Topping a eucalyptus tree

[Perry Templeton]

I am whiling away the hours..waiting for the storm to pass. We are on the
coast and Hurricane Katrina is heading sort of our way. (we are southwest
of New Orleans)
I had a eucalyptus tree that was growing near a carport post. I'm not sure
of the variety, but it is a fast growing tree. Makes round silver
leaves...something euca. globe? Anyhoo this thing has grown soooo tall in
such a short time that we've had to tie it to one of the porch posts. Twice
wind has taken it and laid it down, but after tying it back up, it does
fine. Nothing fazes it.

As a preemptive measure, we topped it and cut about 5 or 6 feet off the top.
I'm thinking and hoping that cropping it like that won't do it any major
harm and that it will recover and branch out some more. Am I correct?
Perry

[Travis]

Perry Templeton wrote:
> I am whiling away the hours..waiting for the storm to pass. We are
> on the coast and Hurricane Katrina is heading sort of our way. (we
> are southwest of New Orleans)
> I had a eucalyptus tree that was growing near a carport post. I'm
> not sure of the variety, but it is a fast growing tree. Makes round
> silver leaves...something euca. globe? Anyhoo this thing has grown
> soooo tall in such a short time that we've had to tie it to one of
> the porch posts. Twice wind has taken it and laid it down, but
> after tying it back up, it does fine. Nothing fazes it.
>
> As a preemptive measure, we topped it and cut about 5 or 6 feet off
> the top. I'm thinking and hoping that cropping it like that won't
> do it any major harm and that it will recover and branch out some
> more. Am I correct? Perry

Topping a tree is *never* a good idea.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5

[Ann]

"Travis" > expounded:

>Topping a tree is *never* a good idea.

Usually that's true. However, a category 5 or strong category 4 is
probably going to make the point moot, unfortunately. Topping this
tree may save it......
--
Ann, gardening in Zone 6a
South of Boston, Massachusetts
e-mail address is not checked
******************************

[Treedweller]

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 05:05:55 -0400, Ann > wrote:

>"Travis" > expounded:
>
>>Topping a tree is *never* a good idea.
>
>Usually that's true. However, a category 5 or strong category 4 is
>probably going to make the point moot, unfortunately. Topping this
>tree may save it......
.. . . temporarily. http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/topping.asp

You don't want a topped tree looming over your house. If the storm
spares it, finish the removal and replace it, and be kind to the new
tree.

Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-236

[dotCompost]

I hack mine back to waist level every year. It then puts on ten foot of growth for me to hack back the next year. I've started using the long branches as poles to support my rambling roses.

[David Ross]

Perry Templeton wrote:
>
> I am whiling away the hours..waiting for the storm to pass. We are on the
> coast and Hurricane Katrina is heading sort of our way. (we are southwest
> of New Orleans)
> I had a eucalyptus tree that was growing near a carport post. I'm not sure
> of the variety, but it is a fast growing tree. Makes round silver
> leaves...something euca. globe? Anyhoo this thing has grown soooo tall in
> such a short time that we've had to tie it to one of the porch posts. Twice
> wind has taken it and laid it down, but after tying it back up, it does
> fine. Nothing fazes it.
>
> As a preemptive measure, we topped it and cut about 5 or 6 feet off the top.
> I'm thinking and hoping that cropping it like that won't do it any major
> harm and that it will recover and branch out some more. Am I correct?
> Perry

Those who advised against topping apparently have no experience
with eucalyptus. They respond quite well to being cut, not merely
topping but severely cut back.

Cut the tree at about waist height. It will resprout at the cut.
Wait about a year. Select what you consider to be the best shoot
and remove the others.

If you wish, redo the cut at an angle away from the shoot you keep
(similar to how you cut a rose, angling away from the growth bud
you expect to sprout). You do this after removing the unwanted
shoots. This "sculpting" of the cut is optional.

In about 5 years, you might not even notice that the tree was ever
cut. In 10 years, no one can tell.

Repeat every 5-10 years to keep the tree in check. Save the larger
pieces of tree. Stack them where they can dry. They make a very
aromatic firewood.

Four acres of some eucalyptus varieties are sufficient to supply a
family with a permanent source of firewood for cooking, heating,
and hot water. You harvest one acre each year and let it dry until
the next acre is harvested. After four years (after the other
three acres are harvested), the first acre has enough regrowth to
be harvested again.

--

David E. Ross
<URL:http://www.rossde.com/>

I use Mozilla as my Web browser because I want a browser that
complies with Web standards. See <URL:http://www.mozilla.org/>.

[Emery Davis]

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 13:50:04 -0700, David Ross > said:

] Perry Templeton wrote:
] >
] > I am whiling away the hours..waiting for the storm to pass. We are on the
] > coast and Hurricane Katrina is heading sort of our way. (we are southwest
] > of New Orleans)
[]

Hope you've weathered it alright...

] Those who advised against topping apparently have no experience
] with eucalyptus. They respond quite well to being cut, not merely
] topping but severely cut back.
]
[]

Further, apparently many eucalypts have very different juvenile
and adult foliage. When the former is desirable one is apparently
meant to hack the tree way back, "simulating" severe damage
so that it will revert for a few years.

The site www.eucalyptus.co.uk has some interesting stuff about
these trees. (I'm not affiliated, but I do intend to order some of
the rustic species this fall.)

