Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Apr 28, 2009 11:35 am We have been given 5 Tree Ferns, each about 6 feet tall, from a guy that is demolishing his house. We dug them up at the weekend, managed to keep a small amount f root with each one. We chopped off the dead fronds and left the nice green ones. We are about 8 weeks from moving into our new place, so wondered if we could just store them without planting them in the mean time? Eventually, we'll plant them in big pots, but it would be easier not to pot them at all until we move as they will transport easier potless. Any ideas on if they can survive with their bases exposed for that long? Should we cut off ALL the fronds whether we pot on now or not? I figured they'd be alright potless for a while, as that's generally how you see them in the garden centres for sale. Cheers. Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 2Apr 28, 2009 12:06 pm There are two common types around and hundreds of others. Only one type can reliably be transplanted as a trunk and that is the big fat Dicksonia Antartica. Commonly sold in retail nurseries as "pungas" (that's what the kiwis call them) or tree fern stumps. The taller skinny trunked ones are most likely to be a cyathea of some sort. These are much harder to transplant and need as much root structure as possible. They will rarely take as a cut off trunk. They can not be allowed to dry out! Keep them out of the wind and sun. They really need to go into a very high grade potting mix. That will cost around the $15 mark. They need a nice big pot so they don't fall over and need to be staked up to hold them up fine. Cut the fronds off to reduce the water loss. When you replant them prepare the soil with an organic soil. Water water and lots of water. It takes days and days for water to go from the roots to the leaves, if it is bigger it takes longer. That is why when a fern leaf dries out, it never comes back. Takes too long to rehydrate. Ferns have very low nutrient requirements so very weak solutions of seasol is all it needs. Once a week till it has been in the ground for a few months. Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 3Apr 28, 2009 12:21 pm Great info, thanks. I think they are Dicksonias, they are very similar to a Dicksonia I had in the UK. I'll try and get a pic on later tonight. They have quite a thick trunk, about the thickness of a telegraph pole. The fronds have tiny little spikes on them, not big enough to pierce your skin, but enough to be very uncomfortable to grip them hard when carrying. They are currently tucked away in the corner, against a wall, under some trees - so very shaded, and VERY wet at the moment with all the rain we're having over here in Melly. I'll cut all the fronds off tonight, which I'd done that before we moved them as it would have saved a lot of mess in the back of my car, and a lot of hassle trying to move them with damaging the fronds. So, we should take ALL the fronds off? They don't need any for sunlight? If we plant them in pots now, would they be ok to stay in pots? I like the idea of being able to move them again if required. We are planning on putting them along the side of the house, (shaded), but there is enough room for vehicle access to the rear, so it would be handy to be able to move them once in a while if required. I'll get some big pots and mix this weekend and pot them up. We also picked up one that looks very dead. It it very light, and totally dried out. It doesn't look like it has had any fronds for a long time. If I chop the top two or three feet off, and plant it up & keep it moist, will it likely come back? Or, are these things just as likely to die as any other plant/tree? Not knowing a massive amount about them, I had wondered if they kind of hibernated if they dried out and may come back when the conditions are right again? (Forgive my naivety). Cheers. Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 4Apr 28, 2009 1:46 pm you might be OK from what you have posted. Get a pic up and I'll have a look tonight. You might just be OK with getting some sort of plastic bin or lobbing them into a garbage bags to protect the roots a little. You should be right. If it is a thicker one, the fronds aren't such an issue. Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 5Apr 28, 2009 2:14 pm The trunk of the Dicksonia is effective one large root (rhizome to be exact). Whatever you decide to do with these beauties. Make sure you keep the whole trunk moist, you cannot overwater these guys. Also if you can drip some water into the middle where the fronds come out, this will also be benifical. good luck Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 7Apr 29, 2009 12:12 am Yep it is dicksonia antartica or as the crazy tasmainians like my brother from another mother call them, "man ferns" ... what is so manly about a fern Yours have grow quick where they were, they have pretty skinny stems for a dicksonia. They will grow different in their new home. You won't have drama growing these. Keep 'em wet all over till you plant them. They could turn into these in a few hundred years. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 8Apr 29, 2009 7:29 am Well, after a few hundred years I would say they would be 'man ferns'. Cheers for the info. Do you think I should chop the remaining fronds off whilst they are in storage? I'm thinking I many pot them up this weekend anyway and just move them in their pots. I'll be keeping them in pots once in their final home. If I pot them on, should I also chop off the fronds? Seems to be the done thing when transplanting them according to what I have read on the net. Cheers. Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 9Apr 29, 2009 11:45 am for those it won't be such an issue to chop the fronds. You'll probably do it when you plant them to tidy them up. Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 11Apr 29, 2009 11:35 pm Fu Manchu Yep it is dicksonia antartica or as the crazy tasmainians like my brother from another mother call them, "man ferns" ... what is so manly about a fern Yours have grow quick where they were, they have pretty skinny stems for a dicksonia. They will grow different in their new home. You won't have drama growing these. Keep 'em wet all over till you plant them. They could turn into these in a few hundred years. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Looks like I'm in Sahara Desert or forest? Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 12Apr 30, 2009 6:25 am thanks for all the info on these guys my parents in law have a couple of these at their new house which they dislike so they have said I can have them. Only they are quite short so I think the are the other sort you referred to earlier Fu. I might have a go at transplanting them one day... I love how their fronds start all curled up like the first pic you put up Tony&Emma. Beautiful "Your emotions are the slaves to your thoughts, and you are the slave to your emotions." — Elizabeth Gilbert Living in our new house. Currently scaping the land. Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? - UPDATED WITH PICS 13May 04, 2009 6:45 pm OK, we decided that after all the hard work lifting them out, we should give them the best chance - so potted them up now instead of waiting untill we move. Mind you, I have no idea how on earth we're going to move them. I just finished them tonight, some of the fronds on some of them have started to wither. They have not dried up, but gone sort of limp. Hope it's just the shock of relocation or the coldsnap we have had rather than me killing them off. Fingers crossed they all take. They all taller than they look, the pots are 76 litres, (60cm) and each the shortest fern is 6 foot to it's crown. Can't wait to get them round to the new house. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 14May 04, 2009 7:48 pm You've done a great job there and they are an excellent score Those pots will be good for growing veggies in once the ferns get planted Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 15May 10, 2009 11:30 am Hi all! I'm a new member from the Gold Coast, Queensland (Beautiful one day, perfect the next) but having lived in Tasmania for 40 years and been a keen grower of man ferns I would like to add my two bobs worth to the discussion. A denizen of Tasmania is a Taswegian. A man fern is called that because it is generally about the size of a man whereas in Tasmania many trees are massive unlike many mainland (A Taswegian expression) mini trees ie. under 100 feet. Now to being helplful, I hope. The watering in early days is very important. One of the easiest ways of doing this is to put the end of a hose down the hole in the crown making sure not to damage the dormant croziers. If you put your hand in the crown you can feel the croziers curled up. Let the hose run until the whole trunk and soil is thoroughly saturated. In their permanent position you could run a dripper line across the crowns and water them that way. When the new fronds unfurl do not be upset if they are a bit twisted, that is usual after a transplant, but the next set will be great. You may not realise how lucky you are, up our way man fern trunks go for about $15 a foot and specimens like yours are very rare. You may consider planting them in the ground - they will grow much better. You apparently are going to set them in a car access way, at the height they are even after planting 18" or so in the ground a car would go under the fronds if they were lifted carefully - just a thought. Best of luck with them - with the care I think you will give them you will be well rewarded. Regards, John Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 16May 10, 2009 11:39 am Welcome John and a very good post Those crazy Tasmanians, they'll sneak in with humans ... (I hear that said about West Aussies more ) It sounds like you will be an excellent contributor here Thanks for joining us Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 17May 11, 2009 9:50 am Thanks Fu Manchu, it's nice to feel welcome! I'm back to tell Tony and Emma about an ABC episode I happened across explaining what can be done with live and dead man ferns. Incidentally anyone who has any dead trunks PLEASE get in touch with me particularly if they want to give them away! Anyway the 18 April episode of Gardening Australia had a fern segment which can be downloaded from the ABC website; this URL should get you straight there by clicking on it or pasting into your address bar>>> http://tinyurl.com/qyd5xj In Tassie we found that the easiest way to move very big ferns like that was to use a horse float because the ferns could be moved upright (tied in place) and CRITICALLY the fronds were protected from the speed generated breeze. Nothing will kill off the fronds faster than being zipped along the road in a 60 km/h breeze. Anything over 20 could be deadly. They must be protected. Regards, John Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 19May 12, 2009 7:13 am Hi John, Great info - thanks. I'll download that episode at home tonight. So, what can be done with dead trunks then? There was one dead one, long dead by the looks of it. It was about 1.2m tall. I sawed it in half as the base was rotten, the top half looked pretty decent, (apart from being dead of course). I planted the top half in Brunnings Fern Mix and have kept it moist in the vein hope of resurecting it. Cheers. Re: Any 'Tree Fern' experts out there? 20May 12, 2009 8:34 am Glad you got the messages Tony. 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 I totally agree with everything you have written. Thanks again for your always excellent input and advice. I really enjoy reading your posts cheers Simeon 1 3278 Hello. I just bought a few acres in Habana, Mackay, and my horses seem to love hanging around under this tree. I would like to name the paddock after this tree. Can… 0 9528 |