Hardy Tropicals UK

It won't work. Spend your cash on a new one.

Tom2006 wrote:It won't work. Spend your cash on a new one.

I have seen it work with young Dicksonia antarctica in old Dicksonia antarctica trunks.

Where Rob? Ive seen it tried but never seen anyone post long term success.

A friend as done it to one lost about ten years ago, I will see if I can get a pic.

I don't see how it can ve done. The tops of my dead trunks are impenetrable to anything no way I could graft another to it and get long term growth. But would certainly like to hear/see how your friend has done it.

I will try and get a picture in the next week or so. Tools where required to make the planting hole but once it was big enough to get the root ball in them it rooted in to the fibres of the old trunk.

I have a 1' dead trunk here that the mother in law managed to kill so I saved it from going to the tip.

I have hollowed it out about 6" with a knife and tbh it was pretty easy going as it had rotted. I will do the rest next year then pop a small 3" trunked Dicksonia antarctica into it that Ive had from a teeny plug. Im confident a small plant inside a not overly big trunk will be fine as long as its hollowed out completely.

Delboy wrote:I have a 1' dead trunk here that the mother in law managed to kill so I saved it from going to the tip.

I have hollowed it out about 6" with a knife and tbh it was pretty easy going as it had rotted. I will do the rest next year then pop a small 3" trunked Dicksonia antarctica into it that Ive had from a teeny plug. Im confident a small plant inside a not overly big trunk will be fine as long as its hollowed out completely.

Well the old trunk becomes the growing medium until the plant gets its roots down to the floor.

Tom2006 wrote:Where Rob? Ive seen it tried but never seen anyone post long term success.

Pretty sure I've seen a post here that someone did (with success). Can't remember who though ... perhaps someone else will remember?

fern Rob wrote:I will try and get a picture in the next week or so. Tools where required to make the planting hole but once it was big enough to get the root ball in them it rooted in to the fibres of the old trunk.

Any luck with the picture?

I'm away at the moment.

A Dicksonia antarctica has a rhizome growing up the centre of the trunk so the original fern has roots from the base directly into the ground, then has roots growing down the outside from the crown as it grow up. However it is still in contact with the ground.

A new fern has to grow roots down to ground level before it gets a full range of nutrients, so there may be a limit on how tall a trunk it can work with.

Dave Brown wrote:A Dicksonia antarctica has a rhizome growing up the centre of the trunk so the original fern has roots from the base directly into the ground, then has roots growing down the outside from the crown as it grow up. However it is still in contact with the ground.

A new fern has to grow roots down to ground level before it gets a full range of nutrients, so there may be a limit on how tall a trunk it can work with.

They can grow very long roots though.

fern Rob wrote:

Dave Brown wrote:A Dicksonia antarctica has a rhizome growing up the centre of the trunk so the original fern has roots from the base directly into the ground, then has roots growing down the outside from the crown as it grow up. However it is still in contact with the ground.

A new fern has to grow roots down to ground level before it gets a full range of nutrients, so there may be a limit on how tall a trunk it can work with.

They can grow very long roots though.

Yes, but a young fern roots into the ground first, then grows aerial roots later while the ground roots are giving it nutrients. When a small fern is grafted into a tall fern trunk it is all aerial roots until they grow the length of the trunk, so you'd almost need hydroponics nutrients.