Magnolias are known for their big, beautiful blooms. They can become covered with flowers seemingly overnight in the early springtime. However, in order to bloom to the max, magnolias do need to be trimmed properly. Here are some tips to follow when trimming your magnolias in order to encourage healthy flowering.

Prune after they bloom.

There are many trees that benefit from a good, early springtime blooming. Magnolias, however, are not among them! Magnolia trees would rather be trimmed in the late summer or even the early fall, after they are done blooming for the season. If you prune them too early, you will interfere with the flowering. The tree may have to dedicate too many resources to healing from its trim, so it may not put as many resources into flowering. It's perfectly okay to do magnolia trimming as a part of your fall yard maintenance if you can't get to it during the busy summer.

Don't remove more than you need to remove.

When pruning a magnolia tree, you should only remove branches if you have a reason to remove them. That reason could be that a branch is dead or dying. It could be that the branch has a crack in it and poses a danger, or it could be that the branch is rubbing against another branch. Don't remove healthy branches if there's not a good reason for it. Doing so could cause the tree unnecessary stress and remove leaves it could have used to harness energy from the sun — and that, in turn, could inhibit its blooming.

Remove all suckers.

Suckers are those shoot-like branches that like to emerge from the lower trunk of your magnolia tree. Not all magnolia trees get them, but if yours does, you won't miss them! You absolutely must cut these away. They take resources from the tree without contributing to its overall growth, and they do not bloom. Trim the suckers flush with the trunk.

Sanitize your shears.

This is a good idea before trimming any tree, but it's especially important for magnolia trees because they are so prone to various fungal diseases, which can make the flowers ugly and spotted. Use bleach or alcohol to sanitize the shears. Repeat the sanitization protocol before each tree.

If you follow the tips above, you'll help maximize the blooming of your magnolia tree. They can be absolutely stunning trees when well cared for.

To learn more, contact a tree trimming service.