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Tree ferns
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Posted by jimhardy Iowa5b (My Page) on Thu, Oct 22, 09 at 23:04
| I just found a source(finally)in the U.S.where I can find some great tree ferns.
I ordered,C.medullaris,D.antarctica and D. squarrosa,for starters and I have a nice C.cooperi(Brentwood)
Tree ferns are my new passion for sure!
I was wondering if any of you guys have any pics,growing recommendations,cold hardiness experience or other knowledge/stories you can share with me?
Thanks-I will post some pics next week when they arrive |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Tree ferns
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| Deinfatly do. they might just become the next plant I know too. They have great qualities. they look tropical and get tall pretty quick so they stand out among other plants easily. I dont have any experience with them, but have heard some can handle down to 10 degrees and come back, but I would assume it cant handle much of that and it wouldnt come back very willingly. They are still very ncie potted plants! Good luck! |
RE: Tree ferns
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Hi
Love tree ferns but found I didn't have the room for them. I grew them in the yard but in florida big deal lol.
They do get big rather quickly. For pots or indoors I'd recommend some of the SA dwarf tree ferns but even they get over 6 feet with a 10 foot spread.
I impulsively bought an Angiopteris which looks so cool in the shadehouse in a 6 inch pot. But reseaching the family I find they get well over 30 feet both ways lol.And it's not even a "tree" lol
What the heck will I do if it actually grows ??lol
When i was in Costa Rica there are "forests of them at mid altitude easily pushing 40 feet. NOT in windy florida lol. So beautiful looking up at them !!!
Good luck with yours!! Could never grow them in the house due to whiteflies. Some are quite cold tolerant particularly the Australian ,Asian species. gary |
RE: Tree ferns
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Thanks Gary-
Yea,some are quite cold hardy,probably close to Washys as far as the leaves go,certainly more delicate than Washys.
I have a somewhat shady/sheltered spot that gets some sun,on the east side of the house that I will try them in. T7-
They can grow crazy fast!
I am going to try a few outdoors in a few years when they are to big to kept in a humid place indoors.
So I say,I may get to attached to them!
I don't think they are quite as cold hardy as some of the reports say but I think a similar technique to what I am doing for the Washys could be used.
They are more tolerant of moisture and cool than palms would be inside there protection.
T.ferns would also be more forgiving to frond removal then Washys here and would not need the heat Washys do to regrow lost mass.
The only question is will I want to risk overwintering once a grow frond(haha) of them. There is a great site called-Cold hardy tree ferns page-with information and many other links to T.ferns! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Tree ferns
RE: Tree ferns
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| Only a "mock" tree fern -- chicken wire and bamboo cylinder framework for trunk, covered with osmunda or coir fiber held on with thin fishing line, cylinder filled with potting mix, and an ostrich fern planted in the top. "Mock" tree fern. |
RE: Tree ferns
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I wish I had a dime for every Australian tree fern I have attempted to grow. Years ago, I once brought one back from Miami. Gorgeous in the 95 degree 98% humidity summer. Put it out on a western-facing terrace and it turned brown in a few hours of 100 F + reflected heat. They have NO tolerance for drying out--NONE. So now, I let them stand in a shallow pan of water. Also, I try to keep it cool (either in a basement, garage, or outside shaded). They hate interior winter heat so it's NOT your plant if you are generous with your thermostat in the winter. I don't use anything but tap water any of my plants, but something tells me they may be more sensitive to your water condition
than most other plants (maybe chlorine issues?). So now I manage to keep them alive. I also really like the Red Brazilian tree fern (Blechnum). Had a nice one that grew well only having problems, again, with a minor drought I subjected it to unintentionally. The one I find a real mystery is Dicksonia antarctica. Had one brown badly in September before it even got frosty. Sun damage?--They were in part sun and I thought they could deal with this. Excessive drying? Soil quality? New growth was also non-existent prior to browning. Antarctica is supposed to be much more cold tolerant, and more sun and dry tolerant than the Australian tree. |
RE: Tree ferns
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| denninmi that was exactly what i was thinking but i would use a cinnamon fern. I would also paint the thing brown and use a steel rod instead of bamboo |
RE: Tree ferns
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| I need to get the hang of keeping a tree fern. I bought a large dicksonia it dried up like a twig in 1 week. |
RE: Tree ferns
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| Looks Like somebody already made a mock tree fern. I searched google and I found this. |
Here is a link that might be useful: tree fern picture
RE: Tree ferns
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| It actally is a pretty good concept. If they used something a little smaller in diameter and got some fibers and burlap to put around it, it would probably look a little something like a tree fern. It could defiantely fool some people. |
RE: Tree ferns
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Mine dried up inside last winter.
