Hardy Tropicals UK

Out of the semi-hardy tree ferns available to us which is the fastest growing?

I have read that it's Cooperi can anyone confirm this?

greendragon wrote:Out of the semi-hardy tree ferns available to us which is the fastest growing?

I have read that it's Cooperi can anyone confirm this?

Hi greendragon,sorry for the delay in answering your question(i have only just found this thread).I do not have a huge amount of experience with tree fern,but i have built up a small collection of them over the last few years.

I would say cooperi,medullaris and lepifera are the quickest growing.My medullaris is a much bigger plant to start with,so it difficult to say if it is the fastest growing,i feed it on dilute seedweed during spring,it seems to like it.

My cooperi are only young plants,but they send out new fronds all year round.Unlike some tree ferns that only send out a flush,in the spring.

Lepifera is growing very well.It would be worth growing even if it were slow,because of the the best common name for any plant i have heard of(flying spider-monkey tree fern) .

Hi Cyathea Medullaris has been the fastest growing tree fern for me also D Squarrosa grows quite fast. cooperi for me has been quite slow, but many people say they find them fast

I got some Cooperi plugs 18 months ago and they were around 6" in height. They are now just starting to form the beginnings of a base and put out fronds that are 2' in length. I only got my Medullaris late on so no idea, but the fronds are HUGE in comparison to the size of the trunk.