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Dicksonia Antarctica

DYLDYL Posts: 67
in Plants
I have a question with regards to my tree fern I planted last year which I believe may be dead. 

I protected it over winter by surrounding the trunk and top with straw but I left the fronds out to the elements which was probably a mistake. The fronds inevitably turned brown and I cut these off a few months ago. 

The reason for my question is yesterday I popped into a garden centre to look for a replacement and all their specimens in various sizes were frondless! Does this mean mine still have a chance to grow back? I asked one of the GC assistants who said if the top of mine was wet and spongy then it’s probably dead and it is. 

Any thoughts?

Posts

  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    Wait and see.
    I think I can see new fronds..the brown hair bits at the base.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
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  • DYLDYL Posts: 67
    Freddies Dad said:
    Agree with Silver Surfer, those brown knuckles are new fronds and looks like they will be emerging soon. Does it get dappled shade? 
    The majority of the day it's in shade. It was stunning last year. I will just be patient and see what happens.
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Mine is in full growth right now ; no protection at all during the 'beasts' onslaught .
    It's at the end of my garden and I simply forgot to protect it from the worst they could offer ; growing near a large Pinus nigra and Taxus  'Dovastoniana' probably shielded it somewhat .
    It has been outdoors for over twenty years and withstood unprotected the winter of 09/10 .
    The two blackish emerging fronds at the top may have been frosted , but the plant itself may still be alive .Give it a bit more time and plenty of water and it may recover.
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  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    The GC staff sound as knowledgeable as ever ; the crown should be more or less permanently moist anyway during the growing season ! Good idea to soak the crown and roots though ; keep the 'trunk' regularly sprayed as well , as this is actually a mass of root in itself .
    If dead ,the 'blackish' fronds at the top will probably snap-off if pushed sideways; any resistance to this may indicate that a spark of life remains . Think positive .
    I don't know why , but mine started growth a month earlier than usual , even after the low temperatures we saw earlier .
  • tomdexterscottMoEpri-ttomdexterscottMoEpri-t Posts: 21
    what happened? when I went to take my winter protection off the hairs/fur is very wet/boggy and spongey. can't feel any knuckles. i can see one or two black croziers that are quite hard. In 2021 it didn't emerge till june/july. But this year i am concerned and can't find any info or similar stories like mine. So it would be encouraging if yours came back?!
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    An old thread......... but we have had similar issues with one of ours. It is now showing knuckles whereas another in a different part of the garden has full fronds. With another we left the protection on longer than normal and this has resulted in a very boggy plant. We don't give up with it as it may come back now we have uncovered it.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Mine now has fronds emerging but they are about a month later than last year.  It’s a bit of a balancing act deciding whether to keep the crown protected all the time over winter or remove the protection during milder spells. I’d let the crown dry out for a while but keep the trunk moist until you see signs of recovery, then water as normal. 
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


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