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

[Treedweller]

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 13:50:04 -0700, David Ross >
wrote:

>
>Those who advised against topping apparently have no experience
>with eucalyptus. They respond quite well to being cut, not merely
>topping but severely cut back.
>
It's true, I don't see many eucs here. But what you've described
below is a way to have a euc bush and a source of poles/firewood, not
a tree.
>Cut the tree at about waist height. It will resprout at the cut.
>Wait about a year. Select what you consider to be the best shoot
>and remove the others.
>
>If you wish, redo the cut at an angle away from the shoot you keep
>(similar to how you cut a rose, angling away from the growth bud
>you expect to sprout). You do this after removing the unwanted
>shoots. This "sculpting" of the cut is optional.
>
>In about 5 years, you might not even notice that the tree was ever
>cut. In 10 years, no one can tell.
Until the internal defects worsen to the point of having the whole
branch above that point break and fall on the house.
>
>Repeat every 5-10 years to keep the tree in check. Save the larger
>pieces of tree. Stack them where they can dry. They make a very
>aromatic firewood.
>
>Four acres of some eucalyptus varieties are sufficient to supply a
>family with a permanent source of firewood for cooking, heating,
>and hot water. You harvest one acre each year and let it dry until
>the next acre is harvested. After four years (after the other
>three acres are harvested), the first acre has enough regrowth to
>be harvested again.
All well and good if you have four acres, but, I repeat, you do not
want a topped tree looming over your house, as the OP now has.

k

[Perry Templeton]

Well, we survived the storm relatively okay. The eucalyptus, if we had not
cut it, WOULD have broken. The winds were horrific.I can only imagine that
a broken tree is worse off than a cut tree.
Thanks for all the input.
Perry
"Treedweller" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 13:50:04 -0700, David Ross >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>Those who advised against topping apparently have no experience
>>with eucalyptus. They respond quite well to being cut, not merely
>>topping but severely cut back.
>>
> It's true, I don't see many eucs here. But what you've described
> below is a way to have a euc bush and a source of poles/firewood, not
> a tree.
>>Cut the tree at about waist height. It will resprout at the cut.
>>Wait about a year. Select what you consider to be the best shoot
>>and remove the others.
>>
>>If you wish, redo the cut at an angle away from the shoot you keep
>>(similar to how you cut a rose, angling away from the growth bud
>>you expect to sprout). You do this after removing the unwanted
>>shoots. This "sculpting" of the cut is optional.
>>
>>In about 5 years, you might not even notice that the tree was ever
>>cut. In 10 years, no one can tell.
> Until the internal defects worsen to the point of having the whole
> branch above that point break and fall on the house.
>>
>>Repeat every 5-10 years to keep the tree in check. Save the larger
>>pieces of tree. Stack them where they can dry. They make a very
>>aromatic firewood.
>>
>>Four acres of some eucalyptus varieties are sufficient to supply a
>>family with a permanent source of firewood for cooking, heating,
>>and hot water. You harvest one acre each year and let it dry until
>>the next acre is harvested. After four years (after the other
>>three acres are harvested), the first acre has enough regrowth to
>>be harvested again.
> All well and good if you have four acres, but, I repeat, you do not
> want a topped tree looming over your house, as the OP now has.
>
> k
>

[presley]

If this species is the tree I'm thinking about, grown widely in the deep
south for its foliage which can be used in flower arrangements and so forth,
it is a very small tree - almost like a tall shrub, except that it is
usually single-trunked. It often tops out at 20 feet or so - and also the
top portions (newer growth) of the tree are very susceptible to frost-damage
below 20 degrees, and die back to branches that are more hardened off. So I
don't think topping it will either create a dangerous tree in the future or
cause any lasting damage more than the climate itself creates.
"Treedweller" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 13:50:04 -0700, David Ross >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>Those who advised against topping apparently have no experience
>>with eucalyptus. They respond quite well to being cut, not merely
>>topping but severely cut back.
>>
> It's true, I don't see many eucs here. But what you've described
> below is a way to have a euc bush and a source of poles/firewood, not
> a tree.
>>Cut the tree at about waist height. It will resprout at the cut.
>>Wait about a year. Select what you consider to be the best shoot
>>and remove the others.
>>
>>If you wish, redo the cut at an angle away from the shoot you keep
>>(similar to how you cut a rose, angling away from the growth bud
>>you expect to sprout). You do this after removing the unwanted
>>shoots. This "sculpting" of the cut is optional.
>>
>>In about 5 years, you might not even notice that the tree was ever
>>cut. In 10 years, no one can tell.
> Until the internal defects worsen to the point of having the whole
> branch above that point break and fall on the house.
>>
>>Repeat every 5-10 years to keep the tree in check. Save the larger
>>pieces of tree. Stack them where they can dry. They make a very
>>aromatic firewood.
>>
>>Four acres of some eucalyptus varieties are sufficient to supply a
>>family with a permanent source of firewood for cooking, heating,
>>and hot water. You harvest one acre each year and let it dry until
>>the next acre is harvested. After four years (after the other
>>three acres are harvested), the first acre has enough regrowth to
>>be harvested again.
> All well and good if you have four acres, but, I repeat, you do not
> want a topped tree looming over your house, as the OP now has.
>
> k
>

[Treedweller]

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 23:11:56 -0700, "presley"
> wrote:

>If this species is the tree I'm thinking about, grown widely in the deep
>south for its foliage which can be used in flower arrangements and so forth,
>it is a very small tree - almost like a tall shrub, except that it is
>usually single-trunked. It often tops out at 20 feet or so - and also the
>top portions (newer growth) of the tree are very susceptible to frost-damage
>below 20 degrees, and die back to branches that are more hardened off. So I
>don't think topping it will either create a dangerous tree in the future or
>cause any lasting damage more than the climate itself creates.
Perhaps. The eucs I know about are among the biggest trees out there.

k