4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia antarctica. Spring 2014
4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia antarctica. Spring 2014
Its that time of year, the grand cracking of the Dicksonia antarctica cocoon
4.5 months with no water, light, or airflow. This winter has been interesting due to the lack of any real cold, loads of rain, and some decent sun on the black bin bag surrounding the straw cage. I've had a temp sensor in the cage and on some days its hit 26*c in there
Will I find a rotten crown? bone dry cooked crown?
Lets find out
This grand opening was overseen by shedcat ©
wheely bin bag with holes pierced throughout...
Haxnix draw string fleece bag
Extremely dry straw at the top
On getting near the crown the straw becomes very wet, with the same result i've had every year so far, a moist crown with a furry head full of knuckles!
Trex un-cokebottled
Washy had simply had a fleece bag on it all winter and stuck under the large Trachycarpus for shelter, removed the severely wind damaged leaves
shed Musa made it through in the straw cage
West border Musa fine too, some serious girth on this one now
A couple of small unprotected musa pups I planted came through unprotected thanks to the way winter panned out, with new rollers on the way
Finished off by hoovering up
4.5 months with no water, light, or airflow. This winter has been interesting due to the lack of any real cold, loads of rain, and some decent sun on the black bin bag surrounding the straw cage. I've had a temp sensor in the cage and on some days its hit 26*c in there
Will I find a rotten crown? bone dry cooked crown?
Lets find out
This grand opening was overseen by shedcat ©
wheely bin bag with holes pierced throughout...
Haxnix draw string fleece bag
Extremely dry straw at the top
On getting near the crown the straw becomes very wet, with the same result i've had every year so far, a moist crown with a furry head full of knuckles!
Trex un-cokebottled
Washy had simply had a fleece bag on it all winter and stuck under the large Trachycarpus for shelter, removed the severely wind damaged leaves
shed Musa made it through in the straw cage
West border Musa fine too, some serious girth on this one now
A couple of small unprotected musa pups I planted came through unprotected thanks to the way winter panned out, with new rollers on the way
Finished off by hoovering up
Last edited by cordyman on Sat Mar 29, 2014 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
I preferred the original 'shed cat' pic
Everything is looking great!
That jubaea looks a cracker too!
Everything is looking great!
That jubaea looks a cracker too!
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
bring on the feel good factor cordy
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
Great to see new croziers.
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
Nice to see how much effort I saved myself by not protecting anything this year
Good luck wiith your hernia op Cordy
Good luck wiith your hernia op Cordy
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
Nice to see how much effort I saved myself by not protecting anything this year
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
Nice pic's m8 but so overboard for this winter in Manchester!!
- Dave Brown
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Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
Dicksonia antarctica looks ok after all that time wrapped but rather than cut the fronds off I would have bent them down so that they could be retained. I certainly think removal is unnecessary. None of mine have been covered at all last winter, are all in pristine condition, and the knuckles are ready to go
Best regards
Dave
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Roll on summer.....
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Dave
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Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
Your right there Dave, I wish I kept mine mine on. Different tactics from next winter.
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
Mine were too until the frosts of last weekDave Brown wrote:None of mine have been covered at all last winter, are all in pristine condition
They were covered in fleece - might they have dried out too much under the fleece in the last few weeks - after rain all winter very little in the last few weeks, and I hadn't started watering the Dicksonia antarctica's as yet (I did yesterday though).
Should I be watering them from now one? earlier in the year even?
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
All my antartica's only had fleece ball protection & look similar although not as advanced as your pic Dave!, although your's has had a good few years more to establish...... can't remember if your's are 2010 survivor's or new ones?.
- Arlon Tishmarsh
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Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
I tend to leave them on regardless of condition, as my thinking is that the weight of the fronds helps keep that crown open. So often i've seen crowns with a small, rounded over opening at the top.Dave Brown wrote: but rather than cut the fronds off I would have bent them down so that they could be retained.
Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta
Looking good .
Hopefully my dicksonia pulls through (brought half price from homebase with no roots) in winter sale.
Hopefully my dicksonia pulls through (brought half price from homebase with no roots) in winter sale.