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Pruning a large eucalyptus

Last post 15-10-2012 4:40 PM by sking65. 3 replies.

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  • 14/10/2012 02:26 AM
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    My neighbour has a large eucalyptus which has a 40-50% overhang in my garden. I am inundated with leaves and bark dropping on my lawn. I have approached them re pruning...they are happy for me to have it pruned. I have bought a Wolf Garten pruning saw ...any tips on when I should prune and any words of warning please?

  • 14/10/2012 08:32 PM
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    • AlexS
    • Reading
    • 06 Sep 2009
    • 501
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    Hi MagicSeeds, I think you need to say what you mean by 'large'. A mature eucalyptus gunnii, cider gum, most often grown in the UK, grows to well over 100 ft tall. If your neighbour's tree is anything like this big, you'll probably need more than a pruning saw to tackle it with. The wood is heavy, and the branches can drop suddenly when part sawn through. If this is indeed a large tree you'd be well-advised to get a professional arborist to come and give you a quote for the work. Even if you don't go ahead you'll have a much clearer idea of what's required. And bear in mind that paying a tree surgeon is usually less painful than recovering from an accident! Hope this helps, cheers,

    Alex
  • 14/10/2012 10:19 PM
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    Thanks for your reply. Yes, I can see why you suggest a tree surgeon. The tree is about 30' tall. It is the downward bounce of the branches I worry about. I don't mind the hard graft...it is the impact on the garden below. Seeing as I am also trying to level my lawn....I don't want a crater there!

  • 15/10/2012 04:40 PM
    In reply to
    • sking65
    • Bognor Regis
    • 23 Apr 2012
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     Just a thought. I did mine (it is about the same height is yours), I did it because it was dropping leaves all over my neighbours garden.

     If you feel that you could tackle it with a decent ladder and a pruning saw i would recommend tieing rope around the branch and securing it to another part of the tree  before you make the cut (bearing in mind the balance of the branch you are going to cut). I have been a gardener for a long time now so it is easy for me to say this. It is 'do-able'. If you do want to attempt it make a small cut on the underside of the branch first and then make the top cut about 1 inch further out along the branch, this will stop the bark stripping when the branch drops. Tidy up the bit of branch left on the tree afterwards (take it back to an inch or so behind the initial 'under cut'.

      You can just gently lower the branch attached to the rope when it is cut. 

    If you are not 100% happy doing that you will have to shell out a £'s for a tree surgeon :-(