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picoazores

Raising Eucalyptus deglupta in a cool frost-free (sub)tropical climate

10 years ago

Good morning or evening to everyone,

This is a question to those who have this experience. Does Rainbow Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Deglupta) grow well in cool subtropical/tropical cliamte such as New Zealand, Lord Howes Island, Azores, Hawaii? I live in the Azores and so far the rain and the wind slows the potted Euca-luptas to almost a halt and damages them sometimes to a breaking point. Yet my experience is very short, just a couple months. Do you think it is worth growing raising Rainbow Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus Deglupta) in a climate as such, Lord Howe Island or Azores? We get little heat, nothing at or above 30C and in summer only we get 20-27C but most days are 25C and outside of summer just 10C to 18C all the time (a couple nights can be +7C+9C). Do you think they will actually make to adulthood in the Azores and stand high or is it possible to bend the tree down and make a low growing specimen instead, less exposed to the winds?

Thank you in advance!

Comments (27)

  • 10 years ago

    Pico, simply put, I'm not sure. A wonderful tree, why not just try a few? You'll be adding to the body of knowledge. BTW-and this is not pointed at you in particular, but more so everybody who posts here, and who may not be highly educated in botanical nomenclature.....when using binomial nomenclature to name plants, animals, fungi, bacteria....the whole of life on earth, the genus name is always capitalized, so that would be Eucalyptus, just as you've written it, but the species epithet-the second part of that name-is always lower case, so deglupta, as you did correctly in the thread title. Not a big deal I suppose but it makes a person look more knowledgeable when they follow this pattern.

    +oM

    PicoAzores thanked wisconsitom
  • 10 years ago

    anyone who has ever seen the pix of this tree.. wants it ... lol


    see link ... you are going to have to study and compare to your location ...


    my very brief perusal seems to indicate an incredibly small natural distribution ... as well as heavy moisture and drainage needs ...


    i note your thinking.. seems to be limited to temps alone ...


    do you really think.. temps aside.. you are near equivalent to Indonesia??? ... though NZ seems rather green ... i really dont think of it as wet as Indo ..... but what do i know ... lol ... north of the equator and all ...


    as tom notes.. try it.. whats to lose????


    ken


    ps: if you were state side.. i would recommend the forestry school of your state university ... you must have some sort of equivalent ... local experts are probably going to be better than us ....


    http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/k4063e/K4063E03.htm

    PicoAzores thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Yeah this is probably a question for locals - i.e., anyone else in Macaronesia LOL. But I look at the fact that, though there are a couple fine trees at the Huntington in Pasadena, they are not a widespread tree in Southern California. The Huntington is probably the perfect combination of away from the immediate marine influence, giving it nice warm summers, but not too far inland to have bad freezes in winter. I would try them if you can do so economically, but I feel like, if these were easy to grow anywhere but the tropics, they'd be widespread in subtropical areas like yours. It's telling, for example, that even the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney doesn't have one. Besides having summer rain, Sydney is just a little cooler and wetter than LA in winter. (though a little sunnier and drier than Santa Cruz)

    Actually, as I compare Funchal to LA, Funchal is somewhat warmer and sunnier than I expected. I wouldn't be completely surprised if one could mature there; but the Azores are a bit cloudier than Madeira, right?

    PicoAzores thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    For reference, Pasadena's climate:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasadena,_California#Climate

    Notable is that almost half the year is above 80F/27C, and 2-3 months of it substantially so.

    PicoAzores thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
  • 10 years ago

    Thanks guys for your advise. Actually I started growing "Eucalupta" from 1100 seed (I know, an overkill) in a small box about a year ago and now they are outside for a couple months planted in pots (only 12 specimens that are less than a foot tall). Hoping that a couple will make it. Basically I still hope that someone with Azorean, Lordhowean or Newzealander experience will answer my call as well. I did try to grow them and this is why I am growing them right now and perhaps you missed that I wrote that they are struggling here with this wind and hell knows what else is wrong, but they are not dying either. Indoors is not heated so there is no point keeping them indoors and I don't have a greenhouse. Yes, I am very much into providing all my experience and future experience to this forum once my experience progresses. Not just asking questions, but am posting what I already know from my short experience with "Eucalupta" (sorry, this is my nickname for it). I have grown one in a warmer summer but freezing winter environment elsewhere in a zone 8A and it was growing much faster, but in winter I brought it indoors and it stood no chance to grow and survive there long term. Here it is a zone 11B but a summer heat zone is probably 1 or Zero :-). So I do have an experience albeit short one and am looking for those people who have long years experience growing "Eucaluptas" in a cool summer, warm winter environment, if any. You know, 50F to 80F. I am testing dozen different plants here, just for hobby's sake. But also important to note that we get high moisture most of the time and sometimes there is a lot of wind. Being 2km from the coast I may not get a lot of salt spray from the Atlantic Ocean. Soil is well draining and rocky and there is a lot of rain here and a lot of moisture, but it can be one week of no rain in summer and quite warm in the 75-82F range. Surprisingly not too many Pinus pinea here either. Most popular pine here is Pinus pinaster (Maritime Pine).


