My Magnolia Tree is doing poorly?

My Magnolia Tree in Melbourne Australia is doing poorly.





When I look at photo's of the tree when it was planted 1.5 years ago, it now has only about 20% of the leaves on it. The tree was about 4m tall when planted.





Needless to say, Melbourne has been in drought for some time now, and it needs more water, but restrictions prevent me from giving it the water I would have done if there was no drought.





Is there a fertiliser that could improve its health? Or is water simply the issue? Or does it have a disease?





Thanks

My Magnolia Tree is doing poorly?
Don't drain your wash water. When you bath or shower (block the drain) use some buckets to gather up the water and water the tree with it. Soap will not kill it. Fertilizer without water can burn the roots and kill the tree. I'm in New York State and we had some water problems and I did this for my trees and vegetable garden, I don't worry about the grass to much.
Reply:Hard to give a prognosis without seeing it. Are magnolias hardy in your area? I would definitely give it some fertilizer and sneak all the water to it that you can. Run it inside the house and walk it out to the tree a few times a week and see if it improves. Is it a deciduous or evergreen magnolia? Go to your local garden center and find the best fertilizer you can. A note of caution, reduce fertilizing when you get towards your cold season and then cut it off til you have some kind of spring. Keep the water flowing and see how it goes.