Description of plant traits, advice on agrotechnology of eucalyptus, transplantation and reproduction, difficulties in cultivation, interesting facts and applications, types. Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus) is a plural genus, numbered in the Myrtaceae family. Basically, all representatives of the genus are evergreen plants with a shrub or tree-like growth form. The native land of this green giant is the territory of the Australian continent and the island of Tasmania.
The genus got its name thanks to the botanist from France Charles Louis Lhéritier de Brutel, who in 1788 proposed to combine two Greek words in the received name: “good, good”, pronounced “eu” and “hide”, which corresponded to “calypto”. By this he explained the ability of the eucalyptus to hide its flower buds under the sepals. In the Slavic countries, the plant is found under synonymous names - gum tree ("gum tree") or wondrous tree.
Eucalyptus is truly the giant of the green world of the planet. Its height can be equal to 100 m (to make it easier to imagine - this is a 50-storey building). But in indoor conditions, its height is more than modest, only 1–2 meters. Also, the tree is a real "water bread", it can "drink" up to 300 liters of water per day, therefore, eucalyptus is often used to drain swamps. The trunk of the "wondrous tree" can be either straight or curved. If there were lesions or injuries to the bark, then the trunk is abundantly covered with gum secretions, which are called cinema. The eucalyptus crown is striking in its variety of forms, it can be in the form of a wide pyramid or an egg, almost spherical, or weeping and many other outlines.
According to the structure of the bark, eucalyptus trees are divided into the following groups: smooth-crusty, folded-crusty, fibrous-crusty, peppermint, iron-crusty or scale-crusty. Naturally, the names reflect the structure and condition of the tree bark. The peculiarity of turning the leaves towards the luminary makes it possible to twist the petiole in the same plane as the location of the branch. Young leaf plates in eucalyptus can be located opposite, sit on a branch (stalk-embracing) or differ in the presence of a petiole. The shape is round, lanceolate, elongated or ovoid, or with heart-shaped outlines. Their color is green, but sometimes there is a certain bluish tint. Intermediate leaves are located opposite or alternately on the shoot, they are sessile or with a petiole. In structure, these leaves are coarser and larger in size than young leaves. Over time, the leaf arrangement becomes only alternate, they always have a petiole and the shape can be ovoid, lanceolate, can be found curved in the form of a sickle, with a pointed apex. Their color is greenish-gray or only bluish.
When flowering, bisexual buds appear, of the correct shape, sitting on pedicels. They gather in umbellate inflorescences, placed in the axils or at the tops of branches in the form of panicles or scutes. Their corolla tube has a bell-shaped appearance, either in the form of a jug or a cylinder, but may take the shape of a cone looking down. The flower has numerous stamens with anthers.
When fruiting, a fruit-box appears, with a smooth surface, although sometimes it is covered with grooves, ribs or tubercles. It consists of a slightly accrete receptacle tube, which has a truncated outline and has a woody appearance. It opens at the top, and its valves are divided in an amount that corresponds to the number of nests. The seeds are most often underdeveloped, and there is only one or a couple of full seeds in the nest. Their shape is rounded or ovoid, the shell is predominantly black and smooth, but sometimes it is also ribbed.
The flowering process in eucalyptus begins when the plant reaches 2 to 10 years old and buds appear from the beginning of spring to the end of the summer months. The opening of the buds from the moment of their appearance is stretched for a period from three months to two years. But the fruit ripens within 12 months.
Eucalyptus oil, which is isolated from the leaves, is a pale yellow to greenish liquid with a strong odor.
Conditions for growing eucalyptus at home, care
- Lighting and location. The plant shows its growth quite well in a bright sunny place - it will need at least 6 hours of good lighting per day. Windows with a south, east or west orientation will do. With the arrival of spring and summer, you can take the eucalyptus pot into the garden, on the balcony or put it on the terrace, the place is selected without the influence of drafts.
- Content temperature when caring for eucalyptus, it should not exceed 25-28 degrees in the summer months of the year, and in winter it should not fall below 16-18 degrees. The plant is very fond of a constant flow of fresh air, therefore, it is advisable to frequently ventilate the room, but protect the tree from a draft. During the winter rest period for eucalyptus, it is advisable to withstand heat indicators of 7 degrees, but it will not tolerate a decrease to 4 degrees.
