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Planter56 · 11-08-2010, 10:45 PM

Well first of all, Tree ferns do not have trunks like trees. It's actually an upright ryizome. If you've ever seen a rabbits foot fern that's a rhizome that travels along the top of the soil. With tree ferns they have evolved an upright rhizome. It consists of old leaf stems, hairs, and roots. All tree ferns have a root system underground and around the plant, just like any fern does. The roots on the trunk it's self also form a function for collecting mist and rain water, that's why it's good to keep it moist. Most tree ferns grow underneath other Trees and there for get indirect or filtered light. If they have enough ground moisture then they can tolerate full sun. There is a good book on Tree Ferns by Mark F. Large & John E. Braggins that give full detail of how tree ferns do what they do.

Up here in the cold north, our winters are very dry, so misting the stem and leaves and keeping the soild moist, but not sopping wet, is essential to keep them happy. Also you have to be careful that the water that you use is tepid and not very cold. Let it warm up a bit from the tap.

As far as high light, even in the north west, that is very bright light. If you were to take a light meter and go outside on a cloudy day and take a measurement, and then go inside and take a measurement, you'd see a very big difference. But generally you try to keep your Tree Ferns from growing during the winter as much as possible. In the upper north west, they protect the stem and growing points as much as possible (even to the point of using christmas lights to do it). As long as the growing area when the fronds are is protected from freezing, it will make it.

In the wild it is different. Most of those ferns are protected by way of the trees above and around them. Also the winters they have are not like ours when the ground freezes solid. Most of those that do get frosted , will suffer some damage, but come the growing season, those old fronds will be replaced by new ones and look good as new.

I hope this helps somewhat. I'm not an expert and I would love to have a few more Tree Ferns, like a cousin, angiopteris evecta, whis is a huge fern, that has a large basketball size foot instead of a trunk. In time, I hope to give that one a try as well.

One more think, put the pot on top of a saucer filled with pebbles and keep water in that. That should help keep humidity up.

11-08-2010, 10:45 PM	#11 (permalink)
Planter56 Kurt Planter56's Photo Gallery Location: Buffalo New York Find me on the map! Zone: 5-6 Name: Kurt Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 155 BananaBucks : 56,434 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 78 Times Was Thanked 92 Times in 52 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 6 Times	Re: Dicksonia antarctica Well first of all, Tree ferns do not have trunks like trees. It's actually an upright ryizome. If you've ever seen a rabbits foot fern that's a rhizome that travels along the top of the soil. With tree ferns they have evolved an upright rhizome. It consists of old leaf stems, hairs, and roots. All tree ferns have a root system underground and around the plant, just like any fern does. The roots on the trunk it's self also form a function for collecting mist and rain water, that's why it's good to keep it moist. Most tree ferns grow underneath other Trees and there for get indirect or filtered light. If they have enough ground moisture then they can tolerate full sun. There is a good book on Tree Ferns by Mark F. Large & John E. Braggins that give full detail of how tree ferns do what they do. Up here in the cold north, our winters are very dry, so misting the stem and leaves and keeping the soild moist, but not sopping wet, is essential to keep them happy. Also you have to be careful that the water that you use is tepid and not very cold. Let it warm up a bit from the tap. As far as high light, even in the north west, that is very bright light. If you were to take a light meter and go outside on a cloudy day and take a measurement, and then go inside and take a measurement, you'd see a very big difference. But generally you try to keep your Tree Ferns from growing during the winter as much as possible. In the upper north west, they protect the stem and growing points as much as possible (even to the point of using christmas lights to do it). As long as the growing area when the fronds are is protected from freezing, it will make it. In the wild it is different. Most of those ferns are protected by way of the trees above and around them. Also the winters they have are not like ours when the ground freezes solid. Most of those that do get frosted , will suffer some damage, but come the growing season, those old fronds will be replaced by new ones and look good as new. I hope this helps somewhat. I'm not an expert and I would love to have a few more Tree Ferns, like a cousin, angiopteris evecta, whis is a huge fern, that has a large basketball size foot instead of a trunk. In time, I hope to give that one a try as well. One more think, put the pot on top of a saucer filled with pebbles and keep water in that. That should help keep humidity up.