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4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia antarctica. Spring 2014

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 6:09 pm
by cordyman
Its that time of year, the grand cracking of the Dicksonia antarctica cocoon :shock: icon_cheers

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 icon_sunny

Will I find a rotten crown? bone dry cooked crown?

Lets find out icon_cheers icon_cheers icon_cheers





















This grand opening was overseen by shedcat ©

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wheely bin bag with holes pierced throughout...

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Haxnix draw string fleece bag

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Extremely dry straw at the top

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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! icon_salut

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Trex un-cokebottled

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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

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shed Musa made it through in the straw cage


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West border Musa fine too, some serious girth on this one now

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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

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Finished off by hoovering up :lol:

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Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 6:22 pm
by Springy
I preferred the original 'shed cat' pic :lol:

Everything is looking great!
That jubaea looks a cracker too! icon_sunny

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 7:15 pm
by kevineden
bring on the feel good factor cordy icon_cheers

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 7:29 pm
by Deedee
FAB FAB FAB icon_cheers

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 7:47 pm
by kata
Brilliant Cordy,

icon_cheers

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:13 pm
by fern Rob
Great to see new croziers.

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:19 pm
by GoggleboxUK
Nice to see how much effort I saved myself by not protecting anything this year :lol:

Good luck wiith your hernia op Cordy ;)

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:27 pm
by kata
Nice to see how much effort I saved myself by not protecting anything this year
:lol: :lol: :lol:

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:33 pm
by karl66
Nice pic's m8 but so overboard for this winter in Manchester!! :lol:

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:14 am
by Dave Brown
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 :wink:

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:26 am
by Panama Pete
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

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:33 am
by Kristen
Dave Brown wrote:None of mine have been covered at all last winter, are all in pristine condition
Mine were too until the frosts of last week :(

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

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:36 am
by karl66
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?.

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:38 am
by Arlon Tishmarsh
Dave Brown wrote: but rather than cut the fronds off I would have bent them down so that they could be retained.
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.

Re: 4.5 months in a straw cocoon, opening the Dicksonia anta

Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:59 am
by Mowgley
Looking good icon_cheers .
Hopefully my dicksonia pulls through (brought half price from homebase with no roots) in winter sale.