Eucalyptus deglupta growth pace

[Than]

I have got this one from seed. It sprouted in May. The medium is coco coir but I also added manure tea and light fertilizer 2-3 times. Growth rate is appalling. Is this normal? 

It was outside mostly in shade during the summer. Hasn't seen any serious heat and no serious cold either. Humidity this year was overall high. Sometimes very high. Is this amount of growth normal?

I also have many other seedlings of the same age all together in the same pot (the purple pot in the photo). Growth rate about the same. 

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by ego
added info

[kinzyjr]

From my experience, tropical hardwoods like this tend to have a season or two where they mostly grow underground and then take off like a rocket after they have a good root system established.

[Than]

I am also concerned about how thin it still is. Like a human hair

[Navarro]

Es posible que no esté recibiendo suficiente luz?

[Than]

29 minutes ago, Navarro said:

Es posible que no esté recibiendo suficiente luz?

Está fuera, en el jardín

[ShadyDan]

While I can’t speak for this tropical species, the Eucalyptus species I grow at my hobby nursery would be WAAAYYYYYYY bigger than that by now. I don’t keep them in pots long enough to see how big they would grow as potted specimens, but I’ve had some trees grow more than 2 meters in the same time span you mentioned. And that’s here in the cool PNW. 
 

I would recommend getting that thing into full sun if possible. I never find growing medium or fertilizer an issue, so it must be a sun/light issue? 

[Than]

12 hours ago, ShadyDan said:

While I can’t speak for this tropical species, the Eucalyptus species I grow at my hobby nursery would be WAAAYYYYYYY bigger than that by now. I don’t keep them in pots long enough to see how big they would grow as potted specimens, but I’ve had some trees grow more than 2 meters in the same time span you mentioned. And that’s here in the cool PNW. 
 

I would recommend getting that thing into full sun if possible. I never find growing medium or fertilizer an issue, so it must be a sun/light issue? 

I thought that since they are so young full sun could damage them especially here in Greece where the summer sun is strong. You reckon they will be fine?

I also saw some YouTube videos where they grow way more than this in 5 months. 

[Blueman]

Some seedlings in a batch are weak & spindly, which may be what you have.   If all of yours are like that, something's wrong.  Maybe exposed to extreme temps in transit?  

I've grown a number of Australian Eucalyptus from seed in Florida, and even the slower ones are much faser than that.  I started them in trays under flourescent lights (about a foot above the trays) and move them into individual small pots outdoors a month or two after sprouting, and then into 3 gallon pots in the summer.  Some of the fastest Australians can grow 10 feet a year for the first few years in good soil.    

I also had purchased a few degulpta in 3 gallon pots that grew well.  The fastest one got 40-50 feet tall within 4 years, with a robust trunk.  That was in a rich loam/sand soil.  I've tried them in sandy soil, and they struggle.  

Deglupta grows in southern California, but probably benefits greatly from irrigiation in the summer, at least until established.  

[Than]

18 hours ago, Blueman said:

Some seedlings in a batch are weak & spindly, which may be what you have.   If all of yours are like that, something's wrong.  Maybe exposed to extreme temps in transit?  

I've grown a number of Australian Eucalyptus from seed in Florida, and even the slower ones are much faser than that.  I started them in trays under flourescent lights (about a foot above the trays) and move them into individual small pots outdoors a month or two after sprouting, and then into 3 gallon pots in the summer.  Some of the fastest Australians can grow 10 feet a year for the first few years in good soil.    

I also had purchased a few degulpta in 3 gallon pots that grew well.  The fastest one got 40-50 feet tall within 4 years, with a robust trunk.  That was in a rich loam/sand soil.  I've tried them in sandy soil, and they struggle.  

Deglupta grows in southern California, but probably benefits greatly from irrigiation in the summer, at least until established.  

Transit was in May, so I don't think so.. could it be the coco coir? Perhaps despite the fertilizer something is missing?

[Blueman]

I would never use coconut coir, maybe that's part of the problem.  I think trees and palms need real soil to develop.  

