Soft tree fern looks dead

cordni

Hi there, I have a soft tree fern that appears to have been a victim of our very gold winters. The inside of the trunk looks like mush, I suspect it's a goner. Does anyone know if there is any chance of this recovering next year , or should I just remove it now. thanks

slowburner

"Mush" - doesn't sound too good

emo72

i have exactly the same problem. looks like its a goner. but i will leave mine another year and see what happens.

cordni

Hi emo72, I am total novice and I guess anything nice in my garden is a result of pure luck rather than gardening skill, can I ask how u will protect the fern over winter? My thoughts are to use a fleece over it but would appreciate advice if this is wrong. Thanks

emo72

hi cordni, yea, you just need to insulate it so fleece would be fine. wrap the whole trunk and pay special attention to the top of it where the crown is. i think someone killed one by using shrinkwrap, because it got not air at it and didnt let moisture out. it has to "breathe".

cordni

Thanks for that. Fingers crossed then

moceri

I had 2 disasters with Tree ferns and the crown was a brown mush. If there are no Green curled up croziers all is not lost. Remove all the dead pulp, if necessary take a few inches off the crown with a saw until sound white core is exposed. Scoop out a small bowl shaped hollow about 1" deep.
Purchase a small baby Tree fern and remove from pot. Wash off the soil and trim the roots leaving about 1" growth. Plant in the newly shaped bowl. Keep the Sides and base of the Host plant well watered. DO NOT WATER the CROWN or it will rot. When established, Fertilize around the base of Host plant.

secman

i too have lost a decent size Tree Fern, have you actually had success with the growing of a young tree within the old tree ?

How far do you need to cut down on the old tree ?

thanks

Secman

slowburner

moceri wrote: »

I had 2 disasters with Tree ferns and the crown was a brown mush. If there are no Green curled up croziers all is not lost. Remove all the dead pulp, if necessary take a few inches off the crown with a saw until sound white core is exposed. Scoop out a small bowl shaped hollow about 1" deep.
Purchase a small baby Tree fern and remove from pot. Wash off the soil and trim the roots leaving about 1" growth. Plant in the newly shaped bowl. Keep the Sides and base of the Host plant well watered. DO NOT WATER the CROWN or it will rot. When established, Fertilize around the base of Host plant.

Fascinating solution. I have two questions for you.
1. Does the baby fern 'graft' itself onto the mature trunk?
2. Do you get fronds that are proportionate to the trunk?

emo72

was told this by the a guy from the fern nursery in bloom. i think its a good idea too.

moceri

The Root consists of a dense mesh which covers the outside of the fleshy stem. The roots of the Graft will develop rapidly and travel to ground seeking moisture and nutrients. Keep the trunk moist by frequent watering.
The Fronds will not be as big as originally but they will be close. It is only proposed as a solution where mature ferns are lost. It replicates the effect of a mature specimen but he stump of the old fern is dead and will eventually decay but this will take a few years. By then the Graft will have stablished on its own roots and if it becomes unstable it can be cut below graft level and simply planted in the ground.

http://www.growingontheedge.net/viewtopic.php?p=61351

secman

Just an update on my Tree fern, it appeared to be dead, not a sign of life. I decided to hold off and just left it there, was watering on monday evening and thought i saw something green in the crown. Lo and behold there is a fond beginning to unravel, happy days. Hopefully it will make a full recovery and will definitely protect it this winter.

Secman

cordni

secman wrote: »

Just an update on my Tree fern, it appeared to be dead, not a sign of life. I decided to hold off and just left it there, was watering on monday evening and thought i saw something green in the crown. Lo and behold there is a fond beginning to unravel, happy days. Hopefully it will make a full recovery and will definitely protect it this winter.

Secman

wow that's great to hear. Can I ask, did your tree fern go to mush inside the crown and then harden up over time.... that's what mine did. Maybe there's a glimmer of hope that it might come back?????

The Garden Shop

secman wrote: »

Just an update on my Tree fern, it appeared to be dead, not a sign of life. I decided to hold off and just left it there, was watering on monday evening and thought i saw something green in the crown. Lo and behold there is a fond beginning to unravel, happy days. Hopefully it will make a full recovery and will definitely protect it this winter.

Secman

Good to hear your fern survived, i would hate to loose a great plant like that. A great tip given to me years ago for protecting a delicate plant like a tree fern. Put some straw in and around the crown where most of the damage is caused, followed by a nice wrapping of horticultural fleece around the crown and somewhat down the trunk. This will keep out the worst of the elements and allow it to breathe.

secman

cordni wrote: »

wow that's great to hear. Can I ask, did your tree fern go to mush inside the crown and then harden up over time.... that's what mine did. Maybe there's a glimmer of hope that it might come back?????

To be honest i don't know, i just left it in hope, they look so prehistoric, I just decided to hold off and see if it came back !

Will definitely give it a bit of TLC this winter and give it plenty of insulation!

Secman

secman

Just a further update on Lazarus the tree fern, its now has 2 fonds almost fully unravelled, nearly a foot long at this stage. There's a few more fonds starting to appear. Really chuffed, looked at a similar plant size replacement, over 200 yo yo's !!

Keep the faith in the Tree Fern I say

Definitely going to cosy it up with a protective wrap this winter.

Secman