Dicksonia antarctica's Are Always On The Dry Side.

[The Codfather]

No matter how much I soak my Dicksonia antarctica's on a night, the next day they are bone dry......any info on keeping the wetter !!!!! and they are not in the sun (that's if we have had any !)

[Arlon Tishmarsh]

I've been watering mine sometimes 4 to 5 times a day Coddy and it's a pain , totaled up it's about 25ft of trunks several times a day and it's the most boring job on earth. Next year i'll be setting up a drip / watering system for all the ferns, Dicksonia antarctica's , cyathea's etc, together with a timer.

[The Codfather]

so it iant just me then..........

[Dave Brown]

so it iant just me then..........

No.... I must admit I've been a bit deliquent in this respect and as the sun has plummeted towards the horizon over the last few weeks am only water every other day or so. It is almost impossible to keep the surface wet as any water soaks in so readily, but the centre is probably staying wetter for longer now.

I'm just wedging the spray head on a rock facing upward onto the trunk and leave for a few minutes on each Dicksonia antarctica. As they are evergreen and continue to function in quite cool weather I may water any time a frost is not immenent, when dry. Some winter easterlies have very low humidity. Might not be quite as urgent for you oop north, but here we can get drought and desication at any time of year.

[Chad]

I have three traditional ‘tips’.

1. Before planting soak the whole trunk in your duck pond for two days. [It then takes a horse, block and tackle and 3 men to get it out and planted; but it does start off with a damp trunk].

2. If watering with a can; add one drop of washing up liquid to each can of water. It reduced surface tension and helps to get the water deeper into the trunk.

3. Wrap the trunk with something water proof; traditionally oilcloth, but flexible PVC works well. Cling film works too [wind in a spiral working from the top down so that the ‘joints’ redirect water back to the trunk] but falls apart quite fast. Used with a drop of detergent in a can of water put in at the top it gets the humidity up and get the trunks moist right through and stimulates trunk root growth. It is also a way to ‘even out’ a trunk that has an unsightly change in width. It isn’t pretty though, and in a garden that stops this being a long term solution.

The problem is that they are drying out [statement of obvious there!]. If the surroundings give a more moist atmosphere they will dry out less fast and then take in water more easily when re-wetted. So the challenge is to increase the local humidity. I have ‘Three tips’ for that too!

1. Create a site sheltered from the wind. Planting a wind break with lots of leaves will filter the wind and moisten it a bit.

2. Keep moisture in the local atmosphere. Use a thick organic mulch under the tree ferns, and water that every day too. Under plant with large leaves that will give up water to the atmosphere all day [ground ferns, Hosta, Rodgersia etc ].

3. Move to Cornwall or Wales.


Chad.

[Rachelpalm]

Hello
do they have to stay damp all the time. I have been watering mine every other day recently and it looks healthy. The nights here have been damp recently too, foggy etc

[cordyman]

Mines in a a south facing spot and a real sun trap.

I water once a night. Soak the trunk for a minute and fill up the well in middle for a minute.

Looks very healthy and growing well

why the need to water so often?

[Chad]

why the need to water so often?

There isn't. At least not once established. But they respond to never drying out by growing bigger fronds.

Still moist air and water the roots [in the trunk and the soil] and you do get a more 'lush' plant. None of the big Cornish gardens water theirs, but then it rains most days here.....

Chad.

[Tom2006]

Mine dry out very quickly but are in pots. I soak them most days especially as its been so dry this year. The problem with tree ferns is you don't get to see next years growth until it appears. That's why an apparently healthy one this year, if neglected will often produce weaker smaller fronds the following year but obviously by the time you know its too late. The fronds size and health is determined in the crown and once they have started to unfurl you can't do anything to make them larger. Winter cold also makes fronds weaker and smaller.


I mulch around mine with some well rotted manure in autumn and keep watering well into autumn unless it turns very cold.

[Yorkshire Kris]

The trouble with watering them so much is that surrounding plants can get totally drenched and may not like it. So be carefully of what you plant at the base of your Dicksonia antarctica.

[cordyman]

I planted an ensete next to mine

[Yorkshire Kris]

I planted an ensete next to mine

[sanatic1234]

A dry Dicksonia antarctica for too long = A dead Dicksonia antarctica. The trunk and certainly the crown should really stay moist.