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Join the RHS today and support our charity Join now. Save to My scrapbook. Pruning Eucalyptus. While nearly all eucalyptus trees and shrubs are evergreen and don't turn brown in winter, a few species such as the poplar gum Eucalyptus platyphylla are deciduous, dropping their leaves when blooming or in dry years.
Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 11, depending on the species. In the s, eucalyptus trees were imported all over the world as a timber species, mainly to regions with Mediterranean climates. Avoid using compost, manure or anything that composts down quickly, producing nitrogen, as this will not only encourage weeds to grow around the base of the tree, but also result in excessive Eucalyptus top growth.
Herbicides for weed control:. Take care not to get spray drift of herbicides especially a Glyphosate based herbicide on to young trees or bark of older trees - it can be fatal. Cattle, horses, deer, sheep and goats love to stand under the cooling shade of mature Eucalyptus. The copious amount of water given off by the leafy canopy creates a welcome haven on a hot sunny day and the Eucalyptol helps deter flies. However, it is not recommended that you plant Eucalyptus in a way that livestock can reach to eat the leaves, stems or bark.
Whilst the species grown in this country are not as toxic as the sugar gum E. In any case, a young euc savaged by a cow is simply not going to survive anyway! When planting the odd Eucalyptus in a livestock field, protect with 4 strong posts and pig-wire or rabbit wire to prevent access to the young plant. If creating a biomass plantation, exclude all livestock and protect young trees from deer, if they are a local problem.
Rabbits and hares will eat most Eucalyptus so protect young trees either with a soft mesh rabbit guard or with top grade rabbit wire compounds secured in place on timber stakes a good mm radius away from the new tree.
We have found that once a rabbit has torn a strip of bark up the length of the Eucalyptus trunk, it does not recover and very often dies. Plastic tree shelters are not recommended, unless they have a lot of ventilation holes. In spring and autumn, the temperature can fluctuate wildly inside a tree shelter, meaning that on warm days the tree will grow, but young developing shoots will be damaged when there are frosty nights.
In addition, tree shelters can be very humid, leading to disease problems such as Botrytis mould , unless they are the type that have lots of holes drilled in them.
We have found that the typical plastic spiral rabbit guard can saw a young Eucalyptus in half on a windy day. Use rabbit-wire guards to deter deer from munching your tree and soft plastic mesh rabbit guards for discouraging hares and rabbits.
In their native Australia, there is a whole host of leaf-munching, stem-boring pests and invading fungal diseases all looking forward to making Eucalyptus trees their next meal. However, generally speaking, Eucalyptus tend not to suffer from many bugs or pathogens in the U. Inside a greenhouse, conservatory or polythene tunnel you may get the odd investigative greenfly, but that soon disappears after the first few mouthfuls of Eucalyptus juice.
Powdery Mildew can coat the leaves of one or two species E. Botrytis can invade a Eucalyptus that is overwintering in a humid greenhouse with poor ventilation, but is easily remedied. The chances of your Eucalyptus contracting something nasty are quite slim, but here are a few to look out for if you are at all worried about the health of your trees:.
If your Eucalyptus are growing in an area where the silver leaf fungus is prevalent and you are carrying out a serious amount of pruning on your trees, it is advisable to do the work when there are a few dry days and paint the wounds with a compound such as Arbrex Seal and Heal, to prevent the fungal spores entering the pruning wounds.
Sterilise your pruning equipment using a horticultural or household disinfectant, before and after use. False Silver Leaf is caused by stress induced by drought, malnutrition, sudden unseasonably hot or cold weather or pest attack.
It does not result in branch dieback. An improved cultural regime of feeding, mulching and watering will help the plant recover. Other fungal and bacterial nasties: Whilst not a susceptible as other shrub and tree species, Eucalyptus can contract the usual tree diseases of Honey Fungus and Phyophthora especially if grown on ground that is poorly drained. Bacterial canker can invade a damaged stem and cause havoc, as with any woody plant. Blue gum Psyllids Ctenarytaina eucalypti : More annoying than terminal, these pesky sap-suckers are visible on the new growing tips; cosmetically damaging for young foliage, they are not an issue on mature trees.
Present in the UK since at least , this sap sucker lives entirely on several but not all species of Eucalyptus. Snow gums E. Young nymphs and adult psyllids attack the juicy new growths of shoots and leaves a bit like greenfly.
They tend not to be interested in the tough mature foliage. As a consequence, young trees and those being coppiced for foliage production tend to be most at risk of attack. What to look out for: Feeding on the nutritious wax on the new growing points, the bugs create a frothy, woolly looking mass out of the Eucalyptus cuticle. Then for protection, the psyllids encase themselves in a carapace of shed skin and honeydew delightful!
Treatment is worth carrying out using a proprietary systemic insecticide on non-flowering specimens. Spray your young tree at the first signs of attack and again 4 weeks later.
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