echinosum wrote:

: 'Steve Turner[_2_ Wrote:
:: ;812490']About 5 weeks ago I asked a question about my eucalyptus
:: trees that seemed to be dying.

[snip]

: As they currently are, they look like they need some kind of support,
: especially that taller one. I think they have become too tall and
: straggly for the present trunks to become self-supporting, especially
: the taller one, so some surgery to reshape them will be necessary, but
: it is important first for them to become well-rooted in the ground.
: When you feel they are well-established (evidence of healthy growth)

They seemed OK 5 weeks ago in that they were fairly upright (I've found the
photo I took) but they now have 2 to 3 times as many leaves and look much
better. So I'm taking that as evidence of healthy growth.

: then wait until the next spring and then shorten them. Just cut the
: whole top somewhere like knee height to waist height, with an angle to
: the cut. They will send out lots of shoots from the stump, which you
: can then thin out if necessary. You are going to get a tree that
: branches out low down rather than a single stem, but basically this is
: the only choice you have if you want a tree that doesn't grow big.

I don't think I can risk too tall a tree because the root ball might not
support it.

: You'll have to give it a good prune every now and then to keep it to
: the size you want. You are going to have to make some kind of drastic
: action like this anyway in the long run to prevent them becoming big
: trees, so may as well start as you intend to go on.

Thanks for the advice. At least I know I'm not likely to kill them with
drastic pruning.

--
Steve