Dying Magnolia - Ask Extension
Good Afternoon,
Our Magnolia bush appears to be dying (see attached images). Could you please help identify the cause and potential remedy ?
Th...
Knowledgebase
Dying Magnolia #873466
Asked June 17, 2024, 2:47 PM EDT
Good Afternoon,
Our Magnolia bush appears to be dying (see attached images). Could you please help identify the cause and potential remedy ?
Thank You
Union County Ohio
Expert Response
Hi Christopher,
It looks from these photos as though you may have more than one thing going on with your magnolia shrub, which is not unusual. When a plant is under stress from one problem, it is often more susceptible to other, additional problems.
There appear to be magnolia scale insects on the stems of this plant. You can learn more about the life cycle of these insects at this link: https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/tree-plant-care/plant-care-resources/magnolia-scale-neolecanium-cornuparvum/. Please compare the information and photos to see if they look like what you see on your magnolia. If so, there is also good information in the article about how to control them, and you can find more here: https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g7274 and here: https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1986.
Magnolia scale is a common problem. I am much more concerned about the webbing I can see running between stems. This suggests that you may have mites feeding on your plant as well. Then there are the larger brown gall-like structures along the branch in one of your photos, which could come from beneficial wasps, or could be the result of a different insect.
Because there are several things going on at once for this plant, I would really suggest that you consider submitting samples to our diagnostic lab, so that you can learn what is going on and which problem(s) to address first. Information on the C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (PPDC) and how to submit samples is at https://ppdc.osu.edu/. You could also consider consulting an ISA-certified arborist for advice, but even an arborist would benefit from being able to view your report from the PPDC.
I hope this information is helpful. Please don't hesitate to follow up if you have questions.
Best,
It looks from these photos as though you may have more than one thing going on with your magnolia shrub, which is not unusual. When a plant is under stress from one problem, it is often more susceptible to other, additional problems.
There appear to be magnolia scale insects on the stems of this plant. You can learn more about the life cycle of these insects at this link: https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/tree-plant-care/plant-care-resources/magnolia-scale-neolecanium-cornuparvum/. Please compare the information and photos to see if they look like what you see on your magnolia. If so, there is also good information in the article about how to control them, and you can find more here: https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g7274 and here: https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1986.
Magnolia scale is a common problem. I am much more concerned about the webbing I can see running between stems. This suggests that you may have mites feeding on your plant as well. Then there are the larger brown gall-like structures along the branch in one of your photos, which could come from beneficial wasps, or could be the result of a different insect.
Because there are several things going on at once for this plant, I would really suggest that you consider submitting samples to our diagnostic lab, so that you can learn what is going on and which problem(s) to address first. Information on the C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic (PPDC) and how to submit samples is at https://ppdc.osu.edu/. You could also consider consulting an ISA-certified arborist for advice, but even an arborist would benefit from being able to view your report from the PPDC.
I hope this information is helpful. Please don't hesitate to follow up if you have questions.
Best,
