1. Immediately and carefully open your Eucalyptus tree from its package. Completely submerge the pot/root ball in water to hydrate. Place your tree outside in a cool, semi-shady area until ready to plant. Keep in mind, container grown plants, especially in hot weather, need to be watered daily.
2. To plant, select a sunny location outside and dig a hole 3 to 4 times wider than the container, but no deeper than the container. For heavy clay soils you can incorporate pine bark mulch or sand/grit or soil amendment products such as Clay Cutter, Natures Helper, etc. at a 50/50 ratio with the native soil removed from the planting hole. Avoid using rich composts, or soil amendments with fertilizers. Eucs prefer infertile soil and are already fast growers.
3. Carefully remove the Eucalyptus tree from the container keeping the soil around the roots intact. It helps to tap the outside of the container to loosen. Carefully slide the tree from the container. Don't yank the tree out of the container as this can separate the roots from the tree. If the root ball is stuck in the nursery pot use a cutting tool to cut the pot away.
4. Eucalyptus do not like to have their roots disturbed. Avoid cutting or loosening roots.
5. Set your tree in the planting hole with the top edge of the root ball at or slightly above ground level. It may be necessary to add some soil to the bottom of the hole to achieve proper planting height. Use your hands to backfill your soil mixture in the planting hole tamping as you go to remove air pockets.
6. Create a water-holding basin around the hole and give the tree a good watering. After the water has soaked in, spread protective mulch at a 2 inch depth in a 3-foot diameter area around the base of the tree, but not touching the trunk. Also make sure to use aged mulch and avoid using fresh chipped mulch.
7. The soil and mulch around your trees should be kept moist but not soggy, which can cause root rot that kills trees. During dry weather, water as needed to maintain a moist root ball and surrounding soil during the first year.
8. Remove any tags and labels from the tree as these can cause damage as the tree grows.
Fertilizer? Avoid using fertilizer on Eucalyptus trees - they don't need it! Eucs are minimal feeders, and are extremely fast growing. Fertilizers, especially those with high Nitrogen content, will weaken even a healthy tree.
