Dicksonia antarctica protection survey

[sanatic1234]

Read it again fernrob i think you will find it was! Good night.

[fern Rob]

I really don't get your point this is a different post with a different aim, it was quite simple what I wanted to find out not a debate.

[CW01]

I protect when necessary as in previous years but this year I have only had the fleece ball in the crown once been very mild here but very wet and windy,protection at the ready in case the weather turns to the east though.So in answer to your survey Rob I have to say yes and no

[Dave Brown]

ok, I have been tied up most of the time over the last week or so.

I cannot understand the attitude of " We have discussed before so you should not discuss now" If I employed that rule virtually everything discussed on the forum now, has been discussed in some form or other before, and gleaning useful data from 20,000 words is not easy. I am in favour of a survey .....

There are a few questions that need to be asked, but we need to determine exactly what they are to get the most out of it.

I have to go to Move my mother from Essex to Kent today so will discuss later.

[flounder]

Unfortunately, I don't have any at the moment. When I do decide to go for footage I have to say unprotected. The tree ferns I know of down in this not so cold area, are unprotected except for maybe the old fronds bent over the crown.

[cordyman]

To answer your question Rob

"do you mummify your tree ferns through winter in general?"

The last 3 winters since i've owned a Dicksonia antarctica, i've protected, from start of the risky season where cool temps can swoop in quickly right through till spring. Working many days a week I just don't have the time or incline to be faffing about in the dark panic wrapping if cold arrives and I don't generally keep on top of the forecasts anymore.

So i've voted yes.

BUT, if this winter is the start of a big change and we've returned to 90's winter patterns, and this can be backed up with jetstream data etc etc i'll leave it unprotected with just a fleece ball for the odd frost.

[sanatic1234]

We have discussed before so you should not discuss now" Not sure i said should not discuss now.

That was aimed at a previous post dave fernrob knows which one i am talking about ok it is not a survey but it gives the general idea of people thoughts. There was a big discussion on who protects there tree ferns and who doesn't quite basically doing what the survey is asking, There were mentions of how they protect them meaning how much protection is used during the winter say for example just a fleece ball or wrapping the trunks. My point was that if you looked back at the post you would have a good idea as to where the survey would be going in terms of results. The problem with the survey is that the answers will change from year after year depending on the winters we get. As IF we have a string of mild winters now and that is an IF then i would dare say some peoples attitude on protecting when mild may change, but then if we have the extreme colds like 2010 then i should think just about everyone who doesn't protect now will so it will change so the survey would be completely different, may be the survey should be labelled for individual years. Then you would see how peoples thoughts change over the winters due to weather factors

[cordyman]

We have discussed before so you should not discuss now" Not sure i said should not discuss now.

That was aimed at a previous post dave fernrob knows which one i am talking about ok it is not a survey but it gives the general idea of people thoughts. There was a big discussion on who protects there tree ferns and who doesn't quite basically doing what the survey is asking, There were mentions of how they protect them meaning how much protection is used during the winter say for example just a fleece ball or wrapping the trunks. My point was that if you looked back at the post you would have a good idea as to where the survey would be going in terms of results. The problem with the survey is that the answers will change from year after year depending on the winters we get. As IF we have a string of mild winters now and that is an IF then i would dare say some peoples attitude on protecting when mild may change, but then if we have the extreme colds like 2010 then i should think just about everyone who doesn't protect now will so it will change so the survey would be completely different, may be the survey should be labelled for individual years. Then you would see how peoples thoughts change over the winters due to weather factors

The only thing I will add is if winter carries on like it does, super mild, IMHO my cocooned Dicksonia antarctica will still be a picture of health once I unwrap. Thats what I like about the cocoon method, there if you need it, no downsides if you dont

[fern Rob]

We have discussed before so you should not discuss now" Not sure i said should not discuss now.

That was aimed at a previous post dave fernrob knows which one i am talking about ok it is not a survey but it gives the general idea of people thoughts. There was a big discussion on who protects there tree ferns and who doesn't quite basically doing what the survey is asking, There were mentions of how they protect them meaning how much protection is used during the winter say for example just a fleece ball or wrapping the trunks. My point was that if you looked back at the post you would have a good idea as to where the survey would be going in terms of results. The problem with the survey is that the answers will change from year after year depending on the winters we get. As IF we have a string of mild winters now and that is an IF then i would dare say some peoples attitude on protecting when mild may change, but then if we have the extreme colds like 2010 then i should think just about everyone who doesn't protect now will so it will change so the survey would be completely different, may be the survey should be labelled for individual years. Then you would see how peoples thoughts change over the winters due to weather factors

I have said it before, this is a different topic not based on the small debate between a Few of us. This is a easy way of collating data without someone writing a analysis. I'm more than happy to re-write the whole survey with more detail. I'm fed up of the bickering as this post topic is dedicated to one specific area of tree fern care, why would I bother writing a topic if it had already been answered? Not everything as to come to a conclusion, normally topics are discussions on a subject, but every time I bring up winter protection it always comes back to a debate, or anything tree ferns related.

[fern Rob]

Question that should be asked is how many people have had problems with there tree ferns due to protecting them all winter?

[Mick C]

Question that should be asked is how many people have had problems with there tree ferns due to protecting them all winter?

That's an interesting one - is there a risk that protecting them early may encourage them to push out croziers before the worst of winter is over?

[cordyman]

Question that should be asked is how many people have had problems with there tree ferns due to protecting them all winter?

That's an interesting one - is there a risk that protecting them early may encourage them to push out croziers before the worst of winter is over?

I always find a crown full of knuckles when I unwrap, once light hits them they start to awake

[sanatic1234]

You will have to do a survey every year though fernrob as winters will be different every year, peoples decisions on if to protect or not will change from one year to the next and it will be winter that decides that. On a forum though fernrob you will always get bickering no matter what forum your on. If two people have strong believes that are different like me and you then we are always going to clash as you will doubt me my beliefs and i will doubt yours. It is the joys of gardening forums, everyone is different.

Cordyman. That is entirely up to you mate, If you want to keep it cocooned as you say then that is your choice. Everyone has there own ways. You know my ways

[sanatic1234]

Question that should be asked is how many people have had problems with there tree ferns due to protecting them all winter?

That's an interesting one - is there a risk that protecting them early may encourage them to push out croziers before the worst of winter is over?

I think if mild mick quite possibly but can not say for sure, as we all know fleece increases temperature by a round 2-3c if it is say 8-c outside during the day and its wrapped then you may add 2-3c on top of that pushing the temperature up to 10 or 11c a round your tree fern. so there could be a risk, but then i have had the one knuckle push up this year with just about no protection all winter.

[GoggleboxUK]

This is the first winter I have had Tree Ferns and I haven't had a subzero so far this winter and they are growing still, pushing up new croziers.

Under these circumstances, based on my past experience and ignoring the fact that under certain different circumstances things would be different, I voted No.

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