Eucalyptus tree care and benefits

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Silvery leaves shimmer in the light, and beneath them the trunk peels away in colourful layers of silver, brown and green, making eucalyptus one of the easiest trees to recognise. It grows fast and asks almost no particular care, provided it gets a sunny spot well sheltered from strong winds.

• Health: benefits of eucalyptus

Planting eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is a tree that is best planted in fall or at the beginning of spring.

It grows fast and it doesn’t require any particular care.

• Choose a rather sunny spot, ideally well protected from strong winds.
• Incorporate planting soil mix into your garden soil when planting.
• Endeavor to water well over the 1^st year after planting.

Proper mulch will avoid having weeds proliferate around the trunk and will protect the root system when winters are cold, especially during the first few years.

Plant a young, small specimen; it anchors far faster than a tall one.

Set the root ball so its surface sits level with the surrounding soil, as burying the trunk base encourages rot.

Avoid any hollow where water lingers in winter, because eucalyptus roots suffer badly in waterlogged ground and the tree then becomes much more sensitive to frost.

Hold back on manure and nitrogen-rich feeds at planting, since they push soft sappy growth that the first hard frost kills back.

Pruning and caring for eucalyptus

Eucalyptus care is very easy because it requires practically no attention at all once it has settled in comfortably.

Pretty hardy, eucalyptus has no known common disease. It sometimes is attacked by psyllids.

However, it is at times vulnerable to the cold. Most varieties cannot survive when temperatures drop below 23°F (-5°C).

• Thick mulch around the tree for the 1^st few years should help it cope with winter freezing well.

How to prune a eucalyptus tree

No pruning is necessary, but if you must reduce or balance the branches out, act in spring or end of summer. Abundant sap makes for quick wound-closing and healing.

• Avoid pruning or wounding your tree in winter or in very moist weather to keep fungus out.

Eucalyptus trees have many dormant buds under their bark. These sprout into epicormic shoots – simple branches, actually – whenever the canopy is pruned or damaged. This is how Eucalyptus survives and bounces back after burning in forest fires!

One way of not having side shoots is to plant shrubbery around to reduce light falling on the trunk.

Eucalyptus offshoots and offsides

Eucalyptus is very vigorous. Whenever growing conditions are optimal, it will send shoots up from its roots. These are called root suckers.

Here is how to deal with eucalyptus root suckers:

• Snip them off as soon as you see them. Mowing the lawn usually does the trick.
• For larger specimens, cut them down with lopers or a saw or machete.
• If a given stump is too large, you might have to dig it out entirely. After that, chop off the root leading to the mother tree.

If digging roots out, once you’ve cut the root coming from the mother tree, let the wound “cure”. This means to let it dry in shaded air for a couple hours before filling the hole back in.

There’s no permanent solution to keep the eucalyptus from sending shoots up. As a consequence, go around the garden with pruning shears every once and a while as part of your regular garden routine!

All there is to know about eucalyptus

Native to Australia, Eucalyptus is a member of the Myrtaceae family. Although the geographical point of origin is on the other side of the world, Eucalyptus radiata or narrow-leaved peppermint has adapted to many climates in the western hemisphere, together with other eucalyptus species such as E. gunnii, E. niphophilia or E. globulus.

Eucalyptus is a tree that now grows in many regions of the planet. Many countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Madagascar or the Middle East make use of it in gardens and parks.

It bears beautiful leaves that are easy to recognize thanks to their silvery shimmering in the light. Seeing that, the eye is drawn to the trunk, which peels in colorful layers that meld silver, brown and green.

Blooming is only possible in warm climates for this tree native to Australia and Tasmania.

In those countries, the blooming provides excellent nectar for honey.
Dots on each leaf are actually oil glands. These are great for eucalyptus essential oil.

Eucalyptus flavor even appears in mint-flavored chewing gum and in cough drops!

• Read also: eucalyptus benefits

Eucalyptus varieties worth discovering

Here are some types of eucalyptus that are appealing for their beauty, size, hardiness or medicinal properties.

• E. camaldulensis – Common name is “River Red gum” or “river gum”, it is used to produce essential oil.
• E. citriodora – Goes by the name of “lemon gum” or “lemon eucalyptus”. It spreads a scent of lemon and is mostly used for its anti-inflammatory properties.
• E. deglupta – Also known as the “rainbow eucalyptus” or “Mindanao gum”. It boasts an amazing very ornamental trunk with swaths of blue, orange and red. It is a common raw material for paper.
• E. globulus – “Blue gum” is another name for this tree. It grows in many parts and its extracts help reinforce the immune system.
• E. gunnii – This variety is an ingredient for many perfumes, and it grows well in cooler, more temperate climates.
• E. radiata – Another name for this tree is “narrow-leaved peppermint”, and it is used to produce essential oil. It mostly grows in Australia.
• E. regnans – This “Royal eucalyptus” can reach over 330 feet (100 m) tall !
• E. smithii – Also called “Smith’s eucalyptus” or “gully gum”. Its delicate essential oil is an excellent disinfectant.
• E. niphophila – Also called “white sallee” and “snow gum”. This is the hardiest of all Eucalyptus varieties. It can indeed cope with freezing as low as -4°F (-20° C).