My Magnolia Tree Looks Sickly. What Is Causing This?

Are the leaves on your magnolia tree yellow, and covered with small bumps?

Are the leaves discolored, wilted or dropping, lacking vigor?

Are the leaves stippled with yellow and are the foliage webbed?

Are the trunk and the branches of your magnolia oozing sap through the lesions?

Do the leaves of your magnolia have spots on them?

Yellow leaves covered by small bumps are caused by scales. These tiny, shelled insects often feed on the undersides of the leaves, causing an unhealthy appearance with yellowish blotches on the upper leaf surfaces. Scrape off minor infestations with your fingernail. Prune out badly infested growth, or use a soft brush and soapy water to gently scrub the scales off the stems. Control scales by spraying insecticidal oil during the growing season.

Discolored, wilted or dropping leaves lacking vigor are caused by mealybugs. These tiny insects are covered with a fluffy white coating. They feed by sucking plants sap. They produce sticky substance honeydew which makes leaves sticky. You can control them by washing them off the plant with water spray. Insecticidal soap should be used with severe infestations.

Yellow flecks on leaves and webbed foliage is caused by spider mites. These tiny, spider-like pests feed by sucking sap from the underside of the plants leaves causing yellow flecking on the upper leaf surfaces. You can control spider mites by spraying plants thoroughly with water 2-3 times a day for several days. For severe infestations, spray plants with insecticidal soap, or pyrethrin as a last resort.

Oozing lesion on magnolias are caused by cankers. Cankers can be caused by several different kinds of fungi. Mildly affected plants will recover if you remove and destroy all affected branches. Heavily affected plants can't be cured and you should remove the whole plant. Avoid damaging your plant with lawnmowers, trimmers or pruning tools because the wounds are the best place for cankers to start.

Irregular brown spots on leaves are caused by a fungal disease - Leaf blotch. Leaf blotch may spread over leaves on the whole tree and even lead to defoliation. To protect your tree clean up and destroy fallen leaves to remove overwintering spores, cut all affected leaves and destroy them.

If the blossoms of your magnolia have browned and limped the most likely cause is frost damage. The flowers of early blooming magnolias are often subject to frost damage. Avoid planting sites with southern exposures, which can encourage buds to open while there is still a danger of frost.