Australian Tree Fern (Dicksonia Antarctica)

[boatbuilder]

Latest post of the previous page:

The early new shoots on the plant died off and I thought the plant had been affected by having to re-pot it as mentioned in the previous post and thought it was going to die completely. However, it has now developed new growth and these seem to be progressing as they should. The ferns from last year are now dying back which I understand is the norm, although they seemed to thrive through the winter.

[boatbuilder]

Spotted this one when we were out on our walk yesterday. Seems to be the same species but many more years advanced than my own. Looks like the trunk could be at least 6 ft high compared with mine which is less than a foot high.

[boatbuilder]

The plant seems to have made a good recovery. Having removed the dead ferns the new growth has come on leaps and bounds in just a couple of weeks or so.

[Suffolkboy]

BB,it is looking good and hopefully it will be 6 ft in the near future.

[boatbuilder]

I'm not sure how 'near' in the future that is likely to be, SB.

[boatbuilder]

Still getting more ferns.....

[boatbuilder]

Taken today. Two more ferns now unfurling making 10 in all, so far.

[SheilaO]

I was given a baby one of these a few months ago, it was taken from the roots of the mother plant, and looked well established, my garden is very well sheltered, and the mother plant was just growing in the garden, it was about ten years old, so as it was autumn I decided not to plant it out, but to leave it in the pot, in the garden until the spring. unfortunately the two leaves it had are dying off. I hope they will return, I think I might put it in the shed during this very bad weather.

[boatbuilder]

I bought mine in 2015 Sheila just as a 'trunk' and the ferns then developed. During the 2015/16 winter the pot it was in blew over in gales and broke. I put it into another pot (plastic this time) and then all the ferns died back and I wasn't sure if I lost the plant because it was disturbed but then when spring came it grew new ferns and this winter so far only a couple seem to have suffered, so far. I think I am going to have to get it a bigger pot in the spring and pot it on. I believe the ferns need to die back as they help form the 'trunk' which is how it seems to grow in height. Do you have the special feed for it?

[SheilaO]

Do you have the special feed for it?

It looks like there is hope for mine still then, as the trunk is only quite tiny, about the width of two fingers. what is the special feed, and will I be able to get it from somewhere like Cherry Lane, Early Dawn, or will I need a specialist?

[boatbuilder]

I don't know about those places, Sheila as I have never looked. I bought this from Amazon just after I got the fern. You water and feed through the top of the 'trunk' and not on the soil itself.




Image linked from Amazon.co.uk: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com ... SX425_.jpg