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Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
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Author:  chillidude [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
Does anyone on this forum know anything about Eucalyptus allelopathy ? In other words, eucalypts having chemicals in their leaves, flowers, etc that, once they begin to break down on the ground, release chemicals that prevent or retard the growth of other plants.

Points I'm particularly after are;

- are the chemical(s) involved water soluble ?
- do they break down over a reasonable time frame ?
- will some gum leaves, flowers, and nuts getting into my AP system bugger up my vegetable growth ?
Author:  Axl [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
chillidude wrote:
Does anyone on this forum know anything about Eucalyptus allelopathy ? In other words, eucalypts having chemicals in their leaves, flowers, etc that, once they begin to break down on the ground, release chemicals that prevent or retard the growth of other plants.

Points I'm particularly after are;

- are the chemical involved water soluble ?
- do they break down over a reasonable time frame ?
- will some gum leaves, flowers, and nuts getting into my AP system bugger up my vegetable growth ?

Only that it happens :)
I would remove the leaves from the system if there a lot of them, as if your water is circulating, any toxin from them will be pased through the system.
It must break down over time or get leached away at any rate.
I remove gum leaves from the garden, where I can.

don't know if this helps at all :0

cheers
Axl
Author:  Himzo [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 4:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
The answers to your questions are:

yes water soluble
yes break down over time
and No will not effect your vegies in the AP system.

I have a big gum tree above my system and have had no problems.

My understanding is that the chemicals only work on those plants which are likely to be competitors, in this case other trees. If you have weeds growing under it then your vegies will survive. After all vegetables and herbs are just domesticated weeds.

H.
Author:  chillidude [ Fri Jun 11, 2010 6:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
Thanks himzo - I like the sound of that !
Author:  chillidude [ Mon Jun 14, 2010 6:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
EB, you awake :poke: ??

I know you blamed some of the problems of your commercial system on buildup of eucalypt material in the channels affecting productivity - any comments ?
Author:  Faye [ Tue Jun 15, 2010 8:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
The gum tree forest could provide fodder for all the koalas in the southern suburbs at the rate the trees are growing, as long as it is the correct species.
chillidude wrote:
EB, you awake :poke: ??

I know you blamed some of the problems of your commercial system on buildup of eucalypt material in the channels affecting productivity - any comments ?

He's on his day off Nigel, leave him alone :dont:
Author:  chillidude [ Wed Jun 16, 2010 4:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
Yes ma'am :(
Author:  earthbound [ Wed Jun 16, 2010 9:02 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
Hey what, me? 8-)

I reckon they definately affect veggie growth but haven't found any info specific to vegetables. They certainly hammered our veggies, wouldn;t grow at all.. While gum trees germinated and grew like crazy in the AP system..

Have you found any info online about it Himzo?
Author:  Himzo [ Thu Jun 17, 2010 8:25 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
earthbound wrote:
Hey what, me? 8-)

I reckon they definately affect veggie growth but haven't found any info specific to vegetables. They certainly hammered our veggies, wouldn;t grow at all.. While gum trees germinated and grew like crazy in the AP system..

Have you found any info online about it Himzo?


Nothing that I saved any links to, and nothing that seemed to mention vegetable plants, though I do recall there was one paper that mentined cucumbers. It was mainly forestry documents, so dealing with effects on other trees.

Could the young trees that are growing in the AP be sucking up all the goodies? Their roots would be deeper than most vegetable. Just a thought.

Have you had the water tested to see if that is the cause?

H.
Author:  pistolknight [ Fri Jun 18, 2010 11:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
I think that Gum trees must have some very strange chemicals, it explains why Koala's chew them all day and always look very stoned :drunk3:
Author:  earthbound [ Fri Jun 18, 2010 5:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
Hey Nocky, I hate to change the subject but is that a real tractor? Why would some one really need something like that, surely you could hardly turn the thing, must be articulated I guess?
Author:  pistolknight [ Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
Yes EB it is a John Deere 9630 on Triples, they steer very easy amazingly, we have a pic of Faye driving a 9530 on duals when she made the Narrogin Trip, the wheels make this one look cumbersome but it's a Deere so it is easy to drive, I have NFI why you need tripples, some seeding gear is 70 foot wide so you get better traction in clay country, but they are harder to get out when bogged, I have seen 2 similar machines broken in half trying to get them out of a bog,
The one on triples is 525hp and around $550,000 +GST the one faye is driving is 475hp and around $500,000 + the one Eddie is driving is 19.5hp and $3,000 + :D

Faye getting ready to Race Eddie in Narrogin
Image
Author:  earthbound [ Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
One of my favourite pics that one....... :lol:
Author:  chillidude [ Fri Jun 18, 2010 11:05 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
Hey - I drove the big one !!!
Author:  bushy [ Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Gum Trees Affecting Growth Of Other Plants
My experience is that eucalypts vary how poisonous they are, I've found ones with white bark just about kill anything within the drip line.
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