How to Grow Southern Magnolias from Seed

The other day while on a shopping trip I sat in the car with my daughters while my wife ran into the store for a few things. In front of our parking space was a magnolia. I doubt it was the full sized magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), as the placement of such a large tree in a limited growth area like a parking lot would not be wise. Then again stranger things have happened! It’s probably the smaller magnolia known as the ‘Little Gem’ which generally grows 15-20 feet tall.

As I was sitting there waiting in the car my eyes spied a single cone (which is actually a woody fruit) laying on the ground. Being the complete plant plant propagation nut that I am, I casually went over to the tree and peered over toward the store to see if my wife was coming, then picked up the cone. What really attracted me to this cone is that it was the only one laying on the ground and it had little bright red seeds poking out from it!

When I arrived home I consulted my cleverly named book on plant propagation from The American Horticultural Society and edited by Alan Toogood called Plant Propagation(Aff.) and figured out what I needed to do. (I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in propagating plants whether from seed, cuttings, or division.)

Growing magnolias from seed

  1. Gather the cone and let it dry out to get the seeds extracted. The cone will open up and let the seeds come out. I was able to find a cone that already was releasing some seeds.
  2. Gather up the seeds.
  3. Admire the pretty red seeds…oops, I’m getting sidetracked.
  4. Soak the magnolia seeds in warm water for 24 hours to soften the red outer coating, also called the aril.
  5. Remove the aril from the seeds, which will come off very easily after the soaking.
  6. Then either plant the seeds in the fall or stratify them in a potting mix placed in a plastic bag (store in a cool place like a refrigerator).
  7. Wait for spring and see what happens!

As the saying goes “The waiting is the hardest part.” This is my first attempt at planting magnolia seeds and it will probably be many years before they are developed enough to flower. I’ll update their progress in the spring. Hopefully at least one out of the eight seeds will emerge as a new magnolia!

For more plant propagation posts check out this page: Plant Propagation for Home Gardens

9 thoughts on “How to Grow Southern Magnolias from Seed”

  1. You sound just like my husband. He is always picking up seed pods from trees / plants he encounters – everywhere! Good Luck with your Magnolia!

  2. You are such a good gardener to make use of those seeds and grow your own magnolias! I bet they will do fine for you-though the waiting is the hard part.

  3. Gardengirl,

    Hopefully they will do great. I planted 8 seeds and I should be able to get an idea about the germination rate from that.

    Cindy,

    Free plants can’t be passed up!

    Gail,

    They can be grafted and propagated through cuttings also. Since I had the opportunity to try seeds I thought I’d experiment a little.

    Tina,

    Even if they are small for a while it would be worth doing. Magnolias have some really nice foliage and the are evergreen, which I need more of in our garden.

    Patient gardener,

    Some of us more than others! Patience is one of those gardening traits that I need to work on!

  4. Hi, i followed all the steps to grow magnolias from seeds. But all rotted away.Did i put too much humidity. I had them in a well lit veranda with no direct sunlight, in a pot with normal soil in it. What did i do wrong? I will try it again soon.

  5. Otirudam,

    I can't tell you for sure without knowing more and even then it might only be a guess. It might be that the seeds got too much moisture. When I did my seeds I planted them outdoors. Of the six only one actually germinated and grew into a 2 foot tall plant. I just transplanted it to its permanent location this past weekend. Try keeping the pot outside and water during dry spells. Did the seeds germinate at all then die or did they never get that far?

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