I am newly a homeowner and a rank beginning gardener in Wilmington NC.
It will be a long task learning I am afraid as I have no experience at all.
What is the best way to get up / get rid of fallen magnolia leaves ?
Is one of those blower/vac/mulchers a possibility?
Those leaves are tough!
thanks for any feedback.....
Lauren
I have a (hopefully) not dumb question...
Leaf blowers are the best as a lawn mower doesn't seem to phase the leaves.
Blow torch might be even better,Can you tell I was at Moms last month and she had a fit till I got outside and blew away all the leaves. Her magnolia tree is huge. And the guy who does her yard had a brain Fart a few years ago and cut the lower limbs so you could walk under the tree. That just caused a bigger gathering of leaves. GRRRRRR
Lavina
That's the main reason I do not have a magnolia tree, but enjoy the one down the street. The owner rakes leaves every Sunday morning and puts them in a metal can and burns them. The whole process takes about an hour.
I must also say that I end up with a lot of those leaves in my yard when the wind blows in my direction. I agree, they are a pain!
X
I am considering a lawn blower/vac/composter from Toro.....
It has a metal blade and I am hoping I can suck them up and fragmentize them.
I don't know that they are worth composting but it would help to get rid of them.
Does anyone have thoughts on whether this plan could/would work?
My agreement & sympathy LavinaMay and Xeramtheum-they are A PAIN :-)
This message was edited Nov 14, 2006 1:09 PM
This message was edited Nov 14, 2006 1:12 PM
Golly, this thread is a downer. I am the owner of a rescued magnolia. I dug it almost literally out from under the tread of huge piece of earth moving equipment, parked an inch from the trunk, last spring.
Although I grew up in the South, none of my relatives had magnolias. The only one in our neighborhood lived behind a high fence. No wonder my husband groaned when he came home and found it planted in the middle of the side lawn.
Dayli,
you are hearing the one downside.
They ARE beautiful and do have history to them.
Don't be discouraged-just get a rake or a lawn vac kind of thing!
Keeping the lower branches is an important key. The leaves stay under there and mulch the tree naturally. But, when you have to trim the branches the leaves become a big problem.
I really can't imagine a leaf vac would work on such heavy large leaves. My leaves (I had a 4 large trees at my previous home) were about 4" x 10". I would be interested in seeing how you make out.
Ardesia,
I am fearful you are right!
Unfortunately the trees are just that at this point-trees.
There are no bottom limbs-just trunk for 6 feet.
I DID verify with Home Depot that I can take the blower/vac back so will let you know
if it works or if I gave up and .......? I don't know what to do if that doesnt work but maybe then I will blow them into a pile and then find a way to collect and throw out.
Lauren
I saw a beautiful arrangement using magnolia leaves, underside up, along with (I think) pale pink roses. Think of the rich rusty color of the leaf underside along with the delicate pink. It was in Garden Design, I believe. Truly gorgeous...I'm just saying...they're not necessarily trash...but...you guys must have millions!
That does sound beautiful. The leaves on the cultivar 'Teddy Bear' have beautiful undersides.
LOL, not only is it millions but they are large and hard, very difficult to rake. The leaves are also like little bowls and they hold water and mosquitos breed in them.
That said, I still wish I had one of my beautiful old magnolias at this house. Just the lemony scent of one of the blossoms on a summer evening makes it all worthwhile.
You guys whine alot. I have 2 pretty good sized magnolias and the leaves aren't really a problem. I just rake them up when I'm raking up the GD pine cones. I have about 20 mature pines and they make a mess. This time of year everytime it rains or the wind blows hard I have cones and needles everywhere. The problem there is you need a tractor to suck up the needles(I have a big yard) but the cones get chopped up and end up as little sharp cone pieces all over the place. I usually rake up the cones in places the kids are likely to be running around. BTW I burn all the yard debris I pick up.
I have been considering a lawn tractor and perhaps that would be a good answer.
I have never even owned a lawn mower before so moving to the country is challenging
especially as a single female.
Sometimes I ask myself what I was thinking!?
The leaf vac works pretty well I must say but I can't go into a pile of magnolia
leaves with it-I have to pick them up a few at a time.
It does work though!
I wish the trees had been left as bushes!
I have read about the trouble the leaves of the magnolia have caused for some and still plan on planting at least a couple of these magnificant trees on my property when we move in February. The beautiful flowers and the brillant leaves on the trees are so much more valuable to me then the little bit of time it will take for me to run a mower around them to clean up the leaves.
I currently live in Las Vegas where trees are few and even less have interesting leaves to look at whether they are on the tree or the ground.
A huge thank you to Lauren for starting this thread though. After reading your comments I have made the final decision that I will leave the lower branches and allow it to mulch itself.
Lauren2h2o-
I don't have any large magnolias but I can sympathize with the single female new to the country part. I've learned more than I ever wanted to learn about lawnmowers in the last twenty years.
The leaf vac is great but for a larger area you should try a mulching, bagging mower. It's faster and less wear and tear on you. I have about fifty deciduous trees in the front yard and am surrounded by even more. I've been using all the leaves that fall as either mulch or compost for about three years now. It's a job but it's worth it. Good luck!