Eucalyptus now dying (I reckon i must have blackfingers never mind green)

[Haggismonster]

Hi - another disaster - i bought a eucalyptus last year in October, it seemed to be doing really well until about three weeks ago when some of the lower leaves started to die

My neighbour advised me to move it as it was too exposed so I stuck it in a huge pot, put loads of compost around it (stuff for shrubs and trees as well as some general compost)and now half of it has gone brown!  It kind of splits in half down at the base of the plant and one half looks ok (well some of the young leaves at the tip of each shoot are brown at the edges) the other half of the plant has gone a yellowy brown colour - it doesn't seem to be overwatered!

what can i do to save it?!?!?

[Haggismonster]

[antipodes]

My experience of eucalyptus is that the less care they get the better! Do you know what variety it is?

[Haggismonster]

It might be  a Gunnii?  Its leaves are kind of roundish

[Haggismonster]

actually looking at the leaves maybe its not a gunnii - they are kind of heart shaped rather than round!  I must have just made that last post up!

[Gardengirl]

I have had a eucalyptus in a pot for some years now. I too have found that the lower leaves have died off but the top of the tree is still very healthy. Perhaps this is something that natually occurs as the tree grows?

[Haggismonster]

Hmmm don't think so - I found a website that said brown leaves mean the wind is killing it - thats why i moved it but I moved it to a position that is much more sheltered and it seems to have become worse!

[Rohaise]

The next door neighbours goats ate all the leaves off my precious baby Eucalyptus, I thought  they would detest this one ,wrong !   We have also had the most frightening gales over winter ,storm force 10 .   I looked at it today and it has new leaves coming.....so dont give up . The juvinile leaves of Eucalypts are often more attractive than the adult tree leaves.  They dont like being moved ..but here goes anyway .   Wow Haggis your garden must be fantastic with Eucalyptus from Australia and Cyperus from the banks of the Nile .It is good to push the boundaries I think. Rohaise    :)

[jennym]

Hate to say it, but sounds to me like your eucalyptus is a goner. It's not the best time of year to move plants, and strongly suspect that your neighbour, having realised that your eucalyptus might get monstrously big (and they do) may just have given you that advice in order to get rid of the thing  ;D or maybe I'm just a suspicious so and so. In any case, if the plant isn't showing signs of growth and new leaves at this time of year, it's unlikely to recover. To be honest, don't think they make a good pot plant, they really are magnificent tall trees when planted in open ground, or if you do want to control them, you can cut them back severely each year in late winter which will promote the growth of that nice juvenile foliage and control the height.

[Ceratonia]

To be honest, don't think they make a good pot plant

A lot of Eucalyptus species are incredibly easy from seed (certainly compared to many other trees) and can reach a few foot in the first year. If you want E. gunnii for the foliage and you want it in a pot, it's as easy to just chuck it on the compost heap every couple of years and start again.

[Haggismonster]

Hmmm i think its a goner - more and more brown leaves showing up - where are the seeds in a eucalyptus?  the young leaves and bits at the end of the plant?