Eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus spp.) Are normally very hardy but may become weakened or diseased like any other kinds of trees. When grown in a pot, which can be a far more limiting surroundings compared to the ground, a eucalyptus is at an elevated health risk. If you plant a eucalyptus in a pot once the plant is small, it will have less chance of trouble. Keep your eye on the plant year-round. A potted eucalyptus tree that’s dead or dying displays certain signs.
Dead Giveaways
A dead or dying tree loses its leaves in massive amounts, turning bare sometimes very fast. Its bark may start to crack, peel, warp or kind holes that shouldn’t be there, signaling the tree isn’t getting any nutrients. When you water a dead eucalyptus tree, then the water may stand or pool across the roots instead of being absorbed by the roots. Dead limbs become brittle and may fall off the tree. Test your eucalyptus tree branches by bending or snapping them. If they’re pliable and bendy, and moist and green within, then they aren’t dead yet. If they break easily and are brown and dry inside, then they are dead.
Container Considerations
For the most part, eucalyptus is disease-resistant, but, to be safe, avoid growing any other plant in a pot that harbored disease. Eucalyptus doesn’t usually need a lot of water once it becomes established in its location. A pot, however, severely restricts its soil resources. Don’t use the exact same watering schedule for a potted eucalyptus that you would use for you planted in the ground. When a potted eucalyptus gets wilted all over, it might die. Give your potted eucalyptus a sunny location because shade can ruin it.
Other Care
Plant your eucalyptus in a pot when it is small, then keep it small with regular pruning of its canopy. Canopy size should mirror root dimension. So don’t allow the tree canopy get overly larger than the pot because the tree will probably be out of equilibrium and in danger of death. Amend the eucalyptus’ soil using a water-retaining medium such as compost, and water the soil to keep the compost constantly moist. Keep the tree from wind is important to stop it from toppling. Repeated toppling can cause the tree’s death.
Origin and Climate
Native to Australia, eucalyptus, or gum, trees are strong-smelling evergreens with usually gray, blue or green leaf. Fast-growing, sturdy and extremely adaptable, their hardiness zones — in which they live outdoors year-round — vary by species. By way of instance, argyle-apple (Eucalyptus cinerea) is hardy at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 8 through 11. It’s curved, gray leaves clustered in rows along stems, hence its alternate title, silver dollar tree. Lemon-scented gum (Eucalyptus citriodora) is also hardy in USDA zones 8 through 11.