Hardy Tropicals UK

I have a potted trunkless cyathea australis I bought at the Akamba meet. Should I bring it undercover or will it be OK in a sheltered spot with some fleece around the growing point?

Hi Simon,

Hope you're well. I also bought a Cyathea Australis from Akamba earlier this year, as well as a Cyathea Cooperii. They're both planted out and I've been really impressed with their growth, and I'm intending to leave them both out for Winter.

A good idea that Kev Spence on GOTE suggested was to place some chicken wire over the crown and then fill it with straw, which is what I'm hoping to do, or he also suggested that I could use a plastic dome over them.

Also, as it's potted, the roots might get frosted so if you have space this Winter I'd say bring it in and then plant it out if possible next year, and just protect it well outside for subsequent years - I'll let you know how mine are looking in Spring!

Thanks, take care

Pete

Pete, I have a number of C. cooperi's none of which are of a large size. I have tried various methods of protection, whilst always leaving one unprotected. All are totally defoliated with the first frost, but all come back into life at the same time, protected or not. Now I dont protect any!

I dont know if I have a more hardy strain as all mine were collected in the Azores, many can be seen growing at high altitudes and encounter frost and occassional snow.

Sorry Simon, I know this doesn't help with C. australis

Oh right thanks for that info., Darran - I'm too much of a wuss to leave it unprotected this year but I might give it a go next year if it sails through this Winter.

Pete

What ever you do, don’t cover them with plastic to protect them, they need to breath or they will rot, Simon is it well rooted in its pot, if it isn’t I would protect it in your green house but don’t let the pot dry out there not like Dicksonia's Cyathea will die if they get to dry

darran wrote:Pete, I have a number of C. cooperi's none of which are of a large size. I have tried various methods of protection, whilst always leaving one unprotected. All are totally defoliated with the first frost, but all come back into life at the same time, protected or not. Now I dont protect any!

I dont know if I have a more hardy strain as all mine were collected in the Azores, many can be seen growing at high altitudes and encounter frost and occassional snow.

Sorry Simon, I know this doesn't help with C. australis

Darran,
Do you have any experience with Cyathea medullaris? I have one, trunkless and planted out - and am not sure whether I should protect it or not. I don't know whether it is more/less hardy than cooperi?
Simon: Sorry for hijacking your thread.
Pete

Sorry Pete, I only have cooperi.

I believe Mel and Keith have a very good collection of Dicksonia's & Cyathea's that they keep outside for the winter, so Im sure one of them will be able to give good advice for overwintering medularis.

Pete I feel well qualified to answer your question I have killed several Medullaris over the years, dig it up and pot it on then protect it in your green house or it will be dead by spring, once a good size Medullaris will survive down to –5 with protection but know lower.

Palmer wrote:Pete I feel well qualified to answer your question I have killed several Medullaris over the years, dig it up and pot it on then protect it in your green house or it will be dead by spring, once a good size Medullaris will survive down to –5 with protection but know lower.

Heck - I'd better get onto that then!
Its fronds are HUGE - do I cut them off (it won't fit in the greenhouse otherwise)?
Pete

Pete I don’t know if you can cut the leaves of. I would always leave them on because I don’t like the way they bleed, you don’t know if infection can enter the wound and cause rot. Cant you tie the leaves up? maybe someone ells can tell you if you can cut them of or not

I can try to tie them up, but suspect they may break. They're about 4 feet long.

Thanks for your replies (those that stuck to my topic ). Tony, I will check how ell it is rooted tonight. I think I am correct in saying that australis is the hariest of the Cyathea, which is why I chose it. Should I expect to loose the fronds if it stays outside?

A few long nights of -5C will scorch and eventually kill the fronds on C. australis. If you must reduce the volume of these things for storage etc then try and partly slice through the base of the stipe and allow the fronds to hang down the trunk vertically. The fronds will still partly function and also offer a bit of extra protection against frost and total moisture loss.

Simon, I am the same as you. Mine has only a very small trunk, And I was going to snip off the fronds stuff the crown with straw and put a large flower pot over the top with a brick on it to stop the winds from blowing it all over the garden.

I did it with my first D.A years back and it worked fine

I also bought a Cyathea (pronounced with a K ) australis from Akamba back in April. It has remained in the same pot and watered several times a day. I may see if I can overwinter under cover, as it does not seem to flush but a continuous succession of fronds. Hopefully this will give it a head start next year.
It appear to have 2 growing points, or more likely 2 ferns, definately croziers emerge from 2 different places on the crown. Simon, did you really choose it because it is the hariest Cyathea