Grow and Care for Magnolia Vine

Grow magnolia vine in moist shade. Magnolia vine is Schisandra — a woody climber with fragrant leaves, not a magnolia tree.

Keep the soil moist in shade, and mulch the roots

Magnolia vine wants shade and soil that stays damp. Mulch holds that moisture and keeps the roots cool. Dry soil around the roots is the primary cause of leaf drop. magnolia vine is Schisandra chinensis, a twining climber, not a fruit tree in full sun. [1]

Plant it on a trellis, and pair a male with a female for fruit

Put the support in before you plant. The vine twines around wires, lattice, or an arbor. It has no tendrils to grab a blank wall. Unnamed vines are sold as male or female, so you need one of each if you want berries. [2]

1. Set a sturdy trellis, arbor, or fence in place first, then plant.
2. Plant in spring after the last hard frost, at the same depth the vine sat in the pot. [3]
3. Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and a little wider. Work compost into the backfill. Do not bury the stem.
4. Water in, then mulch two to four inches. Keep the mulch a few inches off the stem so the crown stays dry.
5. If you are planting a pair, leave about 5 to 10 feet between them so both can fill the support.
6. Tie the main leader with a soft tie until it winds on its own.
7. Plant a male and a female unless the tag says the plant is self-fertile. A self-fertile form such as Eastern Prince can fruit alone; seedlings sold under the same name often need a partner again. [4]

Thin crowded wood in late winter

Prune while the vine is still dormant, before the buds break. The fruit forms on new shoots that grow from short spurs on older wood, so a hard summer cut removes the crop.

1. Wait until late winter, before buds swell.
2. Cut out dead, crossing, and crowded stems so light and air reach the remaining arms.
3. In the first two years, train a few strong leaders onto the trellis and leave the rest of the framework alone.
4. On an older vine, take out about a third of the oldest, unproductive wood each winter so new fruiting shoots can replace it.
5. Do not cut the vine back hard in summer. After bloom you can snip a weak, non-fruiting shoot, then stop.

Not a magnolia tree, and not anise tree

Nursery magnolias are Magnolia trees and shrubs grown for large flowers. Magnolia vine is a twining climber in a different family. For the trees, see How to Grow Magnolias.

Anise tree is Illicium, an evergreen shrub with spicy foliage. It is not this vine, and it is not culinary star anise. See How to Grow Anise Tree.

Pick the berry clusters when they are fully scarlet

Wait until the clusters have turned a deep, even red, usually late summer into early fall. A vine planted this year will not fruit for about three or four years.

1. Wait until the berries are fully scarlet and come off with a light press, or cut the whole hanging cluster.
2. Check often once the first berries color, because birds find ripe clusters quickly.
3. Eat them fresh in small amounts, or dry or cook them.

Start a new vine from a layer or a cutting

Layering is the surest home method. Seed germinates slowly and often unevenly, and a seedling may be only male or only female.

1. In late spring or early summer, peg a long, flexible shoot to moist soil, cover a short stretch, and keep that spot damp. When roots have formed, cut the new plant free and move it.
2. In summer, take a short cutting of half-ripe wood with a few nodes. Stick it in a light mix out of direct sun and keep it moist until new growth shows.
3. If you sow seed, use fresh berries in fall, or soak stored seed overnight and sow about a quarter inch deep in spring. Expect a slow wait.

If leaves scorch or drop, check afternoon sun and whether the mulch stayed moist. Put the trellis in before the vine sprawls.