AusBonsai

Morning all,

I have a nice Eucalyptus tree on my property that has constantly been eaten down by deer. I am going to dig it up soon and place in a training pot and was just wondering when the best time of year to dig would be. Could anyone let me know?

Thanks.

Thru the warmer months are the best time for most euc

Ken

Next time you see a deer nibbling on the trunk, shoot the deer, then dig the stock. This way, if the stock doesn't take, it doesn't matter as you'll be eating some sweet venison while using the trunk as kindling for the bbq.

Because the roots may be long and deep, you may have problems. Now is a good time, pot into as free-draining mix as you can get, water frequently (2-4x a day) afterwards. Some growers have succeeded, others have failed - keep us posted.

Best of luck,

Gavin

GavinG wrote:Because the roots may be long and deep, you may have problems. Now is a good time, pot into as free-draining mix as you can get, water frequently (2-4x a day) afterwards. Some growers have succeeded, others have failed - keep us posted.

Best of luck,

Gavin

Is that with most Eucs Gavin? Is there a 'best way' to dig them? Like would doing a 2 stage dig be best (trench around the tree, leave it, then come back later and dig it up)?

Sorry, I don't wanna hijack the thread, just have a few I'd like to dig, but I've been waiting to build my skill level before attempting them. They will be there for a while, so want to make sure I can take care of them properly before digging

There's not a lot of information, and I haven't done it myself, this is just what has surfaced from other growers. The key seems to be whether there are feeder roots around the surface - that will depend on the type of soil, whether there's local mulch to protect the roots, what the weather's been like - no fixed rules in other words.

I don't think a trench would be useful, because tap roots just go straight down - you won't get them. And if they are all that's supporting the tree, cutting them will just kill the tree.

If you try a variety of procedures, maybe you can figure out what works, and tell us. Hot weather, free-draining mix, and frequent water afterwards seems to be all that's come up so far. A number of growers have failed.

Best of luck, keep us posted,

Gavin

Thanks for that Gavin Will just have to make sure to document what I do, and keep my fingers crossed

My concern with digging at this time of year is that if the top feeders have all been fried and its only source of water is those deep roots that will be removed, it will end up firewood.
A few WA natives like grass trees can only be moved successfully during spring/early summer for that reason.
Would checking for moisture down near the trunk be a major decider? Would regular watering for a few weeks improve its chances?

I also would not be digging Any trees in this type of prolonged Summer heat in WA.
Alot of Natives can be Dug right into the early Summer here with great success but once the Ground begins to hold the overnight temps it's just too hot and Dry.
Even if dug from a moist area now chances of surviving are slim, it's the evaporation from the foliage which will be detrimental while the tree attempts to put new roots out. After the Summer heat slows down Alot , towards Autumn it'd be better for the tree.Watering a Tree growing in the bush in this heat isn't going to be worth alot as the ground will evaporate the water like it wasn't even there.

good luck.

Thankyou! I think I'll wait, especially with the constant heat we've been getting over here

Am adding this thread to my favorites, some great tips

If you have access to the tree and not in a hurry then I would mulch around and keep moisture up to it near the surface to encourage surface feeders roots then dig in a season or 2. Depends how good the tree is to whether its worth it.

Josh.

Check out this old Dig thread by Flybri from a while ago.
viewtopic.php?f=104&t=13031&p=136744#p136744

Many of his threads are about Euc and related trees, and show how much root can be left on a tree and survive OK so have a search on his posts.

Ken

Some really great advice and info. Thanks everyone. I will do a bit more research and let you know how I go.