Those gorgeous, silvery-blue leaves of the eucalyptus have a way of casting a spell on gardeners everywhere. Honestly, once you have one in your yard or home, it’s hard not to want a whole forest of them! If you’re looking to expand your collection, you’ve come to the right place. There are two main ways to propagate this beauty, but full disclosure: one is definitely easier than the other.
Here are the two ways you can grow more eucalyptus:
- Starting from seeds
- Growing from cuttings
Starting from Seeds
If you want the best chance of success, growing eucalyptus from seeds found in the eucalyptus fruit is the way to go. If you’re lucky enough to have a flowering tree nearby, you can harvest the seeds yourself. Otherwise, you can easily find them at a local nursery or order them online.
There are two “secrets” to keep in mind when growing eucalyptus from seed. First, they are light-germinating, meaning they need sunshine to wake up—so don’t bury them deep in the dirt! Second, they usually need a little “cold snap” to trigger growth. This means a quick trip to the fridge is a must.
- Pop the seeds in the refrigerator for about a week to prep them.
- Fill your pots with seed-starting mix and a bit of coco coir or peat moss.
- Place the seeds on top of the soil and press them down gently (remember, no burying!).
- Set the pots in a warm, sunny spot.
- Keep the soil moist, but don’t overwater—they don’t like soggy feet.
- Watch for sprouts over the next four to five weeks.
- Once your little seedlings hit about 4 inches tall, they’re ready to be transplanted.
Growing from Cuttings
I’ll be honest with you: propagating eucalyptus from cuttings is a bit of a challenge. Even the pros at commercial nurseries struggle with this one! The main issues are that the nutrient balance has to be perfect, and the plants grow very slowly at the start. Plus, you can’t just snip off any old branch. To give yourself a fighting chance, you need to take cuttings from the base of the main stem (the basal nodes). With the right growing conditions and a lot of patience, you might just see some roots develop!