- Air humidity. In principle, the tree calmly tolerates dry air in urban areas and does not need spraying.
- Watering. This condition is the most important when caring for eucalyptus, as it has a great love of water. From spring to autumn, it is necessary to regularly and abundantly moisturize the substrate in the pot. During the winter months, watering is slightly reduced and becomes moderate. The signal for moistening is the drying out of the soil 2–3 cm deep into the substrate. The water that has flowed into the pan is immediately removed, soft water is used. If the earthy lump is very dry, then the eucalyptus may die. It is important to constantly keep the soil moist.
- Fertilizers for eucalyptus should not contain large amounts of fluoride. During the growing period, it is necessary to feed the plant once a month. Mineral complex dressings are also used, which can be added every 2-3 weeks. In winter, they stop fertilizing eucalyptus.
- Transplanting and soil selection. The tree does not tolerate transplanting very well, so it is worth using the transshipment method - when the earthen lump is preserved. The main thing during this procedure is not to deepen the root collar, it is placed 3-5 centimeters above the ground level. While the eucalyptus is still young, the change in capacity and substrate occurs annually, but with age, you just need to change the topsoil by 2-3 cm once a year. Drainage material - expanded clay or pebbles should be poured at the bottom of the pot. At the flowerpot, it is required to make holes in the bottom for the drain of unabsorbed water.
The soil for transplanting can be compiled based on the following options:
- clay-sod soil, leaf (compost) soil, coarse sand (in a ratio of 1: 1: 0, 5);
- sod land, humus river sand or perlite (all parts are equal).
Before use, the substrate must be disinfected - it is doused with boiling water, and then dried or kept at a high temperature in the oven.
Recommendations for self-propagation of eucalyptus
It is possible to get a young eucalyptus only by planting seed material, which resembles buckwheat grains, only of a smaller size. The seeds are often found in packaging with the leaves of the plant, sold in pharmacies.
They need to be placed in a container, or better plastic 200 gr. Cup. Drainage is laid at its bottom, which will take up to a third of the container, and then it is filled with humus substrate (but if not, universal soil will also work). The soil should be pressed down a little. 1-2 seeds are sown in one pot, dipping them 0.5 cm into the depth of the substrate. After planting the seed, it is undesirable to moisten it, you can only sprinkle it a little with water from a spray bottle so that decay does not begin. The container is wrapped in a plastic bag or placed under glass, this will help withstand conditions of high humidity and heat. Also, flower growers advise using a cut plastic bottle, setting it with the neck with the lid up - in the future this will help by removing the lid to regularly ventilate the seedlings and slightly moisten the soil.
In order for the seeds to hatch faster, it is required to maintain the heat indicators within the range of 18-20 degrees. Eucalyptus shoots are visible already 7-10 days after planting, the container should be in a warm place with diffused light. The sprouts have a burly shade of leaves, as soon as a couple of real leaves appear on it, it will be necessary to dive the plants into a pot for constant growth. Roughly, the height of the seedlings should be at least 25-30 cm.
As soon as the leaves grow, and there are more of them, it will be necessary to pinch the plant, this will help start branching of the eucalyptus. By cuttings, eucalyptus reproduces very problematically and only by cut branches from young specimens. For the first year, the tree can reach a height of 1, 5-2 meters.
Eucalyptus trees also have the ability to reproduce in natural conditions with the help of coppice growth. Even if the aerial part of the plant is destroyed, it is due to the secondary meristem (formed callus tissue), which appears on the tree at the base of shoots and branches, and if the plant bark is injured. It resembles small tree-type tubercles and can persist on a tree for up to several years.
Difficulties in growing a gum tree
Of the pests that often annoy eucalyptus, spider mites, aphids and nematodes are isolated.
In any case, the plant signals the defeat of the yellowing of the foliage, and its fall, the cessation of growth and the appearance of formations in the form of a cobweb or deformation and drying of the buds, and the cessation of growth, as well as creeping bugs of black or greenish color. You should immediately apply the treatment with soap (laundry soap dissolves in water) oily (a couple of drops of rosemary oil drips per liter) or alcohol (calendula tincture) solutions. You can apply the agent on a cotton pad and wipe the branches or leaves of the eucalyptus, spraying with these agents is also carried out. If they do not help much, then insecticide treatment is necessary.
