In this post we are going to talk about
1.)About Blue gums and Eucalyptus
5.)List of Bluegum Seedling Sellers
Study of Forests and Woods is termed as Silvology .
The Eucalyptus Tree are native to Australia ,and in every state and territory there is a representative species .The Eucalyptus is a genus with more than 700 species .The Eucalyptus have barks that are either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy. All Eucalyptus add a layer of bark every year and the outermost layer dies. The difference in Eucalyptus and Bluegum is that Eucalyptus globulus ,commonly known as southern bluegum or bluegum is a word evident with most though bluegum is a one of the different species of Eucalyptus.
The woody fruits or capsules are roughly cone-shaped and have valves at the end which open to release the seeds, which are waxy, rod-shaped, about 1 mm in length, and yellow-brown in color.
A Bluegum Forest Just few minutes from Msafiri In Naromoru ,Nyeri county
Eucalyptus species were introduced in Kenya as early as 1902 by the colonial government to provide energy for the locomotives a kilogram of Eucalyptus has on average 300,000 seeds and can produce 210,000 seedlings ,A Kilogram of Bluegum seeds at Kenya Forest Service or KEFRI is 5000Ksh
The woody fruits or capsules from the Eucalyptus tree are roughly cone-shaped and have valves at the end which open to release the seeds, which are waxy, rod-shaped, about 1 mm in length, and yellow-brown in colour .
Eucalyptus Grandis |
Eucalyptus Salgina |
Eucalyptus. globulus |
Eucalyptus regnans |
Eucalyptus. paniculata |
Eucalyptus. maculata |
Eucalyptus camaldulensis |
Eucalyptus citriodora |
Eucalyptus tereticornis |
Eucalyptus urophylla |
Eucalyptus. hybrids |
The difference between Eucalyptus Grandis and Eucalyptus Salgina is the growth rate and maturity period.
Eucalyptus Saligna takes 8 to 10 yrs and grows 1 to 2m per yr ,regrows after cutting
Eucalyptus Grandis takes 5 to 6 yrs to mature with a growth rate of 2 to 4m per yr regrows after cutting
Firewood |
charcoal with very high calorific value |
Construction poles |
building materials |
fencing posts, |
Apiculture (rearing of bees) Due to the flower |
Pharmaceutical |
transmission poles |
timber |
plywood |
Pulpwood |
Carbon credit |
Mulch |
Windbreaker |
All Eucalyptus species have high biomass conversion rate
Bluegum Seeds take 14-21 days in order to be a bluegum seedling .The Bluegum seedling starts of as two leaves
List of Bluegum Seedling Sellers
Eucalyptus Deglupta | 10Ksh | Miche Holdings | 0798072790 |
Bluegum | 8Ksh | Miche Holdings | 0798072790 |
Eucalyptus grandis | 8Ksh | Miche Holdings | 0798072790 |
Eucalyptus saligna | 15Ksh | Miche Holdings | 0798072790 |
Rainbow eucalyptus | 10Ksh | Miche Holdings | 0798072790 |
eucalyptus trees | 10Ksh | Kinyua Ke | 0705675149 |
Eucalyptus seedling | 10Ksh | Michael | 0727526050. |
The contribution of Eucalyptus species. to the national economy is estimated at a value exceeding Ksh 1.6 billion excluding non-traded domestic and small scale enterprises
There are a number of notable Eucalyptus species distributed in different climatic conditions all over Kenya. They include; Eucalyptus grandis, Eucalyptus. saligna, Eucalyptus. globulus, Eucalyptus regnans, Eucalyptus. paniculata, Eucalyptus. maculata, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus citriodora, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Eucalyptus urophylla and Eucalyptus. hybrids
Latest statistics records area under Eucalyptus spp. in the country at about 100,000 hectares
100 species have been planted in the country. Most of these were subjected to extensive research and currently less than 20 species have been recommended for wide scale planting.
The area under Eucalyptus species in the country is estimated to be about 100,000 hectares of plantations, 15,000 Ha in gazetted forests, about 35,000 Ha planted by private companies and 50,000 Ha by farmers.
planting of Eucalyptus in land sizes of less than quarter (1/4) of an Acre is not recommended
Eucalyptus grandis (Rose gum) and Eucalyptus saligna (Blue gum) are the ones which are recommended for growing in Uasin Gishu.
Different Eucalyptus species. are suited for different agro-ecological zones and instead of whole sale condemnation of the species without offering alternatives, farmers need to be guided on areas where to plant and where not to plant them
There are areas where the species should not be grown. These areas are; wetlands and marshy areas, riparian areas, around lakes, ponds, swamps, estuary, sea shores and any other body of standing water, irrigated farm lands and areas with less than 400mm of rainfall.
The best areas to plant Eucalyptus species include; marginal lands degraded through soil erosion and loss of soil fertility, planting as shelter belts and wind breaks on large scale farms, on areas with saline soils, water logged areas for purposes of draining the area for agricultural production and on farm lands as plantations or woodlots
Eucalyptus species is known to exudates allelopathic chemicals that inhibit undergrowth regeneration
Scientific studies have however established that Eucalyptus species exhibit high efficiency in water use for biomass accumulation. Eucalyptus species require 785 litres of water to produce 1 Kg of biomass compared to cotton / coffee / bananas which require 3,200 litres, sunflower 2,400 litres, and maize, potato and sorghum 1,000 litres
Seeds are sowed in a nursery where they take 7-14 days to germinate. When the seedlings have two leaves, they are placed into individual containers or polythene sleeves.
The seedlings should be protected from excess sunlight, wind, weeds, pests and diseases. Watering should be done twice a day preferably in the morning and evening.
Avoid overwatering. Root pruning should be done at least twice if seedlings are grown in pots. The seedlings are ready for transplanting when they are 25-35cm in height or after 4-5 months. Planting should be done at the onset of the rains.
The spacing to be used depends on the use of the tree and the agro ecological zone. In high potential areas, a spacing of 2-2.5m by 2-2.5m is adopted while in arid and semi-arid areas, a spacing of 3m by 3m is used. Make sure you scout for pests and diseases during the first two years of growth.
Harvesting time depends on the use of the tree, for fuelwood and rails from 3 years, poles and pulp from 6-8 years, for transmission poles from 8-10 years and for timber from 15-20 years. Eucalyptus grandis can be used for timber, transmission poles, construction poles, firewood, charcoal and pulpwood.
Eucalyptus saligna is widely used for poles, posts, timber, pulpwood, furniture, veneer and shelterbelts. Kenya Forest Service recommends that eucalyptus should not be planted in riparian or marshy areas, wetlands, and near a water body.
The trees should not be planted near buildings or on road reserves as the branches and stems of some species easily break off.
It is good to plant eucalyptus in areas that have been degraded by soil erosion, marginal lands, waterlogged areas (to drain the area) and areas with saline soils.
High quality seeds can be sourced from
The Eucalyptus tree had brought alot of heated debate as to whether it should be uprooted from Farmers land as they really make an area really dry as the trees really consume alot of Water. Blue gum Tree is known as Monyua mae in Kikuyu meaning (monyua -drink) (mae-water) therefore a tree that really drink alot of water and by that .If Bluegum is planted near a stream sooner than later the stream dries up therefore to keep note where there is low rainfall as they will compete with other crops for water and also produce toxic substances (allelopathy) which will hinder the growth of other crops
Miche Holdings | Eucalyptus Saligna Seeds (1kg) | 5000Ksh |
Image of Bluegum poles
0703187559 |
Njoroge Chege | 0710224500 |
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