This year I am using clear plastic tents over my ferns*and bananas,they love it and are growing like crazy!
It's just to dry inside for Tree ferns in most house's,esp mine!
I will post some pics of the new T.ferns when they arrive. |
RE: Tree ferns
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Hi
. In my case i use larger diameter PVC pipe. You can add "seeep holes and of couse as tall as you like. Much more stable than the flue assembly in the pix.
The outside can be covered with either sheet coir or LF sphagnum. makes a great place for wet/wet type epiphtes or use larger holes in the sides for wet/dry/ epiphytes. filling the inside with light soiless mix drainage provided at the bottom.
In my case , while it works very well it setup and ideal spore bed for various ferns. They quickly over run the entire thing.lol Another alternative is to silicone cork bark to the exterior for dry/dry type epiphytes.
Unlike a real tree never grows through the roof or become to shady. Another bonus it's cheap and NEVER rots unlike driftwood. make it any size and with couplings any shape.
Obviously for tropicals the tree would have to be located in a protected area.?? But it could easily moved outdoors for summer??gary
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RE: Tree ferns
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Heres one of mine  |
RE: Tree ferns
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Nice David
What kind is that one? |
Indoor tents for T.ferns,bananas
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Heres my little indoor tent for T .fern and a bigger one for the Bananas.They are loving it!
 
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RE: Tree ferns
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Hi Jim,
I see, your botanic garden grows very effectively! ;)
Here is also a good link that could be useful for you:
http://www.uk.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ukgard/msg0407061219824.html?31187 (look under)
With best wishes,
Antti |
Here is a link that might be useful: Dicksonia antarctica 'Tree Fern'
RE: Tree ferns
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Antti
Thanks for the link
How did you get your T.fern you planted out through the winter?
I am thinking of trying some outside when they get bigger.
Is the picture of yours on that link the one you tried out?
What kind is the one you tried out? DA? |
RE: Tree ferns
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| Mine is a Australian Tree Fern. Jim your indoor growing area looks like mine when we have a freeze on the way. Not very often thank God. Your palms and plants look good. |
RE: Tree ferns
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| Jim I found a place near my house that sells large DA with 1 to 2 ft of trunk. The fronds are massive and spread out 3ft in each direction. I may go get one this weekend |
RE: Tree ferns
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David
Thanks,I will probably try to stay away from having as many bananas inside as I will be growing A LOT more tree ferns and also sprouting quite a few varieties of spores. Mike
What do they charge for them?
That sounds pretty awesome,DA is definitely a good one to try as they are one of the most hardy.
Tree ferns really fill in(nicely) certain times of year when it rains a lot, like lately.
I would love to see a pic if you get one.
They are really amazing to watch grow as the croziers unfurl during their growth cycle.
Did you check out the link to the hardy tree ferns page?
There are also some great pics on the- growingontheedge forum.net |
RE: Tree ferns
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| These are mine (Cyathea Cooperi and Blechnum Gibbum). David, my Aussie Tree Fern was about as big as yours when I planted it about 3 years ago. It gets bigger and bigger with every new flush of leaves. And with 3-4 flushes a year, I can say it's a fast grower. Right now, the individual fronds (?) are between 7 and 8 feet! It has about 1.5 feet of actual trunk, which I've already mounted some bromeliads to! 
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RE: Tree ferns
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| Hi Jim, All your plants looks great as always. You're amazing in zone 5 indeed. One trick I know with watering is let water stand overnight to let it naturally de-chlorinate. Sensitive plants that you must water like warm water especially during cool/cold seasons. It makes them grow better.
Hey Jim, you're going to have this forum changed to include tree ferns:-))))) It is definately part of the motif of plants. What sort of butia are you going to plant in the Spring - do you have a photo of it? |
RE: Tree ferns
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I usually leave my water sit out for a few days or weeks but I use rain water mostly.
When I water my outdoor palms I use water that is about 60(F)
I planted my Butia(eriospatha) this past spring. Heres a picture of it last fall,it has since lost the long leggy leaves common on plants raised in G-houses and not exposed to wind.It now has some stouter leaves that are more the norm for Butias grown outside in sun/wind. 
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RE: Tree ferns
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| Hi Jim, Butia Looks healthy. When are you planting it outside? TZ7 showed me how to post pics. When our rain finally clears up here I plan on taking some pics and posting. Tonite the phillies vs yankees if the rain claers up. |
RE: Tree ferns
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Hi, Jim,
very nice Butia!
