Magnolia – Cracks on Trunk

Q: I have a mature magnolia tree that has cracking bark along many limbs. Is this a cause for worry?

A: I saw the same thing a few years ago: a huge magnolia with longitudinal cracks along the trunk and several main limbs. Fortunately for the tree, and its owner, the cracks had formed several years earlier and the magnolia seemed not to be affected. My theory is that the cracks were caused in winter by cold weather striking after a couple of warm days. I’m hopeful your tree will fare as well as the magnolia I observed!