When to plant out tree fern

Blairs

Re: When to plant out tree fern

Post by Blairs »

If I may ask. How do you get huge fronds on Dicksonia antarctica's? I have several but they have small fronds that have stayed evergreen all winter. I really want them to grow huge. Each is at least 1ft tall in the trunk. They are sited in shade but in high summer is pretty much full sun...is that the problem? I have no semi-shade area in the back garden in summer.
fern Rob

Re: When to plant out tree fern

Post by fern Rob »

Blairs wrote:If I may ask. How do you get huge fronds on Dicksonia antarctica's? I have several but they have small fronds that have stayed evergreen all winter. I really want them to grow huge. Each is at least 1ft tall in the trunk. They are sited in shade but in high summer is pretty much full sun...is that the problem? I have no semi-shade area in the back garden in summer.
Sometimes if they have had bad conditions, they take years to recover maybe they will never recover to there former glory.
kata

Re: When to plant out tree fern

Post by kata »

Feed it poo pellet or better still liquid which a lot do put pellets in water overnight. Test on one overhead and the base for the others Blairs.

Water plenty between feeds.

Garden of Eden

Feeding a tree fern is relatively easily because - like most other plants - they are able to retrieve nutrients from the soil using its root system. However, they also have a secondary formation of roots within the trunk which reaches close to the top of the crown. This enables tree ferns to also feed on accumulated debris, bird and animal droppings that are washed into the crown by way of their specialist fronds during rainfall.

Feeding from the crown will be important when you first purchase a tree fern as they will generally come cut at the base and therefore without a root system. At this time feeding is important as the tree fern will be stressed and will have little energy reserves with which to produce new leaves and an essential, replacement root system.

Water..feed...water... icon_cheers
Blairs

Re: When to plant out tree fern

Post by Blairs »

Thanks Kata and Fern Rob. I bought 5 of them from a nursery in Kent (fully roots and fronded) last Oct/Nov. They had been neglected by lack of watering and no feed and a thick mat of roots grew out of each pot.. I got a keen price for them so am happy for them to underperform for a while. I will feed and water and see if that perks them up.
kata

Re: When to plant out tree fern

Post by kata »

Watered mine today Blairs,

I also want to try that Chick poo liquid fertilizer. I only have one Fern so I will water and feed round the base.

We also used to put real manure in a bag then tied it to a stick and slung it over a bucket of water. This was for the veg though.

:lol: :lol:
fern Rob

Re: When to plant out tree fern

Post by fern Rob »

A lot of my Dicksonia antarctica are rooted, not fed them yet though.
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