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Eucalyptus care

daisy348daisy348 Posts: 11
in The potting shed
Hello fellow gardeners
I got a eucalyptus tree a few months ago and sadly, misunderstood the drought tolerant bit. I haven't been watering it as often as I should have done. Now most of its leaves are dry now and falling off. It was in a pot in a sunny spot in the back garden. I've just put it in a bucket of water to soak.

Can anyone offer some advice? It's my first eucalyptus, is there any hope?

CP


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Posts

  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    There is always hope! Wait and see, you may be lucky.
  • daisy348daisy348 Posts: 11
    Thanks Posy

    Going to, definitely, keep an eye on it from now on. I hope it's still alive. 
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    If every leaf falls off then keep it watered and you may see new buds appear after a few weeks. Sometimes the top dies off but if the roots survived they can regrow.
  • daisy348daisy348 Posts: 11
    How often should I water it?
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    When the top 2 inches feel dry.
  • daisy348daisy348 Posts: 11
    Okay will do. Thanks.
    It is such a magnificent plant. I have moved it closer to the house, to make sure it doesn't happen again.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    It's not going to be happy in a pot long term though. The vast majority of the ones sold in the UK want to be huge.  :)
    Make sure it's in a soil based medium - not just compost. That won't sustain it either. It'll probably need watered every day - once it has foliage. Rain doesn't penetrate well enough. They're drought tolerant in the ground - a pot is a totally different ball game altogether   :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    You might find this recent thread on growing eucalyptus interesting

    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/comment/2393768#Comment_2393768  



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





  • WibbleWibble Posts: 89
    edited September 2021
    I have a Eucalyptus gunii that I put in a pot - it really wasn’t happy at all. Put it in the ground and vastly improved. I have several other trees happily in pots, including a fairly large Prunus that’s been in the same pot for a decade  (I feel like this breaks every rule, it hasn’t even had replacement soil/compost, but every year it flourishes so I’m disinclined to interrupt it!)
  • daisy348daisy348 Posts: 11
    Thanks everyone
    I am happy to say that it has been recovering well. However I do have a relatively small garden, so I am considering clearing a space for its eventual spot.
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