magnolia leggy...

Hi
I have a 15 year old magnolia...in full sun that i fertilize with extra iron and water well...
It is growing well but it is leggy...growth long out on the ends of branches and the middle is getting empty.
I cut back the water but don't know if pruning will help.
thank you for any help you can give.
geraldine

Hello Geraldine,
On the Magnolia, to make it bushier, yes you can trim it back. Not sure which Magnolia you have, there are many. I am going to 'assume' it is Magnolia gradiflora, it is probably the best known. Anyway, if it is 15 years old you may need to get a tree trimer, to get up that high. (you did not say how high it is) I think if the tips of the branches were cut back maybe 1' to 2' on most of the tree this should help spur new growth shoots lower on the braches, eventaully makeing it a fuller tree.
Just feeding it with iron, usually will not encourage new growth, you should find a 'general purpose' plant food with Nitrogen, also some Phosphorus and Potash. This should encourage new growth. If you would like the tree smaller (not so high) you could probably trim it back even more, some depends on the shape of the tree in the beginning. Just don't get too drastic with the trimming, it might take longer to recover and just look butchered. I would suggest feeding the tree 3 or 4 times per year, starting in March. (some depends where you live)