    David probably meant The Canary Islands, of course, they are much more south than here and that's where I wanted to end up, but here in the Azores is a better climate because you don't get the humid high heat so much and not very cold either, but a good sleeping weather most of the year and very little heating is needed while in the Canaries and even Madeira you would probably need a/c a lot and some heating as well. Guess what, bananas grow here outdoors without protection other than wind breaks.


    Regarding Azores being like Indonesia. I doubt very much, although I've never been to Indonesia. Azores is more like Ireland mixed with tropical volcanic island. They call it The European Hawaii. It is not really tropical, but there is no freezing and nothing below mid 40Fs (on rare occasion on winter nights), and nothing above 85F either, but most of the time it is 50s and 60s, outside of summer and 70s in the summer, with occasional low 80s as peak temps for a shorter time periods. There probably not another exactly the same climate like this in the world. At latitudes 37 to 39 degrees and warmed by a Gulf Stream, it is too far North to be tropical, but it is not subtropical either, because Subtropics get a lot of hot weather and Tropics get slightly warmer during winter, so it is rather a Temperate Pseudo-Tropical Oceanic climate as I would call it, and only in lower elevations as higher up say 1000 ft. and up it never gets over 70F and probably gets closer to freezing in the winter nights.

  • 10 years ago

    Probably a good climate for plats like fatsia japonica and gunnera manicata

    PicoAzores thanked Huggorm
  • 10 years ago

    Interesting discussion on the Azores climate. Perhaps post photos of your land/scape?

  • 10 years ago

    I will post videos for now:



  • 10 years ago

    More videos:



  • 10 years ago

    One more:


  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    "my short experience with "Eucalupta" (sorry, this is my nickname for it)."

    I think it's a good one!

    Keep us updated on them...you would be a horticultural pioneer.

    "but here in the Azores is a better climate because you don't get the
    humid high heat so much...good sleeping
    weather most of the year"

    This however might be exactly why this species will struggle to survive there. Yes I edited the tail end of my prior message but of course I mean the Canary Islands seem to be the only ones that have really hot summers, in the manner of Pasadena at least. In a borderline area this presumably allows some true tropicals a chance to thrive. On the UK forum "Growing on the Edge" there are various Europeans with travel experiences in Madeira and the Canary Islands so you might ask there if anybody has ever seen one.

    PicoAzores thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
  • 10 years ago

    Reminder of my picture of one of the Pasadena trees:

    http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/1731828/rainbow-eucalyptus

    It was more colorful in person.

    PicoAzores thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
  • 10 years ago

    In the Azores Eucalupta will probably grow 3-4 months during the summer and then either stop growing or slowly decline, especially from high winds. I'll keep informed. All I can tell now that during the month or two outdoors the seedlings did not grow much (although the red "trunks" got slightly tougher and thicker if I am not mistaken) and one of the dozen got broken in half, but I taped it together in hopes that it may recover. It seems to dislike temps below 20C or even stop growing below 20C (68F). It's a nice photo. I think that in California etc. Eucalupta may completely lack the blue colour on its bark. It is possible over a long time they may become a different species or subspecies in Calif. and Azores. Just like the CIDP did in Charleston, South Carolina. Yes, Charleston has very different looking CIDP variety. Lighter green and softer fronds, and more hardy, but still not good for zone 8A. Back to Eucaluptas... if I am not mistaken they are being grown in southern Spain.

  • 10 years ago

    WOW! Thanks for posting the videos. Beautiful scenery, you may be able to grow most anything. We would love to see your garden/Eucalupta endeavors.

    PicoAzores thanked zephyrgal pacific nw
  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    "It is possible over a long time they may become a different species or subspecies in Calif. and Azores."

    I don't quite think that's warranted but a locally-adapted strain might be selected. The odd looking (to you, presumably) CIDP in Charleston could either be the result of a selection for certain traits, or merely a mild chlorosis from growing on very nutrient poor, non-volcanic soils, compared to what you are used to seeing. Or a physiological adaptation to the climate of the SE, versus a true genetic/gene flow based on.

    PicoAzores thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
  • 10 years ago

    I'm sorry-did I miss something by (not yet) having watched the videos. What is CIDP?

