Eucalyptus tree losing it's bark

Discussion in 'Trees' started by He who dares, Jul 30, 2024.

  1. He who dares

    He who dares Gardener

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    I have a eucalyptus tree which is 6 years old and about 25ft high, mostly on a single trunk. The tree looks healthy enough and leaves are all ok but this summer, the bark on the trunk is shrivelling and flaking off, leaving brown wood underneath. Is this anything I should be concerned about?
     
  2. pete

    pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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    I think most do shed bark, but only when they reach a certain age, have you got a picture.
    Is it green or white under the brown patches.
     
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    • He who dares

      He who dares Gardener

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      I'll attempt to attach a picture. (Still learning how to do this!). When the bark falls away, there's a smooth patch that is very light green and which then turns brown over time. IMG20240730181629.jpg
       
    • He who dares

      He who dares Gardener

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      This is a wider picture of the tree. It IMG20240730181605.jpg
       
    • pete

      pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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      It looks normal to me, they do shed it like that.
      Probably happen every year.
       
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      • He who dares

        He who dares Gardener

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        Thanks Pete. That's the reassurance I needed!
         
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        • Goldenlily26

          Goldenlily26 Super Gardener

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          Your tree is doing what comes naturally. They also drop lots of their leaves year round.
           
        • fairygirl

          fairygirl Total Gardener

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          Just be aware - they get enormous over time. :smile:
          You may have to think about pollarding/pruning it at some point, as it doesn't look like you have the room for it to reach full size. The only problem with that is that it's already large, so it may not look good, and it may not work properly. Pollarding from early on is the best way to keep them at a good size, and you get better foliage that way.
          It can impact the rest of your garden too, if allowed to get to full size.

          They do drop a lot of foliage all year round.
           
        • noisette47

          noisette47 Total Gardener

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          Chopping them does work, at whatever size, as long as they don't go short of water afterwards. I had two E gunnii in Northants. One grown as a single-stem tree and the other as a multi-stemmed shrub. The tree was chopped to 2m when the trunk was 50cm across. It sprouted from the top and by natural selection formed a shapely head of 5 branches. The shrub was chain-sawed to 30cm but grew away again with lovely juvenile foliage.
          I find the bark-shedding much more noticeable here as they shed 2 or 3 times a year.
           
        • He who dares

          He who dares Gardener

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          Thanks. All good advice, which is much appreciated. I did take the top off the tree about 2.5 years ago, but the uppermost branches did a 90° turn to the vertical and one assumed the role of the trunk! Time to repeat!
           
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          • pete

            pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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            The one I chopped off back in the spring has sprouts all over the trunk.
            It's not gone back to juvenile foliage though.
             
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