Pushing the zone with Rainbow eucalyptus

[Cape Garrett]

I have heard these trees do not do well in high winds.  Always loved the tree but I am not willing to have a monster, that it can become, fall and crash onto my home during a hurricane.  Way too many of those seem to hit us in SW Fl since Charley in 04.  Always wanted one but...

 

[Cape Garrett]

On 7/9/2018, 8:43:20, Opal92 said:

I saw the same tree at the Dole Pineapple plantation back in 2007- that's where I first discovered them, one of the best examples there. When I and my family were visiting in Aug that year, Hurricane Flossie was off to the southeast and creating high winds over Oahu- we were on a garden tour at the Pineapple plantation and there was a gust of wind. Branch snapping could be heard from the rainbow eucalyptus and the tour guide ushered people away from the tree. 

Just like I said...not good in high winds.

[Palmaceae]

2 hours ago, Cape Garrett said:

Just like I said...not good in high winds.

I had 2 of them in my yard during Irma, one was 25' and the other 15' and no issues at all except some small branched broken. I recorded 109 mph winds.  It did surprise me as I thought they would be more damaged, but my neighbors queen palm next to my larger rainbow went down but the rainbow did great.

[Cape Garrett]

2 hours ago, Palmaceae said:

I had 2 of them in my yard during Irma, one was 25' and the other 15' and no issues at all except some small branched broken. I recorded 109 mph winds.  It did surprise me as I thought they would be more damaged, but my neighbors queen palm next to my larger rainbow went down but the rainbow did great.

I would be more concerned as a larger tree...there is a reason we don't see these too often in south FL...just not willing to take that chance

[PalmatierMeg]

15 hours ago, Cape Garrett said:

I have heard these trees do not do well in high winds.  Always loved the tree but I am not willing to have a monster, that it can become, fall and crash onto my home during a hurricane.  Way too many of those seem to hit us in SW Fl since Charley in 04.  Always wanted one but...

 

Amen, Garrett. Our two large ones came crashing down in Hurricane Irma. Fortunately, they damaged only palms (Coccothrinax) beneath them because they were far from the the house. If they'd been on our two lot site they would have taken out the house. Those things scare me now. My husband insisted on replacing one of them even though the woman at the nursery confirmed they don't do well in storms. 

[Missi]

We still have several mature and extremely tall rainbow eucs in Naples where we got slammed worse than Lee County by Irma. My 20 footer that Irma snapped in half under the canopy has already tripled in Post-Irma height. 

[Cape Garrett]

19 hours ago, Missi said:

We still have several mature and extremely tall rainbow eucs in Naples where we got slammed worse than Lee County by Irma. My 20 footer that Irma snapped in half under the canopy has already tripled in Post-Irma height. 

Meg lost both of hers to Irma in Lee county.  I suggest if anyone plants these, keep them far away from your home as possible.  I won't risk it.  Been through 3 too many hurricanes since 04.  I know what can happen to those trees.

[Palmaceae]

3 hours ago, Cape Garrett said:

Meg lost both of hers to Irma in Lee county.  I suggest if anyone plants these, keep them far away from your home as possible.  I won't risk it.  Been through 3 too many hurricanes since 04.  I know what can happen to those trees.

I was lucky with mine, but when I moved I did plant another one but it is way away from the house. I just love the trees, not only for their trunk color but the speed of growth, as I have no shade again at my new garden.

[Walt]

There's no way I would plant a species of eucalyptus tree where the mature height could reach one's house (or anything else of value to them) if (and when) it get's toppled by high winds. I grew three Eucalyptus grandis trees from one gallon size that were given to me as left over trees, used here in Highlands County as test for possible bio fuel (since they grow so fast and don't require much, if any care). I planted these trees in July of 2011. By last year they were the tallest trees on my property. Fastest trees I ever grew. But with the fast growth comes weak structural integrity. 

Two of my Eucs were blown over by Hurricane Irma. The wind came from the southeast, and the tallest tree fell towards my house, but just barely reached my main front yard. The other fell across my driveway and totally blocked it (photo 1 below).  The one that fell to my front yard (Photo 2 below) completely died, but the other one sprouted limbs from around the stump, and these limbs must have grown 10-15 feet in just six months.

My other euc that didn't blow down suffered some limb damage but since then has completely recovered. Luckily, this tree is 300 feet or more from my house. I used to have a small Eucalyptus deglupta (mostly killed by hard freeze in 2010). This species wasn't as fast growing as E. grandis. I can't recall where I bought my E. deglupta, but I would like to try another one. I know where two mature E. deglupta are, but I haven't seen them since Hurricane Irma. I found these trees almost 20 years ago and had no idea what species they were. All I knew was that they were very cool looking. I think I have photos of them somewhere, and posted them at Palmtalk (plants) 15 years ago or so, and somebody identified them for me.

