Question
My tree is 4 years old and has flowered once, the third year there was only one bloom and this year nothing.  Its is covered with a yellow crust, can you advise or should I dig it up. Incidentally we live by the sea on the south coast.

Answer
Dear Ann, The problem probably lies with your soil.  Since you live by the sea, you have an alkaline soil and it is probably thick and heavy.  This magnolia can't perform well in thick soils or anywhere there is a drainage problem.  You can help the problem somewhat by adding rich organic material and compost and a good fertilizer.  Also when you water, water very deeply and then let it dry out.  More frequent shallow watering will increase the salt buildup around the tree.  I am not sure about the yellow crust, you could spray it with a horticultural oil and see if that helps to remove it, and if you add a fungicide to the oil spray, it should help if the yellow is a fungus.  It could simply be that the plant is under stress.  I would try these measures to see if they help, and if not, you may just need to replace it with a more adaptable species.  I used to live in Galveston on the Texas coast and sometimes plants just suffer with the high salt content in the soil.  If you have a picture of the yellow crust, that would probably help to identify it.  Good luck and let me know if I can assist you further.  Melissa