Does anyone know how to care for an eucalyptus tree?

[rhapsody]

Does anyone know how to care for an eucalyptus tree? It is a massive tree that towers over my backyard and I want to treat it with care so that it doesn’t choose to cause havoc and fall down on my house one day 🙂

[no_such_reality]

Eucs have the nickname widow maker for a reason.

[bearishgurl]

Keep it as bald and laced out as possible … and buy a good shop vac and a fan leaf rake.

You’re going to need them. Set aside 2-4 hrs month to remove/rake the leaves.

Sadly, if the tree is too close to the house, I would have it taken out and the stump ground down. But that is just me. I would be afraid of having to have a new sewer lateral re-dug if the tree is in the front yard, due to tree roots growing through it (if this hasn’t already happened). And also afraid of replacing lifted sidewalks and crumbled driveway … now a very expensive proposition.

Eucies tend to be messy and very time consuming and literally grow wild in the SoCal region.

Congrats on your recent home purchase, rhapsody!

[FlyerInHi]

Cut it down and plant a native oak

[flyer]

The tree can present a lot of challenges. I’d have a professional landscaper assess your particular situation and then decide if it’s best to keep it or not. We’re surrounded by them, and have had to make similar decisions.

Eucs definitely have an interesting history in our county:

http://www.sdfloral.org/growinggrounds-6.htm

[ltsddd]

bite the bullet and just have it chopped down.

[PCinSD]

I agree with removing it. There was a storm around 1992 or so. Eucalyptus tree popped out of the ground and totalled my truck. I wouldn’t want one anywhere near anything I value. I heard they have shallow roots?

[Hatfield]

[quote]I’d have a professional landscaper assess your particular situation [/quote]

No, not a landscaper. Call a certified arborist. Big difference in expertise here. I can recommend One Tripp Tree and also Ted Safford. I have a large euc that came with a property I bought in 94. It’s a magnificent tree and I have it laced about every 18-24 months. It’s expensive but I feel that it’s worth it. I agree that eucs can become a hazard if they’re not properly maintained, and that mostly means keeping the size of the crown under control so the roots can support the tree’s weight. You also want to make sure the euc is free of diseases that weaken the root structure. Both of these arborists will give you a free assessment and cost estimate.

The last thing you want to do is call some knucklehead with a chainsaw and let him top it. The tree will never be the same again.

Ted Safford: http://www.tedsaffordarborist.com
One Tripp Tree: http://www.onetripptreeservicesandiegoca.com

[flyer]

Good suggestion. We’ve been very happy with the folks who were recommended to us by friends when we moved to RSF 20+ years ago.

Since we have several acres, and with the drought situation, we’ve changed a lot of our landscaping over the years–removing Eucs as needed–going with more hardscape, etc.–so that choice was key, and hope the OP has good luck with his/her choice as well.

[rhapsody]

Wow, thank you everyone for your recommendations. I’ll definitely look into this. What an interesting history too.

[poorgradstudent]

Yup. Pay someone to cut it down.

[temeculaguy]

[quote=FlyerInHi]Cut it down and plant a native oak[/quote]

True that! Eucs are an invasive scourge, even UC Berkely recommends eliminating them and replacing them with native trees (native oaks are fireproof, while eucs are firebombs).

http://abc7news.com/news/officials-urge-removal-of-eucalyptus-from-berkeley-oakland-hills/324916/

When UC Berkeley encourages the killing of a specific tree, that is akin to anti-death penalty people saying “we hate the death penalty but kill this guy” then you know he’s a bad guy.

There have been theories that the red gum lurp psylliad that was killing off the Eucs was intentionally brought to California by environmental activists.

[SD Transplant]

Agree with the invasive species concept. I had 12 of them in my backyard and life is so much better w/out them. I had them all cut down & replaced with citrus/fig/pomegranate/persimmon etc

[Author]

Posts