[Than]

It could be the high salt content of the coconut coir although I didn't have this problem with other species. I found this article useful 

[Silas_Sancona]

On 12/13/2023 at 9:29 PM, ego said:

It could be the high salt content of the coconut coir although I didn't have this problem with other species. I found this article useful 

Yep, though i'll rinse any C.C i purchase before using, just to be extra safe,  never had issues w/ it causing the death of seedlings ( or anything planted in a mix containing plenty of it ) ..due to any salt content it might still contain.

Manure? ..even the so called " cured " / " properly " composted stuff? yep, still too salty for my seeds..  Stopped using it in soil mixes over a decade ago.

[Than]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Yep, though i'll rinse any C.C i purchase before using, just to be extra safe,  never had issues w/ it causing the death of seedlings ( or anything planted in a mix containing plenty of it ) ..due to any salt content it might still contain.

Manure? ..even the so called " cured " / " properly " composted stuff? yep, still too salty for my seeds..  Stopped using it in soil mixes over a decade ago.

The soil has been rinsed so many times though since they first sprouted. They are already 6 months old and I used to water every day in the summer. One would expect the salt content to have diminished already. 

I gave them weak fertilizer yesterday..

[Navarro]

Tenia mi baobab en una mezcla con fibra de coco y no crecía mucho , cuando lo transplante a una olla más grande y use sustrato universal de la marca 'compo' con arlita para facilitar el drenaje verdaderamente despegó , es posible que la fibra de coco sea el problema por su baja carga de nutrientes y su poca absorción de agua ,nunca me gustó la fibra y no la uso en ninguna de mis plantas ,con un buen sustrato universal y arlita o perlita para el drenaje tiene que ser suficiente para recuperarlo 

[Than]

6 hours ago, Navarro said:

Tenia mi baobab en una mezcla con fibra de coco y no crecía mucho , cuando lo transplante a una olla más grande y use sustrato universal de la marca 'compo' con arlita para facilitar el drenaje verdaderamente despegó , es posible que la fibra de coco sea el problema por su baja carga de nutrientes y su poca absorción de agua ,nunca me gustó la fibra y no la uso en ninguna de mis plantas ,con un buen sustrato universal y arlita o perlita para el drenaje tiene que ser suficiente para recuperarlo 

Pero podemos suplementar los minerales que faltan, no? Yo lo utilizo por que es más respetuoso del medio ambiente; la turba es catastrófica.

[Navarro]

Si ,supongo ,ponle un plato debajo así los nutrientes no se lavan 

Más respetuoso por qué ? Y por qué es catastrófica la turba?

 

 

[Than]

56 minutes ago, Navarro said:

Si ,supongo ,ponle un plato debajo así los nutrientes no se lavan 

Más respetuoso por qué ? Y por qué es catastrófica la turba?

 

 

La turba se extrae de las turberas y el proceso libera una gran cantidad de CO2 que estuvo almacenado durante milenios. El coco coir al contrario es un subproducto sostenible

[Cindy Adair]

I have not grown this one from seed, but starting with E. deglupta only a few inches tall in the tropics, they grow very quickly requiring larger pot sizes.
 

I do use standard potting mix.
 

I get them in the ground as soon as I have a proper location ready. 
 

Then they grow even faster in pretty moist soil and half sun.

They eventually get full sun of course as they get quite tall. 

[Navarro]

2 hours ago, ego said:

La turba se extrae de las turberas y el proceso libera una gran cantidad de CO2 que estuvo almacenada durante milenios. El coco coir al contrario es un subproducto sostenible

Lo desconocía , inocentemente pensaba que lo fabricaban ellos ...

[Navarro]

2 hours ago, ego said:

La turba se extrae de las turberas y el proceso libera una gran cantidad de CO2 que estuvo almacenada durante milenios. El coco coir al contrario es un subproducto sostenible

También puedes mezclar la fibra con humus de lombriz sólido , Cindy tiene razón pero yo esta especie la mantendría en maceta al menos un año mas en tu clima, si fuera mio

[Than]

7 hours ago, Navarro said:

También puedes mezclar la fibra con humus de lombriz sólido , Cindy tiene razón pero yo esta especie la mantendría en maceta al menos un año mas en tu clima, si fuera mio

humus de lombriz es una buena idea.