Vancouver island BC Canada Victoria Grand Flora Evergreen Magnolia tree 3-4 years old Tree was never dense or thick -snow broke off one large branch and all the branches are long with leaves at end - this i feel makes the tree weaker in wind and snow i want a bushy dense tree that is more column shaped - i think it was never pruned properly first year Question can i prune it now to create more leaves closer to trunk of tree i want way more leaves on branches ... is there a way ? if i cut before a fork in branch will it sprout new leaves where i cut it ? i am ok with it lookiing ugly for a while as i want more bushy
Although my understanding was that magnolias don't take well to pruning (results in wonky shapes), I've found through the years that snow damage (as you experienced) did the work for me and usually not in a good way. Luckily, I've found these trees to be quite resilient. My 'St Mary' lost a huge branch one year resulting in almost half the tree gone. I was heart-broken. However, the tree sent out some strong new branches and after a few years, the form was balanced again. I also have a 'Teddy Bear' and both of these trees are problematic due to the large leaves catching the snow. (Despite me going out and shaking the snow off with a broom) I now take off some of the outermost shoots (they usually send out 2 or 3 at the end points) to take some weight off. I've also pruned off long branches that cannot bear weight and have found that new shoots do form, resulting in stronger new branches. I prune only a few each year so that it's not as unsightly. Prune where you see a bud node. However, bear in mind my trees are much more mature, so pruned branches are not as obvious. It does take some years for them to fill in and become more bushy. Looking at your little guy, I'd be more inclined to keep shaking the snow off, and maybe prune a few of the outward lowest tips to take some weight off. I'd hate to ruin the shape of the tree.
