The great thing about man fern trunks is that they make excellent backing boards or pots for planting other ferns or orchids because not only do they drain brilliantly while retaining a fair bit of moisture but they also allow air, the sometimes forgotten factor in soils, to get to the roots. The roots of things planted in them find it very easy to penetrate the fibrous trunk material and get a good grip.
In the ABC episode they show a planter being made by scooping out the side of a piece of trunk. But of course not being a Taswegian and unfamiliar with the proper way of doing things the presenter didn't have a good look at it and see that if he had cut a length into the size of pot he wanted (allowing for leaving a bottom in it) he could then have cut a hole in the end of the section and planted things in the upright pot - and got more pots than just the two he ended up with.
These pots are excellent for growing birds' nest ferns (asplenium nidus) which are true epiphytes and don't really like being planted in pots even in a soilless mix.
Used as backing boards for ferns the trunk can be sawn into disks about two inches thick and once fitted with wire hangers they go on the wall. There are heaps of articles on the web about mounting ferns and orchids on boards.
In all these endeavors a small domestic chain saw is a great help particularly using the end of the saw to do the hollowing out. If you aren't familiar with using the saw get a mate who is to do it for you - you know the one who has a saw that you don't have to hire! Two stubbies should fix it - after using the saw
Regards, John
Thanks for the info John, if the dead fern doesn't sprout then I think the pot idea is great.
Cheers.