Re: southern magnolia question

You're most welcome, Pat.  Well, if they are root sprouts, will make
them easier to handle...just slightly less fragile.

I make my own potting mix from screened compost and screened rotted
woodchips plus leaf mould and add starter sized granite chicken grit,
but most people buy theirs:-)  You can mix your peat and a
considerable amount of perlite for a free draining mix and that will
do just fine for starters.  The only real disadvantage to peat is
that it tends to decompose after a few months and turn into a soggy
mess.  By the time this would happen, I think, you'd be ready to pot
your babies on in fresh mix.   But, the bags of potting mix sold in
most places are basically peat and perlite.  You will need to
fertilize as this mix will have no nutrients.  Personally, I'd wait
until there were signs of stem growth and then feed with alternating
fish emulsion, kelp or seaweed and something like Miracid (they are
acid lovers), a fairly weak dilution for starters.  Once the plants
are growing well, you can use some Osmacote and not worry about it.

As for wintering over...hmmmm...well, mine would go in my cool
greenhouse, but I think you will need to make a value judgment as the
seeds are sprouting much later in the season than they normally would
and might do better inside this winter to keep them growing strongly.
 I really do not know the correct answer here.  Assume Magnolias need
a dormant period, but very tiny seedlings might not.   They should
not be in a warm room - encourages bugs - but a room that stays
around 50-60F would be ideal.  If you do keep them in the house, you
might think about investing in a shop light and rigging it so they
were under it for 12 hours a day or so...a window might not give them
enough light and they might stretch on you.

If they grow away strongly and are 4 inches tall with 3 to 5 leaves
before winter sets in, you could give them the unheated garage (as
long as it doesn't freeze in there).  South window might be too much
sun - they can get really hot in winter.  Magnolias are shade
tolerant, so IMO the north window would be better.

Upshot is, unless someone who really knows will pipe up here, think
you'll have to play it by ear and see where they are come winter. 
Could be that the place you will tend to go and check on them most
often would be best - they don't want to dry out.  I find out of
sight = out of mind a lot:-)

Glad you found my Suite topic interesting - come on by anytime!

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: pat.schuster <pdanielak@bluecrab.org>
> Date: Thursday, July 27, 2000 8:40 AM
> 
> Hi Marge,
> 
> Many thanks for you detailed response.
> 
> Now that you mention it, and I've had a closer look, they are
definitely 
> root sprouts, though the stems are beginning to push out as well.
> 
> I'm not sure I can buy a bagged, soilless potting mix in my town. I
may 
> need to drive up the road today before I start potting up. Is there

> anything in particular that you use? At home I have a bag of peat
moss, a 
> bag of sand, some vermiculite and some perlite. Will any of that
do? Does 
> the mixture have to be completely soilless?
> 
> My choices are to winter them over in an unheated garage (north or
south 
> window, depending on whether or not sun is desirable), or in a
"heated" 
> laundry room (which never gets warm like the rest of the house)
near a west 
> facing window.
> 
> I have a propagation book right now that I've borrowed from the
library, 
> but I couldn't find the answers to my questions there. Any good
books that 
> you can recommend?
> 
> By the way, I just paid a quick visit to your website. I don't have
any 
> shade at all near the house. Everything is in full sun. But I can't
wait to 
> have some time to sit and read some of the other very interesting
articles. 
> Thanks for that info, as well.
> 
> Pat
> 
> Zone 7, Delmarva
> 
>
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