The Daybreak Magnolia, otherwise known as the Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’ or Apple ‘Braeburn’, Braeburn Apple, Malus ‘Braeburn’, is a rather well known tree plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its high maintenance and moderate growth, this tree will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, taking care of your Daybreak Magnolia is not too difficult – as long as you follow our guidelines in this Daybreak Magnolia Care Guide. Now let’s get started.
In order to take proper care of your Daybreak Magnolia you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Daybreak Magnolia needs evenly spread moist soil – try to avoid letting the soil dry out.
- Light: Keep your Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Daybreak Magnolia in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand, loam, and clay.
That’s it – sunlight, water and soil! The basic 3 fundamentals for all plant care, and with the Daybreak Magnolia this is no exception. With these three elements, your leafy friend will live healthy and happy.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Daybreak Magnolia belongs to the Rosaceae family, the genus Malus and the species Domestica, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’ (mag-NOH-lee-uh).
Other popular Rosaceae plants include species like Malus Domestica, Maule’s Quince, Ninebark ‘Diablo’, Potentilla Fruticosa ‘Gold Star’, Prunus Cerasifera ‘Krauter Vesuvius’, Prunus Cerasifera ‘Thundercloud’, Cherry ‘Akebono’, Rosa ‘Korberbeni’, Climbing Rose ‘Golden Showers’, Climbing Rose ‘Joseph’s Coat’, Large-Flowered Climber, Spiraea Japonica ‘Conspiyet’, Thriller Lady’s Mantle, Weeping Flowering Cherry, Spiraea × arguta ‘Grefsheim’, Fuji Apple, Rosa Rugosa, Prunus Laurocerasus, Prunus Salicina ‘Ozark Premier’, Juneberry, Photinia pyriflolia, Badja Peak Mint Bush, Cotoneaster humifusus, Berri-Magic® Japanese Skimmia, Rosa X ‘Radyod’ Plant Patent #14700, Aronia Arbutifolia ‘Brilliantissima’, Cecile Brunner Climbing Rose, Potentilla Fruticosa ‘Monsidh’, Forsythia X ‘Courtasol’, Granada, Red Delicious Apple, Taiwan Firethorn ‘Santa Cruz’, Yellow Lady Banks Climbing Rose, Solidago ‘Crown Of Rays’, Bradford Callery Pear, Gingersnap™ Potentilla, Malus X Domestica ‘Golden Delicious’ and Lilla Smoke Bush.
As with other Malus’s, the Daybreak Magnolia is a deciduous plant, which means it will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
Growing Region
The Daybreak Magnolia is a plant native to the Central Asia to Afghanistan.
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Daybreak Magnolia. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’ will be most used to regions where the plant hardiness level falls between 4a, 4b, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a, 7b, 7a, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a and the ideal climate zone is between 1, 1A, 1B, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 6, 14, 15, 16, 18, 22, 23.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Daybreak Magnolia is a relatively moderate grower, which makes things somewhat easy for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But what exactly does this mean for your Daybreak Magnolia? How large a pot should you consider, how tall, how wide can it get? Let’s jump in…
The Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’ can grow up to 12′ – 15′ (3.6m – 4.5m) in 12′ – 15′ (3.6m – 4.5m) and 12′ – 15′ (3.6m – 4.5m) in 12′ – 15′ (3.6m – 4.5m).
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful columnar, and narrow shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
Water
In terms of watering, the Daybreak Magnolia is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat irregular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’ needs evenly spread moist soil – try to avoid letting the soil dry out.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Daybreak Magnolia in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage, moist, and occasionally dry properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
In our experience, the famous ‘thumb’ or ‘finger’ test is what works best for the Daybreak Magnolia since with it, you will be able to give it the right amount of water, every time – regardless of the environment or placement where you do decide to keep it.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Daybreak Magnolia prefers to have soil with good drainage, moist, and occasionally dry properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand, loam, and clay.
This is why most experts agree that the Daybreak Magnolia requires soil with clay, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Daybreak Magnolia requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this tree will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’ in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a deciduous plant, the Daybreak Magnolia will shed its leaves annually once autumn comes.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the spring (mid, late), the summer (early, mid, late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Daybreak Magnolia to flower around the spring months from April to June (spring).
In particular, this tree is well known for its fragrant, flowers for cutting and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Daybreak Magnolia produces some beautiful pink, or pink and white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Daybreak Magnolia have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Magnolia X ‘Daybreak’ to be around (3-6 inches) in size.
The Daybreak Magnolia is well known for being able to attract butterflies, birds and hummingbirds, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Daybreak Magnolia will look best in it.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Daybreak Magnolia’s best use for landscaping within your garden is as cutting garden,
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Daybreak Magnolia, remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
