How do I achieve optimum Tree Fern growth?

19 years ago

Ok, I just got a 2 gallon Dicksonia Antartica at home depot.

I immediately moved it to the screened porch that gets filtered sun from late afternoon to sunset, and watered it with a 1 tbsp. per gal dilution of the new 24-8-16 miracle-gro (in the same mix I put superthrive and a bit of epsom salt for lack of magnesium in miracle-gro.) But I am now reading that these guys hate the chemical stuff, so what do I do to get some nice growth? It isn't rootbound but I am hearing they won't grow a trunk in any hurry unless they're in the ground, so can I just move it to like a 5-gallon and get the same results as if it were in ground (at least for a while?) One more thing, how many times a year do these things grow?

Any advice appreciated, thanks for your patience with the wordy post.

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Comments (3)

plantfreak
19 years ago
You are correct in that they don't appreciate heavy doses of inorganic fertilizer. Better to go with any organic one, or better yet, lots of organic mulch each spring. Remember that the bulk of TF roots are within the first 6" of the ground, so mulch gives them something to root into. Also, LOTS of water on these guys except in really cold weather. They will never grow a trunk in a hurry; at best they can grow about 3" per year. It will not like your hot summers but should endure them if given a shady spot. NO SUN on this plant in the southeast USA. So moisture and organic fertilizer in warm weather only is the ticket to happiness for this one. Good luck. PF
palmcrazy
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks for advice! It's exciting to hear that I could get that much growth out of it, I have a feeling that 3 inches of growth this year would transform this mere "sporeling" into quite a plant.
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stephenpope2000uk
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Yes, you can achieve trunk development quite readily in a tub specimen. One to three inches per year in good growing conditions, after an initial establishing season or two - ie, semi-bright, sheltered, cool and damp conditions. So much so, in fact, that you'll wish you'd chosen a bigger planting vessel in the first place. Even the largest size of trash can - bottom drilled for drainage - will be outgrown in less than ten years and the organic matter in the compost chewed to virtually dust. And stability is severely compromised in small pots - wind will blow them over, or the trunk will grow with a leaning angle and over-balance it that way. An unstable angled trunk is guaranteed when growing under an opaque porch roof, as the light is not coming down vertically. All tree ferns 'reach' for the light unless it diffuses naturally from directly overhead.

My advice would be to go with a big, heavy tub right now, filled with enriched, moisture-retentive compost. And plan for very regular watering, maybe supplemented with an auto system - you'll need a daily soaking during your fierce summers. But nothing during frosty periods. And with so much watering needed, the compost is leached quite quickly and will need regular topping up and enriching. Spent compost loses moisture too quickly for such damp loving ferns, so re-mulching is important.

You'll find that fronds arrive in two seasonal flushes - the bulk in spring, followed by a late summer secondary burst that might not quite have time to fully harden off before the cold weather arrives. But that's okay. Within a season or two your 'baby' will have fronds so long that the fern's 'wingspan' may be problematically wide for your porch setting. Jammed up against a wall, these two-metre long fronds will not look their best or give you a 360 degree symetrically formed canopy - so think longer term about where the tree fern is going to live. You'll be fine for this season, and maybe next - but eventually this tree fern is going to need more headroom and an enormous lateral spread.

To summarise: more growth is best accelerated by masses of watering together with regular topping up of the compost. If you really HAVE to get busy with the fertiliser, just go with a VERY overdiluted soak with the Miracle-gro - make it extremely weak and disregard the instructions. Weak, weak, weak.

Steve - Brighton, Sussex Coast, UK

How do I achieve optimum Tree Fern growth?

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plantfreak

palmcrazy
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How do I achieve optimum Tree Fern growth?

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plantfreak

palmcrazyOriginal Author

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palmcrazy
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