Southern Magnolia Sudden Leaf Loss - Ask Extension
My approximately 20 year old Southern Magnolia has suddenly started losing leaves. Some lower branches retained dead leaves, others have bare branches...
Knowledgebase
Southern Magnolia Sudden Leaf Loss #900668
Asked May 08, 2025, 6:08 PM EDT
My approximately 20 year old Southern Magnolia has suddenly started losing leaves. Some lower branches retained dead leaves, others have bare branches to leaf tuft at end.
Some new leaves crinkled. No obvious signs of mites but leaves may appear mite shot.
Baltimore City County Maryland
Expert Response
We don't see any issues of concern on the close-ups, and the amount of leaf yellowing/browning and shedding visible in the third photo looks normal for Southern Magnolia, which can shed a not-insignificant amount of leaves in spring, autumn, and scattered throughout the year (a trait they are notorious for that bothers some gardeners). Shedding might be exacerbated by stresses such as drought, and the state has been experiencing significant drought over the past year or more, unless the tree was being watered periodically.
The residue on the leaf surface in the close-up photo looks like accumulated airborne pollen (oak, hickory, and other pollen levels have been high recently) stuck to honeydew, so there might be some scale insects present in the canopy, but probably not enough to warrant intervention, as low populations don't cause serious damage to the tree. We've seen examples recently this spring of the same leaf surface appearance on holly leaves, on a plant which had some scale insects. Tuliptree Scale and Magnolia Scale are two candidates if scale are present, though they might be hard to detect on a tree that size. The linked pages have more information.
Branches with dead leaves on their entire length, which aren't leafing-out, can be pruned off. If too high to reach, have a certified arborist or licensed tree expert prune them. They can also inspect the tree for scale, and apply an insecticide treatment if it's warranted (we don't think that's likely based on how the tree looks currently). Other than continuing to monitor it for watering needs, if irrigation is possible, then nothing else needs to be done for now.
Miri
The residue on the leaf surface in the close-up photo looks like accumulated airborne pollen (oak, hickory, and other pollen levels have been high recently) stuck to honeydew, so there might be some scale insects present in the canopy, but probably not enough to warrant intervention, as low populations don't cause serious damage to the tree. We've seen examples recently this spring of the same leaf surface appearance on holly leaves, on a plant which had some scale insects. Tuliptree Scale and Magnolia Scale are two candidates if scale are present, though they might be hard to detect on a tree that size. The linked pages have more information.
Branches with dead leaves on their entire length, which aren't leafing-out, can be pruned off. If too high to reach, have a certified arborist or licensed tree expert prune them. They can also inspect the tree for scale, and apply an insecticide treatment if it's warranted (we don't think that's likely based on how the tree looks currently). Other than continuing to monitor it for watering needs, if irrigation is possible, then nothing else needs to be done for now.
Miri