[Walt]

I found the Riverland Nursery in east Ft. Myers sells Rainbow Eucalyptus trees. I will be taking my wife to the airport in Ft. Myers next month, so I will stop buy and pick up a small tree, if they have one. I've stopped by at that nursery many times over the years, as I drive right by it.

[Ian in Tampa]

Looking for some insight here...I planted a rainbow eucalyptus last June and it was 32" tall.  As suspected, it grew fast and is now roughly 12'.  Perhaps it was damaged last winter (I live just outside of Tampa), but looking at Missi's 3rd photo (where you can see a blue bucket and wrought iron fence in the pic), mine doesn't even look like the same tree.  Hers is full of foliage while mine has leaves only out on the ends of each branch (though new growth is recently visible).  Do I need to prune the tree to spur growth?  Is it lacking in nutrients?  Or, is it normal this time of year and just needs a good FL rainy season?  Any ideas would be appreciated...first time rainbow owner.

[Rich L]

Hi, it’s February 6 and I just received my first Rainbow Eucalyptus in Spring  Hill Florida zone 9.   The tree is in fantastic health has beautiful color leaves.  Had to of come out of a greenhouse.  My question is after reading your conversations,  I’m afraid to put it in the ground this year.  Can I put it in a larger pot and bring it in the garage at nite.  And transplant in Spring of 2022?   While in Maui I ran across a cluster of the trees and they were Breathtaking !!!  I was instantly “In Love”

[NickJames]

I was coming on here to ask @PalmatierMeg about her thoughts on me planting my newly acquired rainbow eucalyptus seedling on my soon-to-be-mine Pine Island lot...but yikes...seems like I’ll need to plant it basically on the perimeter of the lot to plan for the possibility of it falling on the future house! 

[PalmatierMeg]

9 hours ago, NickJames said:

I was coming on here to ask @PalmatierMeg about her thoughts on me planting my newly acquired rainbow eucalyptus seedling on my soon-to-be-mine Pine Island lot...but yikes...seems like I’ll need to plant it basically on the perimeter of the lot to plan for the possibility of it falling on the future house! 

Don't plant it near the road or too close to your neighbor's house either. Be aware they can grow 200' tall if lightning or a hurricane don't get them first. And they grow very fast.

[Missi]

Mine is now crazy tall. Of course it's planted between my chicken pen and house  Good thing for home owners insurance 

[NickJames]

On 3/14/2021 at 9:48 AM, PalmatierMeg said:

Don't plant it near the road or too close to your neighbor's house either. Be aware they can grow 200' tall if lightning or a hurricane don't get them first. And they grow very fast.

My plan is to plant it approx. 200 feet from road and approx 100 feet away from any future potential structure. 

[NickJames]

So my seedling is kind of bending a bit. I upsized the container when I brought it up. It seems the “crown” is a little too heavy for the roots? It seems to have grown rapidly since I brought it home. Does this sound normal? I’ll get a pic when I get home. Seems to be standing up straighter today. 

[Silas_Sancona]

7 hours ago, NickJames said:

So my seedling is kind of bending a bit. I upsized the container when I brought it up. It seems the “crown” is a little too heavy for the roots? It seems to have grown rapidly since I brought it home. Does this sound normal? I’ll get a pic when I get home. Seems to be standing up straighter today. 

Pretty typical for some trees to do this as seedlings/ saplings.. until they gain some trunk size/ diameter.  Could tie the leader of the tree to a couple Bamboo stakes near the top and lower down to be sure it stays as straight as possible.  That said, let it wiggle around a little.. helps it develop a stronger root system..  As fast as these grow, esp. there, it won't stay scrawny for long,  at all. 

[NickJames]

11 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Pretty typical for some trees to do this as seedlings/ saplings.. until they gain some trunk size/ diameter.  Could tie the leader of the tree to a couple Bamboo stakes near the top and lower down to be sure it stays as straight as possible.  That said, let it wiggle around a little.. helps it develop a stronger root system..  As fast as these grow, esp. there, it won't stay scrawny for long,  at all. 

Thanks! Seems to be doing okay today so I’ll keep an eye on it. I’m quite amazed at how fast it’s growing. 

[Silas_Sancona]

20 minutes ago, NickJames said:

Thanks! Seems to be doing okay today so I’ll keep an eye on it. I’m quite amazed at how fast it’s growing. 

  Fast for sure..  ..and that things just getting started, lol..  Would not be surprised if it is 2- 4 or 5x's  that size/ height by October there.  Provided there are no setbacks, should be about the right size to get in the ground by this time next year, or next summer. I say that because as fast as these grow, you don't want to keep it locked up in a pot too long and risk issues such as girdling or circling roots  which can put the tree at a disadvantage when planted. Sooner it goes in, faster it can develop a good root system that will anchor in better/ deeper/ ..be less vulnerable to wind throw. 