Of the problems that may arise during cultivation, it should be noted:
- leaf discharge occurs due to strong dryness of the soil in the pot;
- foliage also crumbles in drafts;
- no stagnation of water in the pot should be allowed, it is necessary to provide for a good drainage layer and immediately drain the water from the stand under the container;
- it is required not to allow too dry air in the room, as this will provoke the appearance of a spider mite.
Interesting facts about eucalyptus
Eucalyptus among some peoples is called a shameless tree, since it is distinguished by the property that it sheds its bark with annual regularity, and at the same time the delicate and smooth trunk is exposed, as if a woman shows her skin by shedding her clothes.
In areas of Australia, local aborigines believed that this green "giant" protects the home from evil spirits and evil spirits. For this, a drop of eucalyptus oil was added to a bowl filled with hot water. There is even a local legend about the birth of the Southern Cross constellation - when one woman and two men, hungry to the point of impossibility, decided to eat a rat. However, later one man refused such "food" and left them. But friends followed him, and saw, as if for no reason, no reason, the man fell dead, and a terrible unknown creature dragged him to the eucalyptus. Then the tree flew up into the dark sky, leaving a starry memory of what had happened.
In the 18th century, European colonists who visited eucalyptus forests were very surprised that trees of this size with huge deciduous crowns did not cast a shadow corresponding to their size. Even Jules Verne wrote about such a feature of eucalyptus trees, mentioning the plant in the work "Children of Captain Grant".
It turns out that in hot and dry climates, the tree tries to reduce the surface area of the leaves so that moisture does not evaporate so quickly. Therefore, eucalyptus leaves turn their ribs towards the sun.
The plant is actively used for medicinal purposes because of the eucalyptus oil, which is produced from the leaves and contains a substance such as eucalyptol. Its property is antibacterial activity. The leaf plates are first dried, and only then the oil is isolated from them. It helps to increase the body's resistance to disease and increases its resistance. It also contains a large amount of phytoncides that purify the air and kill pathogenic microbes.
Types of eucalyptus
- Eucalyptus globulus (Eucalyptus globulus). The homeland of the plant is considered to be the regions of southeastern Australia and the island of Tasmania. It is often grown in Africa, India and southern Europe, and is also found in America. A tree that reaches a height of 40 m with a meter in diameter, and never changes the color of its foliage. Its bark is smooth, with a blue tint, it can flake off. Young leaves are located opposite, on the stem in a sitting position, are painted in a gray tint, take forms from cordate to broad-lanceolate. Measured in length 7–16 cm. Adult leaf plates grow spirally, more elongated in shape and reach 10–30 cm in length. From the flowers, axillary inflorescences are collected, taking the form of three-flowered umbrellas. Also, the flower has a lignified cap, resembling a cap with a tubercle in the middle. The fruit is petiolate, flattened-spherical capsules, reaching a diameter of 1–2 cm. If the plant is grown on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, then its flowering occurs from the beginning of winter to mid-spring. The growth rate of this plant is very high. His wood is light-colored, solid, durable, used in construction. The leaf plates contain up to 0.92% essential oil.
- Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus viminalis). The area in which this variety settles in natural conditions is the regions of southeastern and southern Australia and the island of Tasmania. Today it is the most common of the species. Introduced and grown on the shores of the Black Sea, in the Caucasus, since 1882. The variety can withstand frosts, lower than the previous type of eucalyptus, but in severe winters there is a possibility of freezing. A plant with a tree-like form of growth, reaching 50 meters in height with a diameter of 1, 7 m. Its bark is smooth, whitish, having the property of falling off. Juvenile leaf plates sit on shoots and are arranged in opposite order. Their shape is narrow or wide-lanceolate, the color is light green, the surface is glossy. In length they reach 5–10 cm with 1, 5–3 cm in width. Adult leaves already have petioles and only a lanceolate shape, but most often they are sickle-shaped. Measured in length at 11-18 cm with a width of 1, 5-2 cm. Grow spirally on branches. The inflorescences are collected from three flowers, and are in the shape of an umbrella, located in the leaf axils. The length of the buds reaches 5-7 mm, the flower cap is either conical or spherical. When the fruit ripens, a capsule is formed, sitting on a shoot with a diameter of 7 mm. It has a light or dark brown shade of wood, it is light, but very brittle. The essential oil content in the leaves is 0.55%.
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