Eucalyptus soil preference

[Swolte]

I'm hoping to try Eucalyptus (Nicholii) this year and I was wondering what suggestions you would have for preparing the soil/planting medium. My native soil is highly alkaline (Ph ~7.8) and I have a sandy loam for about a foot before I hit clay.  A friend of mine had grown one not too far from here for several year (apparently a head-turning, beautiful specimen) but it suddenly perished after a cold winter.

[ShadyDan]

I do believe they prefer soil on the more acidic side, but otherwise they are not fussy. I doubt they would have an issue growing in 7.8 pH. Otherwise, they are about the least fussy trees around for soil type as they come from super poor, ancient Australian soils. They have no issues up here when planted in whatever soil you can give them. The biggest thing I would say is to find a small specimen (1 gallon size) and let it establish itself at that size for a more healthy, sturdy adult tree. Mulch around the tree for the first couple years to keep competition away and let those roots find their place. Once established, no need to irrigate and definitely DO NOT fertilize. Fertilization will cause the root/shoot ratio to become imbalanced, leading to a top-heavy tree liable to blow over. Follow these steps and you should have no issues establishing a healthy Eucalyptus. Your biggest issue will be the extreme temperatures Texas has seen in the past couple years. Temperatures seen in 2021, or even this past winter, will fry most Eucalyptus. E. nicholii is pretty tough, but not one of the super-hardy species and would get cooked in another bad winter.

Here is a picture of a Eucalyptus I grew from seed (Ecualyptus rodwayi) and planted in June 2020 compared to what it looks like today. It receives no additional summer irrigation or fertilizer... just shows how well they can grow planting them small and keeping them away from competition. E. rodwayi isn't even one of the "super fast" species, but it still grows ~2 meters a year since planting.

 

[Swolte]

That is great advice, thanks! Wonderful pics!
😎
I ordered that Angus variety from WB Gardens that claims to be hardier. 

I have read they are very sensitive to root disturbance. Is that your experience as well? I am a rabid root washer (i.e., I remove all commercial planting medium before planting them in mostly native soil) and I wonder if I should just leave the roots along and mostly mound 'soil'.

~ S

Edited January 19, 2023 by Swolte

[ShadyDan]

10 hours ago, Swolte said:

That is great advice, thanks! Wonderful pics!
😎
I ordered that Angus variety from WB Gardens that claims to be hardier. 

I have read they are very sensitive to root disturbance. Is that your experience as well? I am a rabid root washer (i.e., I remove all commercial planting medium before planting them in mostly native soil) and I wonder if I should just leave the roots along and mostly mound 'soil'.

~ S

Yes, they are very root sensitive. Yet another reason reason to plant them when they are small and far from being root-bound. I would just leave the roots alone personally and plant them gently. If you do get a rootbound tree, I would carefully straighten some of the circling roots if possible without breaking the roots.

I just checked WB's site, and $50 USD for a 1 gallon tree?! Thats bonkers! I have been charging $15 CAD for 1 gallon size trees... guess I can up my prices this year! I also don't like they have "named cultivars" for all their trees. Eucs have so much genetic differences from tree to tree there is no way they can say the trees will be as advertised, especially without an established, genetically controlled seed orchard. Probably just a way they can justify charging so much. /rant.

[Swolte]

39 minutes ago, ShadyDan said:

I just checked WB's site, and $50 USD for a 1 gallon tree?! Thats bonkers! I have been charging $15 CAD for 1 gallon size trees... guess I can up my prices this year! I also don't like they have "named cultivars" for all their trees. Eucs have so much genetic differences from tree to tree there is no way they can say the trees will be as advertised, especially without an established, genetically controlled seed orchard. Probably just a way they can justify charging so much. /rant.

Thanks again!

I agree WBs is quite expensive (shipping being included helps, though) and I generally never order from them. I simply had to find out about this hardier 'variety' cause I love the look of the Nicholii. WB claims z7B and is quite specific about locations which increases confidence for me (and they're located in a colder climate than I am). I'll protect it the first 3 years from any cold extremes and then we'll see how it fares! Worth a shot for me. 

One last question, if you don't mind. Do you find young plants to be resistant to drought? In other words, how important is it to keep the soil moist the first year (I am asking as I am expecting another dry summer).

~ S 

[ShadyDan]

23 minutes ago, Swolte said:

Thanks again!

I agree WBs is quite expensive (shipping being included helps, though) and I generally never order from them. I simply had to find out about this hardier 'variety' cause I love the look of the Nicholii. WB claims z7B and is quite specific about locations which increases confidence for me (and they're located in a colder climate than I am). I'll protect it the first 3 years from any cold extremes and then we'll see how it fares! Worth a shot for me. 

One last question, if you don't mind. Do you find young plants to be resistant to drought? In other words, how important is it to keep the soil moist the first year (I am asking as I am expecting another dry summer).

~ S 

I would also take the 7B rating with a grain of salt... maybe 7B root hardy, the stem will surely die and re-sprout at 7B temperatures. Since you are 8b like me, hardiness shouldn't be a problem. If everything goes according to plan, I would only expect to protect for year one. By year 2 it will likely be too big! Just look at my 3 year old tree, no way I can protect that thing that is already 5 meters tall. I would also say growing Eucalyptus from seed is very easy, you could grow many plants for a fraction of the price. But buying an established tree is even easier haha, just my 2 cents.

