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Eucalyptus tree not growing straight. Help!
sunsetinrio
Posts: 10
Hello,
I have some Eucalyptus trees planted in the garden one of which has two trunks but they are both growing outwards and as you can see from the picture below are not straight.
How can I straighten them out?
They were staked/supported but are now freestanding since they are approx. 2 years old.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you! 
0
Posts
You could remove the weaker of the two stems (probably not the best time to do it now) or coppice the whole tree - best done early spring - you'll then get a multistemmed tree which is not as tall but in the long run, more attractive IMHO.
See 'formative pruning as a multistemmed bush' - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=136
What type of Eucalyptus is it? They grow huge if you leave them to it but yours look closely planted.
I have two different types, E. Pauciflora nipophila and E. Gunnii. The latter is pollarded in early spring or else it would grow to 80ft
Thanks for the suggestions so far!
I believe they are Gunnii. I made a bit of a blib when planting these in - as you have spotted, they are quite close. Something I wish I hadn't done!!
If they're Gunnii, and near any building, I'd get them taken out as they will quickly grow huge and the roots will affect foundations. Often these are sold as shrubs in garden centres because the soft new foliage looks nice and flower arrangers like it. It really has no place in an ordinary garden that most of us have.
How do I check if these are gunnii?
OK I've just been out and taken some leaves from the two trees. Both trees have two trunks - the one on the left has pointy type leaves and the one of the right has more of a circular leaf. Can someone ID please?
Looks like gunii but the same applies to most. Coppice them as Will suggests, they make lovely shrubs with the best colour leaves
In the sticks near Peterborough
Remember, if you want to coppice, you can still have height by leaving a couple of foot at the base instead of cutting it right back to ground level. It will keep them under control because they really are fast growers, mine put on several feet in its first year and more the following.
Alternatively, cut one trunk the first year and alternate thereafter to keep some foliage early in the year. These sleep in early spring although they never truly have a dormancy
Right plant for the right place
I used to have one in a previous garden and used to keep it small as the leaves lose their beauty and colour if the tree grows tall.
The idea was to use them for privacy since they are evergreen etc. so we'd still like to keep a bit of height.
If I coppice, does this mean I'll be left with simply a bare trunk afterwards? How long would it take to see branches/leaves again?
Both trees are in their second year by the way.