My fern is certainly Diksonia antarctica that spent last winer outdoors without problems comparing to other plants. It is very unpretentious plant that grows very quickly. And overwintering is possible in completely darkness if temps are from 1 to 8 C. It hates dryness only.
With best wises,
Antti, Suomi - Finland.
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RE: Tree ferns
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| Nice tree fern anttisepp, it looks like It overwintered really well by you. On a different note, I hope the yankees win :) ... that is if they dont get rained out again! |
RE: Tree ferns
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Greg you crack me up sometimes(-:
I sometimes wonder if you read these post's!
Not trying to give you a hard time (really) but I have mentioned it a few times-
*****I planted my *Butia* last spring- this past May***** Looking forward to those pics!
Good luck to your team,they both are serious powerhouses!
You gotta give the nod to the Yankees the way they have played the last few months!-
The Phillies are the best in the national league by far though.Should be a good series. Antti
How did you overwinter your DA?
Was it with your other palms?
What low temps did it see? B.T.W.
You guys, I upped my order to- 2-Squarossa
3-D.antarctica
1-C.medullaris I will post some picks of them when they arrive next week. |
RE: Tree ferns
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| hey Jim, Sorry, I thought I read you were going to put it in. when you read a so many posts sometimes I forgot who planted when :) glad I am cracking you up :)))) I am afraid to ask how its doing... the yankees surpised a lot of us tonite with that great win! |
RE: Tree ferns
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| Antti, what is the kind of palm on dicksonia photo? |
RE: Tree ferns
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Greg
It has grown 3-4 leaves this year,they are much more stout then the ones in the picture above.
The challenge right now is to get the palms,etc dried out a little and keep them dry before I cover them. Looks like we have a while(finally)before we see any significant wet weather again so.....looking good. B.T.W.
Mine looks pretty similar to your right now. |
RE: Tree ferns
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| I hear you, its been an unusually wet fall here as well. Looking forward to the good reports next Spring. |
RE: Tree ferns
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Tree ferns should arrive Friday-
I will post some pics then(-: 
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RE: Tree ferns
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Jim, it is in the same group with palms beside the south wall, winter temps about 0 to +5C (average +2-3C).
Serj, it's a seedling of Chamaedorea radicalis. |
RE: Tree ferns
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RE: Tree ferns
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| Tree ferns arrived today (-: Not to exciting to look at now but by the end of next summer they should be getting some really nice sized fronds.
They were way bigger than I thought they were going to be-
glad I built their little tent as big as I did. The Fern factory sent 7 T.ferns in all- 1-Cyathea Medullaris
2-Dicksonia Squarossa
4-Dicksonia Antarctica 
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RE: Tree ferns
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| they are beautiful. Some look like they already are getting a pretty fat trunk on them. They will probably be very big next year! |
RE: Tree ferns
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| Sharp looking collection. |
RE: Tree ferns
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| Thanks- Yea T7,I think next year I will have part of my room devoted to them instead of a table!
I am guessing the fronds will be 4' on some of them?
I plan on putting them in much larger pots to encourage larger leaves/fronds. Heres a great shot of the croziers uncurling on D.antarctica
form the Tropical Centre-these plants are truly amazing,esp when viewed up close while growing-quite similar to Cycads in the way their new leaves/fronds unfold! |
Here is a link that might be useful: D.antarctica
RE: Tree ferns
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| Wow, those are some nice shots. They are very cool plants for sure, maybe if I manage to make some room Ill get some :) . I really do have to learn to not get every plant I like though because im running out of room for them. Also some bad news I did lose my desert rose in the frost yesterday, but my pineapple actually made it with little damage ?! The pineapple was protected, but still Ive lost pineapples in nights below 40. |
RE: Tree ferns
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| Very cool picture Jim. How cold tolerant is it? |
RE: Tree ferns
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Sorry to hear that T7
I cant' quite place the desert rose,although it sounds familiar?????????
One plant that has surprised me is BOP,I would guess it's hardy to at least 25F. Greg
I have heard D.antarctica is "hardy" to 20(F)most of the rest fall somewhere between 20-32F.
I think some of it depends on the type/length of freeze and the exact area you have it planted.
One of the most protected areas of my yard is the east side,(for some reason)maybe there is a "drift effect"with frost from the North and West because all my other Castor bean plants are toasted but the ones on the east side are*fine* considering* 
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RE: Tree ferns
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| My BOP surprised me too. The leaves are much more cold tolerant than that of my bananas (they didnt get any frost damage and the bananas which were in the same place got some browning. My windmill palms seem to be in an amazing microclimate because nothing got any frost over there. |
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