Hardy Tropicals UK

any special advice for it other than whats been written? I have it in a shallow bowl of water to keep the moisture high. I have read a few days dry will kill it very fast.

Dry does kill them but damp in cold conditions does too

my cooperi is on the decline. the fronds seem to be drying up..out of 3 there is only 1 good one left and it looks to be drying up as well. the soil is completly saturated and it sits in a shallow pan of water there is no way its not getting enough water. the temp in the room stays around 70 with a humidifier going in the evening. IDK what went wrong with it but I hope it makes it till spring, doubt that the way its looking.

miketropic wrote:my cooperi is on the decline. the fronds seem to be drying up..out of 3 there is only 1 good one left and it looks to be drying up as well. the soil is completly saturated and it sits in a shallow pan of water there is no way its not getting enough water. the temp in the room stays around 70 with a humidifier going in the evening. IDK what went wrong with it but I hope it makes it till spring, doubt that the way its looking.

It won't be happy sitting in saturated soil. They like lots of moisture but a free draining compost. Repot to a more free draining mix, get some capillary matting in the bottom of the tray and water when it starts to look dry, don't water into the crown.

From the picture it looks like it may have had a tough life and is in need of a little tlc. I would expect fronds at least 3 times as big on a small trunk like that.

Ferns don't like sitting in water, so before anything else get it out of the bowl and let it drain. Low humidity around the fronds can also 'crisp' them. I keep mine watered in a frost free polytunnel so watering down to zero is ok.

They can recover from defoliation, but on Cyathea keeping the roots happy is more important than Dicksonia antarctica.

miketropic wrote:my cooperi is on the decline. the fronds seem to be drying up..out of 3 there is only 1 good one left and it looks to be drying up as well. the soil is completly saturated and it sits in a shallow pan of water there is no way its not getting enough water. the temp in the room stays around 70 with a humidifier going in the evening. IDK what went wrong with it but I hope it makes it till spring, doubt that the way its looking.

Why is it saturated? It needs to be moist but not wet. One of my plugs lost most of its fronds last winter, whilst the other two remained happy. They all came back and grew equally as strongly.

I'm really hoping this cold spell lifts very soon as I need to open up my polyhouse and check on everything and get some proper air to them.

I also want to open the tree ferns and give them some air.

Sorry if somebody has already said this(this is quite a long thread and i haven't read all of the posts )
I have a small collection of tree ferns(inc.Australis) and i spray the trunks and crowns with seaweed extract,diluted with rain water,about twice a week.Only when they start growing again in spring.So far they are all looking very healthy.I am sure it also helps,that i live in a mild,wet area of the uk.

Half Hardy wrote:Sorry if somebody has already said this(this is quite a long thread and i haven't read all of the posts )
I have a small collection of tree ferns(inc.Australis) and i spray the trunks and crowns with seaweed extract,diluted with rain water,about twice a week.Only when they start growing again in spring.So far they are all looking very healthy.I am sure it also helps,that i live in a mild,wet area of the uk.

What brand of feed do you use as I would not mind trying some on my Australis.

fern Rob wrote:

Half Hardy wrote:Sorry if somebody has already said this(this is quite a long thread and i haven't read all of the posts )
I have a small collection of tree ferns(inc.Australis) and i spray the trunks and crowns with seaweed extract,diluted with rain water,about twice a week.Only when they start growing again in spring.So far they are all looking very healthy.I am sure it also helps,that i live in a mild,wet area of the uk.

What brand of feed do you use as I would not mind trying some on my Australis.

Hi Rob,the stuff i use is called sea maid(seaweed extract), on the label they give a web site http://www.mydasplantcare.co.uk
I buy mine from a well known (in the southwest)discount store called trago mills.The best bit is the price....the last time i bought some it was 75p for 250ml which you dilute at 10ml to 4.5l.They claim a lot of good things on the label inc. better frost resistance and stronger root development.

I know veg. gardeners have been using it for decades,so there might be some truth in it.I am sure you could use any brand of seaweed extract though.

I use Maxicrop seaweed extract, but that is around £8 per litre, but last year I bought 10ltr for £45 delivered from ebay.

It is a growth enhancer, rather than a feed, so is used in conjunction with Miracle-gro

Half Hardy. That URL is not a website, just a holding page to go with a domain.

Dave Brown wrote:I use Maxicrop seaweed extract, but that is around £8 per litre, but last year I bought 10ltr for £45 delivered from ebay.

It is a growth enhancer, rather than a feed, so is used in conjunction with Miracle-gro

Half Hardy. That URL is not a website, just a holding page to go with a domain.

Hi Dave, i quoted the web address off the label,the forum automatically posted it as a url link.I tried to click on it myself and got the same result as you.The postal address on the label is P.O. Box 198,plymouth,PL6 2ZT.

I don't have any connection with the company,just impressed with the product and the price.Trago Mills has a 15% off sale on all products at the moment so if they haven't put the price up since last summer it would be less than 64p for 250ml.They used to sell it in 1l sizes,which worked out even better value,but i couldn't find any last time i was there.If they are collecting the seaweed free of charge,then there is no need for it to be expensive,but quite honestly the container it comes in,looks like it would cost more than 64p.

It says it's an organic growth stimulant,suitable for germinating,propagating,transplanting and growing on mature plants.It also says it can be used seperately or mixed with plant foods.

Dave Brown wrote:Half Hardy. That URL is not a website, just a holding page to go with a domain.

Only thing I managed to turn up on Google was this:

http://www.made-in-china.com/traderoom/ ... h-Ltd.html

Quote:

"Mydas Earth Ltd distribute the Mydas Plant Care range of horticultural products for professional and amateur use that fulfill the functions of plant nutrition, protection and propagation. Branded as Early Bird, Sea Maid, Forest Gold, Protector Mesh, Protector Fleece, Weedaway and Qualigro, these products are made available to distributors throughout the UK and Europe.

The companies aims are to supply professional growers and gardeners with excellent value products that do not contradict the working mechanisms of natural systems.

Where ever possible, materials will be sourced from the planet Earth to comply with the companies aims of value and environmental sustainability."

Dave Brown wrote:I keep mine watered in a frost free polytunnel so watering down to zero is ok.

I have been watering my Cyathea over the crown, and some water runs down to the roots (I have been doing the same with my Dicksonia antarctica)

All are in pots in the frost-free conservatory

Is that OK for Cyathea, or should I just be watering the pot/soil?

Kristen wrote:

Dave Brown wrote:I keep mine watered in a frost free polytunnel so watering down to zero is ok.

I have been watering my Cyathea over the crown, and some water runs down to the roots (I have been doing the same with my Dicksonia antarctica)

All are in pots in the frost-free conservatory

Is that OK for Cyathea, or should I just be watering the pot/soil?

I wouldn't water Cyathea crowns in winter. More chance of rot setting in. All bought Cyatheas should be well rooted so watering the soil should be sufficient.