Meet our Marketing Associate Crocodile Clawd.  He’s a dapper chappy who likes everything ship-shape and done correctly. He’s very keen that you understand the nuances of the May/June Prune and that you only use sharp, cleaned and sterilised pruning equipment to avoid fungal infections getting into your trees.

THE CHELSEA CHOP

‘They’ say that timing is everything and how right that is with Eucalyptus.

The Chelsea Chop needs to happen anytime between the end of May and mid-June

Why prune again and at this time of year?

The story so far, for those of you who missed the March Pruning Extravaganza*:

The activities of pollarding, coppicing and ‘serious-pruning-after-last summer’ all take place in mid-March.

Click here to find our guidance notes on pruning and click here for National Eucalyptus Day and why it is important for your Euc.

After your rigorous and diligent pruning session in Mid-March, you tree leafs-out in April, with nice new shoots coming from mature wood and also existing shoot tips.  After the ‘copious spring rain’ fueling its growth, along with your timely application of plant food*, your tree should then grow anywhere from 100mm to 500mm (4-18inches) depending on the species and age.

To be clear, if you are dealing with a mature Eucalyptus tree that is 30 feet tall, there isn’t a lot you can do any way in the way of pruning and it shouldn’t be a problem unless your tree begins to exhibit drought stress…more of that in the July issue.  We are talking here about managing Eucalyptus bushes, screening trees and shrub-on-a-stick, lollipops etc

*Plant Food: Eucalyptus Smart Fertiliser for trees growing in the ground and give High K Plant Food to those being cultivated in containers

In some ways, the Chelsea Chop is more important than the March prune.

It’s your opportunity to help your Euc become more bushy, whilst restricting its overall seasonal growth for the year.

Click here to explore about pruning in March

The Chelsea Chop is not for everyone…

The Chelsea Chop is for:

• ornamental bushy shrub in ground or pot
• screening tree for privacy
• cut foliage – only snip off the very ends of the shoot tips to make them branch more
• you Gumnuts who planted a Eucalyptus intending to keep it under control and not letting it grow too tall for the location it’s been allocated. In short, “Don’t let it become a badly behaved monster.”

The Chelsea Chop is best avoided if you are trying to grow unchecked, full-sized standard trees, trees for lumber production and for people who already own full sized standard trees!

The Chelsea Chop Method:

• To prevent fungal diseases entering your Eucs sap via dirty pruning equipment, Clawd says “Please clean as below!”
• Clean your secateurs and shears with warm soapy water. A light sanding will remove encrusted gunk. Sterilise the blades with alcohol such as Gin or Vodka. Please note that it is advisable to carry out a quality check of the alcohol after pruning and not before otherwise you will also need plasters 
• Determine where the new growth has started either from older branches or the end of last years growth.
• If your tree or shrub has enjoyed lush growth of say 100mm-450mm (8-18inches), prune off all of it BUT leaving 2-3cm of new wood behind. Yes – we mean prune every single new shoot, and prune nearly everything off each shoot!
• If your Eucalyptus has produced only 10mm-100mm, then just nip out the shoot tip end – the growing point.

If you have a very bushy shrub, you will be able to carry out this pruning process with hedge shears

IMPORTANT NOTE: Avoid pruning into the old wood.

Excessive, severe or re-structural pruning, pollarding etc is definitely NOT recommended this late in the season.

It might send your tree into shock.  Your Eucalyptus may also not have enough of the growing season left to produce new leaves as a food factory and new wood that will ripen properly for winter