How to treat young gum tree with leaf damage?

[jono0000]

I'm hoping someone can help identify what bug/s are causing this damage and what to use to bring it under control. It seems to be stunting the growth/slowly killing my favourite tree

And any ideas on how to prune it would be great too

thank you

Jono

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @jono0000,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

Are there any other instances of the strange nodules you can see in your first photo? 

It looks like your eucalyptus tree may be showing symptoms of eucalyptus leaf galls, but I can't say for sure. Allow me to tag @Noelle to see what she thinks.

I suspect removing the affected leaves and disposing of them then applying a natural insecticide like Eco-Neem Concentrate to control insects and some Scotts Osmocote Native Controlled Release Fertiliser to promote the tree's overall health and resilience will be the best course of action, but I'd suggest we wait for her advice before proceeding.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Noelle]

Hi @jono0000 

Jacob's suggestions sound like a good course of action at this stage.

[jono0000]

 

 there were a few other leaves with the same bumps so I pulled them off there's not much foliage left on the tree at the moment due to the issue so im hesitant to cut it back too much but the branches with the discolouration concern me too

[MitchellMc]

Hi @jono0000,

It looks like your young gum tree is stressed. Leaf galls usually don’t cause long-term harm, but they can weaken the tree, especially if it’s young or already stressed. You might want to check how much sun the tree is getting—if it’s exposed to intense midday sun, relocating it to a less exposed spot could help it recover. Eucalyptus trees do well in full sun, but young ones benefit from some shade during recovery.

Adding a seaweed-based solution like Seasol can promote root growth and help the tree regain strength. Be careful not to prune too much, as it still needs its foliage for photosynthesis. Focus on removing damaged leaves to prevent further stress. 

Mitchell

[robchin]

Hi @jono0000 

Some good advice there. I might ask a couple of additional questions/comments: 

1) Is the plant getting enough sun - they normally grow in full sun and it looks like it might be in a shady spot

2) Is the pot big enough? It looks a little small for a plant like that. I think in the longer term that plant will be better in the ground. 

Good luck.