Should I remove my eucalyptus tree?

A question about : Should I remove my eucalyptus tree?

I had a eucalyptus tree in a patio pot for a few years, didn't do much, grew to about 3' and was very spindly.

When we made over the garden I planted it in the corner, away from the house, next to the fence.

It has grown really quickly since planting at the beginning of the year and is now about 8' to 9' tall.

I am going to keep it cut to about 11' or so.

However, I have just been reading that they have strong root systems.

The question is, should I dig it up or leave it if kept to a decent height.

It is about 14 ft from the house and the soil is clay based.

I have had it a few years and have lost the label but it the leaves are blue/silver coloured.

Looking at a few pics I think it may be a Silver Dollar Eucalyptus.

If I keep it cut to about 7' keep it well watered, and trim the side branches, should that keep the roots to a decent length, as they won't need to search for water?

Best answers:

• I think you have wrong information about roots
  Pot grown eucalyptus and the transplanted have very shallow roots, mine all blew down
  You could just coppice it
• I'd chop it down. We had two at the edge of a property we were renovating - the advice we had was to get rid as they can grow very fast, and also as you have had suggested to you, the roots can be a risk to foundations. For us the bark also shed a lot and made the garden messy; at the end of the day we were doing a project as an investment, and wanted to avoid anything contentious. In your own home that you intend to stay in for many years, the decision making process may be different,
• Will it be ok to leave a root in the ground, will it just rot?
  I am assuming it was the main tap root as it is a bit thicker than the other ones that I managed to pull out of the ground.
  Do eucalyptus roots sprout?
  My MIL uprooted a large fucshia whose roots had grown under the fence, it regrew in their garden.
• Eucalyptus do regrow after forest fires but I don't know if the roots would survive a cold, wet winter over here.
• Cut it down - they can be very vigorous. Ours grew from a 2ft whip to around house height in
• With the tree in a pot did you cut it back at all? I have a rule of thumb that if you cut back the roots (the food and water supply) you should match this by cutting back the top it is supporting too.
  Very likely the root will just die, but take ages to rot. If it doesn't, dig it out later.
• Eucalyptus can be coppiced, and look good because they keep the juvenile foliage (round) rather than the mature foliage (long and thin). However, you need to start this process while they are reasonably young.
  Rowan is a good option, but better in the ground than in a pot.
  A really nice option is a multi-stemmed silver birch, but these can be pricey unless you are willing to try doing it for yourself.
• I had one that grew near house when we bought it, over a couple of years it got quite big reached first floor level. I cut it down with a saw designed for branches and then I found it fairly each to pull the rest out of the ground, the roots were quite shallow for me
• You simply have to cut it down.
  They are ozzy forest trees, not bushes.
  Yes, they look gorgeous, but, and but again, get rid unless it is 25 yards from all homes.
• Had to have one removed, grew faster than leylandi tree and had huge roots aiming straight for the foundations of the house
  Apparently they suck loads of moisture out of the soil and cause problem's