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Eucalyptus Tree concerns

carolinewoofcarolinewoof Posts: 4
in Problem solving
This eucalyptus tree has dropped lower leaves and has been left with bare branches. Should I trim these back! Is this typical growth or something is wrong? Thanks  Any suggestions please why? Is this typical of this tree? Thanks

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    My understanding of eucalypts is many varieties do drop branches as they grow ... hopefully @Pat E will correct me if I'm wrong.  
    They do grow into huge trees ... the usual way to grow them in the UK is to coppice them ... this means that they continue to produce the more attractive rounded -leaved young foliage (so loved by flower arrangers) rather than the longer spear-shaped leaves of the mature tree.
    That's what I would do in your situation, or the tree will very soon be much too big for your your garden
    This gives more information and explanation of how to do it https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=136
     :) 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    This shows the  attractive foliage of a coppiced eucalyptus

    https://marshallsgarden.com/products/eucalyptus-gunnii-cider-gum-3l-potted-tree-11501116?variant=31308762644531&currency=GBP&ds_rl=1278790&ds_rl=1284267&ds_rl=1278790&ds_rl=1284267&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwPab16XJ8gIVQdPtCh38MgNeEAQYAiABEgJ0HfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

     :) 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    That will need coppicing in the Spring, or else you will end up with a 100 foot tree in a few years.

    I have several which I coppice every year, which means they never grow to more than about 6 foot.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Pat EPat E Posts: 12,316
    There are hundreds of species of Eucalyptus. 

    I’m not sure if you can see how thick this book is, but it weighs 5kg.  If you can let me know which species you have, I might be able to help you. Not all of them have round juvenile leaves. Most have Lanceolate shaped adult leaves.
     
    S. E. NSW
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    I've got several eucalyptus species growing in my garden and it's completely normal for them to have branch die off near the bottom. I also agree they grow very big very quickly and need management unless you have a massive garden. 
    As an example I have a eucalyptus gunni that went from a tiny seedling to a 6-7 metre high tree in only 3 years with a trunk 8-10 inches in diameter. Others of the same species haven't grown anything like that size in that time but I pollard the bigger one now at a manageable height and keep the others coppiced (March is a good time), simply because I like the foliage. I'm happy doing this yearly routine but I wouldn't advise them for people who aren't.   
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Same here,we inherited a whopper. It's lovely for shade sitting underneath. It does shed leaves all year, although it's ever green. The bark is beautiful,it's cut back about once a month. We had a couple of tree surgeons out a couple of years back for a radical prune
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They do get massive so you need to be sure you can manage it @carolinewoof .
    Coppicing is the only solution really, unless you have a substantial acreage to play with.

    E. gunnii is the most commonly sold one here in the UK as it's so hardy.
    https://www.ornamental-trees.co.uk/eucalyptus-gunnii-tree-p607
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • daphne.howarthdaphne.howarth Posts: 3
    Hello, I've got a young eucalyptus gunnii in my garden which is probably around a year old, maybe less.  It has one main stem.  I'm thinking of coppicing it as a way of keeping it under control as a multi stemmed bush.  My concern is that at the moment there is just one main trunk, maybe 5 cm in diameter.  If I coppice it in this instance do I simply chop the whole tree down?  Should I wait another year?  Total novice so thanks in advance for your advice!
  • daphne.howarthdaphne.howarth Posts: 3
    Photo to illustrate my question!
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Hi Daphne. It's not the right time to coppice eucalyptus yet it is better done in march or early April. As it's a young tree that hasn't been in the ground very long I wouldn't chop it right back. It's better to let it establish and grow a nice root system before you stress it by removing it's leaves and main energy source. If it does grow tall and a bit leggy than you can reduce some of the growth but I wouldn't prune unless it gets to big for the space until it is a little more mature. You can make it bush out more, rather than let it head to the sky, by reducing the main vertical stem (the leader) and this should keep it more compact. 
    They take well to chopping and when they are more mature and settled you can really cut it back to anywhere you'd like.
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