    Pico, a most interesting convo. At this early stage of thinking about it, might there not be a microclimate situation that would enhance the survivability of these Eucs? I'm thinking a cove situation or something like that, where humidity and possibly nighttime warmth might be more favorable? That's not to say you have such at your disposal. Just thinking uh, online.

    +oM

    PicoAzores thanked wisconsitom
  • 10 years ago

    Maybe on the south side of the island? In a greenhouse-skyscraper? I prefer to grow it exposed to the elements. If it does not make it here I move on to growing those that will grow here without nursing them to old age. CIDP = Canary Island Date Palm (Phoenix canariensis).

  • 10 years ago

    Senegal Date palm that I planted on a slight slope that gets exposed to some winds, which snap broke its newly grown long frond, now is growing much shorter fronds, just half length of previous ones, which means it is adapting, within months of planting to the new situation. I've noticed palms exposed to winds grow thicker and denser fronds as well. Eucalupta may do something like that as well, grow shorter and tougher. I will even try to bend and tie up some of them to the ground to see what shape they will take. Not trying to make bonsai though. Just to protect them from winds and I prefer eucalyptus not to grow very tall here and block the views or fall onto a house.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Update: Eucalyptus deglupta that I raised several dozen of and only this past winter I planted 6 of them into the ground at an elevation of around 150 m above sea level, into a poor "soil". They did not grow too large in their pots over the past 5 years. After clearing an acre or so of shrubby woods with an excavator I was struggling to find some soil to purchase in order to cover the field. The soil I covered it with by just a barely a foot or so is very poor and has a lot of volcanic "gravel" in it mostly, stones and clay. It is dug up from down deep so it has got no organic matter yet. Finally the 6 x "Arcoiris" (Rainbow Eucalyptus) are in the ground and are slowly growing. Some showing deep, red foliage and some green foliage. The bark is still mostly light brown with some opened up patches of light green. They should show more colour when the trunks grow to at least 10-15 cm thickness if they will have tropicals colours here at all. Will see how their bark will look after several more years, whether all brownish and light green or will show some more tropical colours such as orange, red and especially blue. I will post an update then and now here are some photos of the pot-grown ones after 5 years (they grow very slowly in the pots):

    Anyone growing these in Portugal or Spain please post up close photos of the bark of larger E.d. (Eucalypto arcoiris) trees if possible.

  • 5 years ago

    This one does not even look like Eucalyptus deglupta, with all the green leaves and the yellowish branches. I was sold some mixed seed over 5 years ago that's why there was a difference in the size and speed of growth of the seedlings.


  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Actually the pots in your last shots are significantly small relative to the size of the tops of the trees. Planting fast and tall growing trees such as this species with roots deformed by prolonged entrapment in undersized containers is particularly undesirable as kinds with this manner of top growth may blow or lean over later. After having become tall and heavy enough to do damage.

    PicoAzores thanked Embothrium
  • 5 years ago

    always nice to get a real update on these old threads and not some careless drive-by bumping

    PicoAzores thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
  • 11 months ago

    Several years ago I planted 6 Eucaluptas into the ground in my "back yard" and they grew quite large and tall by now, but still not fat enough to show their true colours. The thickest trunk so far about 5 or 6 inches and up to 5-6 meters tall or a bit more. Only the "green" and "brown" colours are visible so far and they are not very vivid indeed. No blue, or violet at all. Perhaps full colour scale only is developed in the tropics. They grow fine and survive the summer drought, but winds do some damage to some eucaluptas.

  • 11 months ago
    last modified: 11 months ago

    Thanks for the update - hopefully you can eventually share some pictures?

    They might need another decade or two. I have no idea whether this species can hybridize with other Eucs (we presume they were at least collected from an authentic tree!) but it's good to know they can generally accept the 'chilliness' of your climate compared to their native haunts.

    UPDATE: Funny twist occurred to me re-reading this thread though. I have since uncovered that they do grow in Sydney, but just presumably aren't very common because I didn't spot one on my travels. I was rushed and wish I'd had more time to visit the garden in Sydney. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/science-environment/2019/07/who-painted-the-bark-meet-the-magnificent-rainbow-eucalyptus/

    So, apparently they aren't something like a coconut that absolutely needs balmy tropical winters!

    (also note that the article says they take a long while to develop the bark, so ser paciente!)

    PicoAzores thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)
  • 11 months ago
    last modified: 11 months ago

    FUN FACT: In my native language (you will have to guess it) DEGLUPTA means "burned and peeled" and no, that's not the origin of the scientific name of this species. It's just a funny coincidence.

  • 11 months ago

    Wow, that's wild that the Azores joined the eastern US in having a droughty summer. "Trouble in Paradise".

    Thanks for the pictures! I look forward to getting updates over the years.


    PicoAzores thanked UpperBayGardener (zone 7)