Can You Split a Magnolia Tree?

Growth Characteristics

• Magnolias are best planted where they are to permanently grow. They develop rather shallow, ropelike, unbranching roots that do not respond well to disturbances, such as digging of soil, compaction of the ground from vehicles or foot traffic or cutting or chipping roots from lawn mower blades or other lawn maintenance equipment. For these reasons, nurseries grow and sell most magnolias in containers in which their roots are kept intact. Dug up field-grown magnolias are carefully root pruned and irrigated and immediately planted to diminish the many negative transplanting effects.

Rooting Habit

• Though a magnolia tree may grow with multiple trunks and space exists between them, they all connect to the same root system. An attempt to split the plant will create large root wounds and loss of root tissues to the remaining portions of the tree. In the rare cases in which two separate trees were planted side by side, the woody tree roots tangle and interlock with each other to make splitting plants more problematic. Cut and remove too much of the root system and the magnolia will likely die back with transplant shock and just not recover well.

Branch Angles

• As with any tree species, narrow-angled branches in the canopy of a magnolia may split or break away from the trunk more readily than those with stronger, wide-angled attachment. Branches connecting to the trunk at an angle less than 30 degrees have weak tissue fusion in the crotch and will not tolerate as much weight load before cracking and splitting. Prune away narrow-angled branches on magnolia trees early in the tree's life, especially those branches that grow upright and bear more weight. Thunderstorm winds and loads of snow or ice can cause magnolia tree branches to snap if the tension is strong enough.

Magnolia Wood

• Magnolia trees are not a common or desirable source of lumber, but a fallen tree may require splitting and cutting to remove it from the garden. Larger trunks and branches often display a darker heartwood with light sapwood coloration. Magnolia wood is easy to cut with a saw or split with an ax. The wood is not the best for create long, flat pieces of lumber as it tends to bow and curl.