Eucalypts Online Course

Identify and Grow hundreds of different Eucalypts.  This is a comprehensive foundation course on the genus Eucalypts covering identification, culture (propagation, soils, landscape uses, feeding), and uses. Throughout the course you build both a knowledge of the group as a whole, and of the range of species you can identify.Eucalypts are primarily natives of Australia; but have been cultivated widely around the world, from the tropics to cool temperate areas and from very wet to very dry climates. In this course, you will learn that there are Eucalypts suited to just about any climate and location.

Course Aims:

• Describe the classification of Eucalypts.
• Discuss general cultural requirements for growing Eucalypts.
• Propagate Eucalypts.
• Differentiate between identifiable characteristics and cultural requirements in a number of commonly cultivated Eucalypts.
• Discuss characteristics of a wider range of Eucalypt species.
• Describe commercial uses for a range of different Eucalyptus species.
• Plan the establishment of a collection of different cultivars of Eucalypts (eg. Gums, Mallees, Tall Trees, Short Trees, Dryland Species), suited to growing in a specified locality.

There are 8 lessons in this course:

Introduction

• Scope and Nature of Eucalypts
• Taxonomy; Review of the system of plant identification
• General characteristics of the Myrtaceae Family
• Subdivisions of the genus Eucalyptus; Macrantherae, Renantheroideae, Renantherae, Terminales, etc
• Popular subdivision into gums, box, stringybark, messmate, mallees, etc
• Hybrid Eucalypts
• History of Eucalypt taxonomy; botanical renaming and Corymbia
• Plant Name Pronunciation
• Eucalypt Flower Structure; inflorescence, flowers
• Eucalypt leaf structure
• Resources and further Information; nurseries, seed, herbaria, etc.

Culture

• Soils and Soil Structure
• Soil Chemistry
• Nutrition
• Fertilizers
• Summary of Eucalypt characteristics and culture
• Planting technique
• Tree Guards
• Pest & disease that are commonly found on Eucalypts
• Watering
• Weed Control
• Soil Testing

Propagation

• Scope and nature of Eucalypt Propagation
• Treatment of Seed during Germination
• Substrates for starting seed
• Transplanting Seedlings
• Potting up

Commonly grown Varieties of Eucalypts

• Scope and Nature of Eucalypt Culture in Australia and elsewhere around the World
• Review of many commonly cultivated Eucalyptus and Corymbia species

Other important groups

• Introduction
• Hybrid Eucalypts
• Why Breed Eucalypts
• Review of Mallee Eucalypts
• Review of Gums

Lesser grown varieties

• Boxes
• Bloodwoods
• Peppermints
• Stringybarks
• Ironbarks

Making the best use of Eucalypts

• Introduction
• Timber Production
• Oil Production
• Where to Plant Eucalypts; amenity trees, natural and bush gardens, xeriscapes
• Agroforestry
• Techniques for Planting on Slopes
• Planting on Arid Sites
• Growing in Dry Areas; overcoming dry conditions, sandy soils
• Eucalypts and Fire Management
• Windbreak Planting
• Plant Selection
• Understanding Plant Interrelationships

Special Assignment

• Problem Based Learning Project
• Plan the establishment of a collection of different cultivars of Eucalypts