Not important now but as it gets taller, ( esp. once in the ground ) pinch off any side growth that develops along the trunk, up to a height you feel is good enough to walk under.. you want most of it's energy focused on development of the leader ( tallest, center growth ) and crown rather than wasting energy on any side growth which might try to co- dominate as it grows, or dominate if the leader becomes weak/ is damaged somehow.  This will also help it to be stronger in the long run as many Eucs can develop narrow branch crotches that are especially weak / can be sheered off easier in a storm.

I myself start pinching any side growth on young trees ( especially fast growing things like these ) when roughly 4-6ft ..or taller, depending on the species.

[NickJames]

6 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

  Fast for sure..  ..and that things just getting started, lol..  Would not be surprised if it is 2- 4 or 5x's  that size/ height by October there.  Provided there are no setbacks, should be about the right size to get in the ground by this time next year, or next summer. I say that because as fast as these grow, you don't want to keep it locked up in a pot too long and risk issues such as girdling or circling roots  which can put the tree at a disadvantage when planted. Sooner it goes in, faster it can develop a good root system that will anchor in better/ deeper/ ..be less vulnerable to wind throw. 

Not important now but as it gets taller, ( esp. once in the ground ) pinch off any side growth that develops along the trunk, up to a height you feel is good enough to walk under.. you want most of it's energy focused on development of the leader ( tallest, center growth ) and crown rather than wasting energy on any side growth which might try to co- dominate as it grows, or dominate if the leader becomes weak/ is damaged somehow.  This will also help it to be stronger in the long run as many Eucs can develop narrow branch crotches that are especially weak / can be sheered off easier in a storm.

I myself start pinching any side growth on young trees ( especially fast growing things like these ) when roughly 4-6ft ..or taller, depending on the species.

Thank you! I am fairly new to growing actual trees!

Would it be ill-advised to plant it in the ground now? Does it need until next year in the container? I already upsized it simply because it was basically in a solo cup sized container when I bought it. 

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, NickJames said:

Thank you! I am fairly new to growing actual trees!

Would it be ill-advised to plant it in the ground now? Does it need until next year in the container? I already upsized it simply because it was basically in a solo cup sized container when I bought it. 

Some might ( plant out at that size ) i wouldn't myself.. Too attractive to pretty much anything that might munch on it at that size.  Should be fine in that container for this year.. By the time it is ready to step up to a bigger pot, it should be big enough to plant, unless you decide to grow it out one more year before planting..

[Chester B]

Yeah but the only thing is Eucalyptus hate pots. You want to get them in the ground ASAP. if you keep them in pots the roots grow so fast and then when you put them in the ground they don’t do well and either linger or fade away. There is a reason you buy most eucalypts as seedlings and rarely see anything over a one gallon size. General advice is never buy eucalyptus that have any size to them. 
 

My vote is plant it and put some chicken wire around it. 

[Missi]

Mine went straight into the ground at this wee size (on the left) and took off running!! I truly believe that the strong root structure is what saved mine from completely falling over in Irma, where as compared to my Ceiba speciosa trees that I kept potted for a couple years and all fell over.

Canopy torn off in Irma in 2017 taking it down to maybe 7 ft, but now it's back up to 50 ft!

[NickJames]

32 minutes ago, Missi said:

Mine went straight into the ground at this wee size (on the left) and took off running!! I truly believe that the strong root structure is what saved mine from completely falling over in Irma, where as compared to my Ceiba speciosa trees that I kept potted for a couple years and all fell over.

Canopy torn off in Irma in 2017 taking it down to maybe 7 ft, but now it's back up to 50 ft!

Do you give it supplemental water?

[Missi]

50 minutes ago, NickJames said:

Do you give it supplemental water?

Yes, I have an irrigation sprinkler system and also ran the hose on it a while a couple times per weekend for its first year.

[NickJames]

I haven’t had a chance to make it down yet to plant in ground but OMG - this thing has grown rapidly. 

[ahosey01]

On 1/10/2017 at 2:01 PM, Xenon said:

Here are two specimens growing at a nursery in Bayview, Texas:


Wonder how they are doing after the recent freeze...low in that area was around 30F.

Assuming this got fried this year?

[Fishinsteeg234]

Does any have any new reports of how rainbows handled hurricane Ian/Nicole and the Christmas freeze event in Central Florida? 

[Blueman]

I've gotten great growth from deglupta in good soil in central FL, and poor growth in pure sand further south.

What are your soils like?  

 

[kinzyjr]

On 1/10/2023 at 7:10 PM, Fishinsteeg234 said:

Does any have any new reports of how rainbows handled hurricane Ian/Nicole and the Christmas freeze event in Central Florida? 

Both of the specimens here in town are doing well.  One has a bit of an oblong canopy from losing a few limbs during the storms.