I would water for the first summer to help it establish (sparingly, occasional deep watering only when its been really dry).  Despite there roots being sensitive, they are very good and finding water. If you have clay like you said then it will probably be fine with watering a little after planting then only when its been really hot a dry for the first year. They will thrive in our dry summers and crappy, coarse glacial soils without supplemental irrigation no problem, but watering a bit after planting helps them get off to a good start and established. They are thirsty plants, the more water they get the quicker they grow. Once established and its really dry they just stop growing. Mine put on most of their growth from April-June when it warms up and there is still winter moisture in the ground, essentially stop growing in July-September during our summer dry period, then grow a little bit more before winter once the rains come in October. 

[Chester B]

If you want to buy Eucs try:

https://onegreenworld.com/

They do mailorder.  It's right by my house and I can vouch for their quality of plants.  All the Eucs are nice and small, that's how you want to buy them.

There is also:

https://southerneucs.com/

I have no experience with them but they are closer to you.

 

I have killed small eucalyptus from lack of water, so they may need help.  You'll notice the tips of the leaves turning brown if they're very stressed.

Some grow like rockets for me, others take their time.  I've been growing them for 6 years and so far I have cut down 3 and killed 2. 

If you need a bunch I would grow from seed, otherwise I would just buy a couple of small plants.  They can be very sensitive when small.

Here's a couple of mine:

A double neglecta on the left - its about 4 years in that spot 20-25 feet tall.  Its my favorite because of the strong smell

Pauciflora on the right that has always struggled in that spot - its about 6 years old and 15-20 feet.   It's not the best looking specimen.  I had two others in a different spot and they got this big in half the time and were already flowering.

I also have - E subcrenulata "yellow gum" which after 4 years finally took off last year.  Sometimes they'll sit for a while.

My final is E Stellulata "Black sallee" and that one is not even 5 feet tall, its been very slow for me.  I had another but it slowly declined.

One thing they don't do well with is ice.  It weighs them down bad and can cause larger branches or even the main leader to break.  This is the only thing I don't really like about them.  The bigger of the two neglecta was actually the smaller one by a fair bit, but the bigger one snapped in half with our major ice storm a couple of years back.

Edited January 19, 2023 by Chester B

[ShadyDan]

Those prices at One Green World look much more reasonable and I've heard good things about them from others, second the notion of checking them out first too.

Another thought too about selecting Eucs... some of the hardier varieties from the alpine areas and Tasmania (E. pauciflora and E. subcrenulata among them) will not do well in oppressive Texas summer heat. They seem to like the cooler summer nights we get and the actual "winter" we have. E. nicholli should be a good choice and handle the heat well though. Luckily, I've never had an ice storm since living on the Island (seem to be more common on the Mainland from Vancouver down to Portland for whatever reason), but certainly something to keep in mind as Chester said.

I have a bunch of seeds from a few heat loving species that I'm hesitant to grow up here. Too bad US customs are jerks or I just send them down to you if you wanted them and let you go nuts haha.

[Swolte]

10 hours ago, ShadyDan said:

I would also take the 7B rating with a grain of salt... maybe 7B root hardy, the stem will surely die and re-sprout at 7B temperatures. Since you are 8b like me, hardiness shouldn't be a problem. If everything goes according to plan, I would only expect to protect for year one. By year 2 it will likely be too big! Just look at my 3 year old tree, no way I can protect that thing that is already 5 meters tall.

Thanks, that's a good point. The speedy growth is just something I have yet to experience and frankly, cannot really imagine happening with eucs here in College Station! Growing conditions are very tough here in central Texas (especially with my style of gardening) with the temperature extremes, poor soil, and irregular rainfall. Having said that, it is possible to get some fast growth. The only trees that would get close to your reported 2 meters per year in my yard would be certain crepe myrtles, sycamore, catalpa, and a chinaberry. Would love to see the some rocket growth!

9 hours ago, Chester B said:

Some grow like rockets for me, others take their time.  I've been growing them for 6 years and so far I have cut down 3 and killed 2. 

Thanks, your videos have definitely helped put the eucalyptus on and off the wish lists!! They look great in those pics. 

I have ordered from OneGreenWorld before. I agree they offer good quality plants and the sizes are perfect. I am looking for more tropical looking trees so the weeping qualities of the Nicholii are perfect. I wish I could grow pauciflora. Amazing bark!
 

8 hours ago, ShadyDan said:

I have a bunch of seeds from a few heat loving species that I'm hesitant to grow up here. Too bad US customs are jerks or I just send them down to you if you wanted them and let you go nuts haha.

Hah, thanks for the thought! 

 

[Chester B]

12 hours ago, Swolte said:

Thanks, your videos have definitely helped put the eucalyptus on and off the wish lists!! They look great in those pics. 

Ah cool.  Glad you enjoyed them.

I have had 10 feet of growth in a year on my spinning gum, which I sadly had to take down.  It go too big too fast and was pretty darn close to my house.

Having them in lean soils is a good thing, it keeps them balanced.  I don't give supplemental water after year one because I want them growing slow.  

As far as what can handle your heat unfortunately I don't know this answer.  I only know what works around here.