Eucalyptus from seed: some key concepts

Growing Eucalyptus from seed: it is in the details

Gustavo Iglesias Trabado
GIT Forestry Consulting - Consultoría y Servicios de Ingeniería Agroforestal - www.git-forestry.com - EUCALYPTOLOGICS

Fig. 1: Examples of cold hardy Eucalyptus forestry seedling commercial nursery stock for afforestation. (Click image to enlarge)

Propagating Eucalyptus from seed is easy. But easy and efficient are variable concepts that have to be considered depending on plant production targets. Amenity growing and commercial nursery production share the same basic concepts, but a considerable amount of extra details must be considered in each particular case.

The basic idea should always be "each seed matters" no matter at what stage of seedling growing you are. The closer the final results are to this key initial idea, the better. But inbetween the ideal maximum efficiency and total failure many results can be satisfactory from both technical and financial points of view.

Today we present you a small sequence of basic stages from Eucalyptus seed sowing to final plant dispatch using one of the simplest methods. It can be of aid for those growing eucalypts in small amounts and without using fully mechanised industrial processes.

Eucalyptus Seedbed Preparation

Fig. 2: Example of simple methodology for Eucalyptus germination substrate mix preparation and Eucalyptus seed activation procedure. (Click image to enlarge)

Eucalyptus germinants to plantable seedling stock

Fig. 3: Example of mobilisation to definitive containers and Eucalyptus growing phase to final desired size. (Click image to enlarge)

Devil is in the details

Some of the important details to enhance the efficiency of your Eucalyptus growing method at nursery stage have to do with concepts as seed quality, seed purity, need of pre-germination treatments, sowing methodology and timing, germination procedures, growing environment, nursery infrastructures, production schedule, finished desired plant specifications, alternative methodologies for each step of the productive process and cost vs. efficiency financial analysis.

Plant quality for Eucalyptus forestry seedling production is a mix of:

• 30% Seed quality --> Genetic background --> Genetic Improvement
  
• 30% Seed handling --> Storage, pre-germination & germination --> Nursery Seed Laboratory
  
• 30% Plant morphology --> Nursery practice --> Productive Process Engineering
  
• 10% Luck --> Shit happens
  

As you see, more than half the chances of long term success for high quality Eucalyptus plant stock has to do with seed quality. More importantly at industrial scale commercial operations where mechanisation and infrastructure account positively on easier nursery practice.

Wanna know how?

Fig 4: Ornamental Eucalyptus 'Blue Silver' sculpted as big bonsai

Complementary to ornamental Eucalyptus market oriented experience GIT Forestry Consulting's team of Agronomic and Forestry Engineers has conducted forestry-stock nursery trials in Northwestern Spain with select germplasm of over 15 Eucalyptus types having potential for timber production in temperate humid Atlantic climates, and has sorted out detailed individualised solutions to adapt successful productive process engineering to different nursery infrastructures and industrial scale plant production schemes.

Fig. 5: High quality forestry standard Eucalyptus seedlings at nursery

An interesting range of potential products for the Iberian and European forestry plant market has been obtained matching high quality standards.

This know how (what + when + how + why + how much) and our ability to organise training courses for your nursery staff is now available via consulting agreement to wholesale and specialist forestry plant nurseries interested in joining cooperative strategies for production and commercialization.

Contact GIT Forestry Consulting - Eucalyptologics

If interested, we are happy to hear from you. Just fill the form and provide us with full contact details and a short description of your company's activity.

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© 2007 Gustavo Iglesias Trabado. Please contact us if you want to use all or part of this text and photography elsewhere. We like to share, but we do not like rudeness.