kudzu-cro wrote:

My wife bought a eucalyptus in a pot from a local garden store (Lowe's I
think) two years ago and it grew like no-ones business for the first year.
The pot it was in was of the five gallon size. After it grew too big for
the pot, we decided to plant it in our yard. This seemed good for the
eucalyptus as it kept growing non-stop. I thought it might grow into a
beautiful tree and we could enjoy it for some time as it matured. The
problem is it does not want to grow straight. I have placed poles alongside
to assist it in growing vertical, but as it keeps growing, it keeps tilting
(the main trunk does not seem to be able to support the it). Now, I am not
sure whether it would be wise to prune/shear the thing in order to promote a
bulkier trunk, or is it possible we have a genus that is not capable of
growing into a tree but rather should be treated as a shrub. We live in
South Carolina and the temperature here is normally very warm with mild
winters (with the occasional frost and or snow fall which has not hurt it in
the least). A description of this eucalyptus is as follows;
1. the leaves are silvery upon new growth and after maturing they turn green
2. the limbs grow quite long
3. there is a good amount of leaf growth on the main trunk
4. the leaves are mostly round

Any thoughts on whether to prune to the ground and let it have a happy life
as a bush or to discretionally prune it for tree growth would be
appreciated.

I had this same problem with a red-flowering gum (Eucalyptus
ficifolia). However, eucalyptus trees not only grow fast but
recover quickly from being cut.

I cut off the top at chest height, leaving a bare stump. When it
resprouted, I left four evenly-spaced shoots. After about a few
months -- after I saw the original cut healing -- I removed all but
one shoot. As this grew, the same problem with a limber trunk
occurred.

I cut the top off again, just slightly below the original cut. By
now the trunk has grown sufficiently that it is no longer limber.
After one or two years, the trunk will show little sign of having
been cut (perhaps a slight wave in an otherwise straight line).

This kind of cutting can actually be done to some species of
full-grown eucalyptus, but taking 4-6 years before the cut is no
longer apparent. However, ONLY CUT in the spring after danger of
frost is past. Otherwise new growth can be damaged.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/