What's eating my lily magnolia?

Lily Magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora) faces scale insects on stems, aphids on young growth, and vine weevil damage to roots. Slugs attack young plants near the base. Deer will browse low-hanging branches in rural gardens. Overall, magnolias are relatively pest-resistant; the main risk is vine weevil in containers.

Notched leaf edges; white grubs destroy roots causing wilting and dieback, worst in pots Nematode soil drench (Steinernema kraussei) in late summer; check roots at repotting

White cottony egg masses on bark in late spring; weakens branches if infestation is heavy Horticultural oil in late winter; scrape off visible scale from small branches by hand

Irregular holes and slime trails on young leaves at ground level, mainly on newly planted specimens Iron phosphate slug pellets around base; physical barriers; check under mulch and remove by hand at dusk

Browsed and stripped lower branches and bark rubbing by antlers in autumn and winter Tree guards on young specimens; deer repellent spray; fencing in high-pressure areas