Seven key issues on Eucalyptus and alelopathy
Or seven reasons why stating eucalypts poison soils is mostly... bullshit
We frequently receive inquiries at EUCALYPTOLOGICS from concerned gardeners, horticulturalists and even Eucalyptus timber plantation owners in regard to the widespread notion of these trees "being poisonous to the soil" and "dangerous for understorey flora". Today we hope to help throw some light over this myth.
We picked this example to ellaborate on this particularly interesting topic due to the excellent conditions of this tree as evidence of myth being myth. Approaching one hundred years old, the giant E. camaldulensis at Inca Botanical Gardens has had enough time to deplete and poison the soil around it. Doom predictions would say nothing could be growing near it for more than 50 years. Then why a healthy understorey of bromeliads, palms and lush subtropical plants is thriving under this evil Eucalyptus?