Magnolia in distress - Ask Extension
My eight year-old magnolia has suddenly started dropping leaves. The leaves are turning brown with spots. The leaf loss is from the inside of the tree...
Knowledgebase
Magnolia in distress #933031
Asked May 26, 2026, 9:18 PM EDT
My eight year-old magnolia has suddenly started dropping leaves. The leaves are turning brown with spots. The leaf loss is from the inside of the tree down to The bottom. I have removed the protective fencing, removed brown leaves, and bag them. Should I do anything else? Should I wait till the fall to trim it? This tree has been healthy for the past four years after a severe attack by deer I placed mulch around the base, re-wrapped it. Any advice is appreciated thank you.
Baltimore County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi,
This looks like it is just recovering from winter burn and drought damage. Have you watered it in the past few years when it was dry? We have been in a prolonged drought since 2024, despite recent heavy rains. Due to the winter cold and dry conditions from the fall, many broadleaf evergreen plants like hollies and magnolias suffered from winter burn on the leaves
Southern Magnolia will drop old or damaged leaves when they are putting out new growth, which we can see on the plant.
You can monitor for watering needs to help the plant with any additional stress symptoms as we get into the heat of summer. Watch for drought in the fall before going into winter to help the tree protect its roots.
Let us know if you have further issues.
Emily
Thank you. I have watered but not soaked this tree. We just had several days of rain this week. I will watch the weather and then water accordingly. What do you suggest.? Soak Once a week during dry spells?
It has been doing beautifully until now. Lush green leaves, little leaf drop. My goal is to nurse it back to health. Should I wrap burlap around it assuming another harsh winter? This tree is surrounded by 6 ft wire fencing. The deer ravaged it about 5 years ago and left no leaves or branches. The bark on the stock was peeled to the core. With lots of love, we brought it back to life. Should I keep it wrapped with wire fencing? I am in the Greenspring area where we have a serious deer problem. It is now about 7-8 ft high with nice growth at the top waiting to add more height. I made the surrounding fence larger this season to give it more air and space. All browned and spotted leaves were removed. I did not trim even though there are some branches with few nodes. No dead branches. Should I wait until the fall before giving it a slight trimming?
Your advice is appreciated. BTW. I am with the BCMG program. Thx.
Lin Leslie
On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 1:36 PM, Ask Extension wrote:
A thorough watering once a week will probably suffice for summer and autumn, but you'll have to monitor the soil moisture and see how often the area tends to get dry enough to water during rainless periods. You can find watering guidance in our Watering Trees and Shrubs page.
Leaf drop may become more prominent as the tree ages, as it's a normal trait for Southern Magnolia and many gardeners find they need to rake-up shed leaves (on healthy trees) several times per year. It's normal for all evergreens, including this species, to shed some of their oldest leaves yearly, and this often happens in conjunction with new growth in spring and/or in autumn. If the tree wasn't shedding much in past years, it maybe because it was young enough that not many leaves were old enough (or damaged enough, though the pictured leaf damage is relatively minor) to drop just yet. Overall, the pictured tree looks good.
Keep the barrier to deer around the tree until it's older. There's no set age for trees to become less appealing to deer looking to "buck rub" (males rubbing velvet off the antlers in autumn for the breeding season), but the thicker the trunk gets, the less suitable they'll find it. As a guess based on the current size of the tree, it may be a few more years until you'd want to remove the fencing. Since Southern Magnolia often retains low branches as they age compared to other trees that become more bare-trunked as they mature, that feature might deter some deer who will have a harder time actually reaching the trunk through the low growth.
Don't prune trees and shrubs in fall -- it can interfere with winter hardiness and make them more vulnerable to damage. If you need to trim, Virginia Tech's pruning calendar suggests wintertime for Southern Magnolia.
Miri
Leaf drop may become more prominent as the tree ages, as it's a normal trait for Southern Magnolia and many gardeners find they need to rake-up shed leaves (on healthy trees) several times per year. It's normal for all evergreens, including this species, to shed some of their oldest leaves yearly, and this often happens in conjunction with new growth in spring and/or in autumn. If the tree wasn't shedding much in past years, it maybe because it was young enough that not many leaves were old enough (or damaged enough, though the pictured leaf damage is relatively minor) to drop just yet. Overall, the pictured tree looks good.
Keep the barrier to deer around the tree until it's older. There's no set age for trees to become less appealing to deer looking to "buck rub" (males rubbing velvet off the antlers in autumn for the breeding season), but the thicker the trunk gets, the less suitable they'll find it. As a guess based on the current size of the tree, it may be a few more years until you'd want to remove the fencing. Since Southern Magnolia often retains low branches as they age compared to other trees that become more bare-trunked as they mature, that feature might deter some deer who will have a harder time actually reaching the trunk through the low growth.
Don't prune trees and shrubs in fall -- it can interfere with winter hardiness and make them more vulnerable to damage. If you need to trim, Virginia Tech's pruning calendar suggests wintertime for Southern Magnolia.
Miri
