Eucalyptus tree

Penelope_Penguin

Hello, anyone have any experience of growing eucalyptus gunii?

I planted on at about 1m 3 years ago. It's grown huge - about 4-5m now. The problem is that it's just grown straight up, so looks very dull. I was after it being branched at the top, and more tree-like, rather than "stick with leaves on".

My questions:

1. if I take the top out now (at about 2m) will it branch, or will it just look worse? If it will look better, when's the best time to do this?

2. if I bite the bullet, and pull it out, can I put another eucalyptus in its place?

3. if I do plant another small eucalyptus, how do I best care for it?

Many thanks, Penny. x

monty100

Hi there. I should think that taking out the leading growth bit will encourage it to branch out from lower down the trunk and 'bush up'.

Many people coppice their plants and don't let the eucalyptus grow too big as they are very brittle and snap easily in high winds and also they are really greedy and suck up all the moisture in the soil (and can cause subsidence problems when very big). They should not therefore be planted too near any property if they are intended to grow large.

Hope this helps.

Penelope_Penguin

Hi, Monty! Thanks for that. Another from East Yorks.

Penny. x

wearside_2

The man at the bottom of our garden has planted 6 a few years ago and they are very tall and thin. Since planting them our soil has very little moisture at that end and as he has no intention of pruning them, I am thinking of going to the local zoo and borrowing some koalas to do the job for me!! My advice is don't plant any unless you intend to prune at regular intervals.

ka7e

I have one that has been pruned hard where it overhangs a path. Each cut has caused 2 new branches to grow at the base of the cut! I shall get OH to lop off the top next month to make it more manageable.
Mine is a "silver dollar" type where each pair of leaves join to form one leaf encompassing the branch. Unfortunately, with the rapid growth this summer, all the leaves have stayed single and narrow. Hopefully the ones left after pruning will mature properly.
Anyone know whether eucalyptus have an adverse effect in a compost bin? I have the feeling the oils would not be well-liked by the minibeasts!

VeryTrying_2

Earlier this year I sawed down a 15ft eucalyptus to a stump of about 6" diameter, 12" above the soil. Haven't been to see it since until this afternoon - it's a lovely bush and nearly 3 foot high!

I never thought it would survive such rough handling - time to get the poison out.

robellett

Eucalyptus Gunnii are fairly tough wannabe monsters. I had 2, the earliest planted 20 years ago. It was cut down this year at about 50 feet high. It was a magnificent tree that didn't look out of place on the edge of countryside - except that UK wildlife was not adapted to it, unlike our own species such as Oak.

I cut the 2nd tree at about 8-10 feet and it forked into 2 leaders. After a heavy storm, 1 of them snapped off, falling across my garden and brushing my neighbours house - luckily without damage, but for my shed. The tree surgeon who removed it showed me the 'scar' damage that had built up between the two, forcing them apart and thus weaker.

I don't recommend cutting the tree unless you will do annual maintenance ie. pruning back. If you cut back and treat more like a shrub, the leaves remain in the 'juvenile' bluer and rounder leaf shap. Very nice too. Good luck! Rob

rygon

There correct ways of cutting the branches and as robellett said if it isnt done correct (or if it doesnt grow correctly) it will produce weak branches. Have a look on the bbc website for gardening tips. Ive found them very usful as a 1st time (and very lazy) gardener.

Does anyone know if its worth getting the oil out of the leaves or is not worth the hassle?