How to stop Magnolia from dropping so many leaves?

[rainmaker23]

This is my first post, so please don't think me an evil person for wanting to change something that may come so naturally... but the magnolia leaves in my yard are wearing me out.

We have two large magnolia trees with healthy green grass underneath, but keeping those leaves off the grass is really working on me. To create a pinestraw bed underneath the circumference of the tree would be to remove about 50% of my yard's grass. Don't want to do that.

The trees are healthy, I think. Is there a way to inhibit them from dropping SO MANY leaves? More water? (We rely 100% on rain right now.) Fertilizer? Anything?

[epstein4u]

I feel your pain with the amount of leaves my Magnolia drops. If you or anyone out has discovered a remedy please let me know.

[rainmaker23]

Yep, I rake all day Saturday, only to do it again the next week....

[Grey]

I understand your pain. I will NEVER have a magnolia.

When I first moved up here, I didnt understand why people didn't "limb up" their magnolia trees. They left all the lower branches, so it sits taking up massive amounts of space in their yards.

Then I learned. They do it so they don't have to rake!

My neighbors had 2 large magnolia trees. They got so tired of raking all the time that... last summer they had them removed. They replaced them with some other trees, such as dogwood, bradford pear and a whole lotta crape myrtles. Lot less raking, they're happy.

[Verdeuno]

I had the same problem for years... I was told to use a low grade nitrogen like Milorganite 36 lb. Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer.
You can not use to much it's only 5-2-0 and I put it on first then I put the mulch on top. I also put it on the yard and since magnolias have roots close to the surface it works great. Give it a season to improve my only drops in spring plus I have rain barrels that I use to water both my Magnolias. But when you have heat and droughts like we do in Texas I would never plant another one plus I hear the giant magnolias are dying off.

The Miloganite will cause it to produce more flowers but the blooms aren't as bad as the damn leaves. Good luck.