where grass is kept from growing for each inch of caliper (or diameter) of trunk measured 4 inches from the ground level.
– Fertilize each spring with a mixture of milorganite and a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the foliage of the tree.