rainbow eucalyptus

[Barry 1]

hi well I was perusing (XD) the internet when I stumbled uppon this gorgrous tree the rainbow eucalyputus, and I wanted to know if anyone has grown them/ tried to grow them, and if they are hard to care for and how often you should water it etc. thanks for all y'all's help

[Kisal]

The Rainbow Eucalyptus is hardy in zones 9 to 11. They'll tolerate temperatures down to 26º, but only for a very short period of time. The tree requires full sun, and can reach a mature height of 250'. They have an extensive root system that can break through the foundation of a buildings.

It's a tree that needs a lot of space and nice warm temperatures.

[applestar]

When I expressed interest, a friend sent me some seeds for Rainbow Eucalyptus (E. deglupta). I started them on 1/24.

-- photo was taken just after setting up. The thermostat-controlled heat mat has maintained temp at approx. 74°F has

I discovered this solitary seedling a couple of days ago. It was thread thin weak looking thing and I wasn't sure it would survive, but it has colored up and is looking more likely to grow since I moved it under the t5 6500K. I really hope this is it (and not some random stray weed.... )



...online search results of eucalyptus cotyldons and hypocotyl seem to match...

[applestar]

A little nervous that this is still the only one, but here it is -- an update

[imafan26]

The rainbow eucalyptus is a beautiful tree if you have the space for a 100 ft tree. There is at least one magnificent specimen at the Wahiawa botanical garden. The bark is multicolored but usually not as brilliant as in the picture and it is smooth.

[applestar]

Haha yeah I KNOW -- right? HUGE tree.... but I found an Australian bonsai forum thread where someone is still updating an on-going bonsai effort.

I'm sure it still wouldn't be a small bonsai ultimately -- mine will be more of a container tree... not sure if I will ever attempt a shallower bonsai type pot, though I once saw an on-line bonsai demo in which the presenter was using a baby bath basin for training his large tree specimen, and I happen to have the exact same one in my garage....

But I'm hoping to get it to the point of shedding bark in semblance of the multi-colored effect. (I believe it needs to shed bark over several years to get the different colors) At least it's a fast-growing tree so hopefully will gain girth at a satisfying rate?

[imafan26]

The bark kind of peels off like when you use a vegetable peeler on a carrot. it comes off in strips that curl and off. That is usually when you can actually smell the bark. A mix of vicks and moth balls