Best time to move newly planted Autumn Fern?

13 years ago

Back in mid-June I planted an Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) under a big white pine about ten feet from two other established Autumn Ferns. Conditions are good there for the ferns and the older ones (planted several years ago) are thriving.

The new fern seemed to be thriving too, until mid-July when I went out to get the paper one morning and saw the new fern was flattened. Totally splat against the ground. I put a little fence around it and propped up the fronds and it seems to be recovering, putting out new fronds.

The problem is that I think a turkey(s) either sat on it or landed on it from the pine tree branches above. The "wild" turkeys have taken lately to having a siesta in that area (it's near the bird-feeding venue) and I've also seen the hen and youngsters jumping around in the pine tree.

I want to move the fern over to a less-trafficked area closer to the other ferns before the turkeys flatten it again. The question is when? The fern has been in the ground about two months so it has started spreading roots but is probably not well established. I don't want to stress it any more than necessary. I'll keep the fence around it until it's moved.

Should I move it in the fall? As I remember the older ferns kept green foliage through most of of the winter so I don't know how dormant they were. We don't get much snow cover in the usual winters and fall is long lasting.

Or wait until early spring when the fiddleheads first appear? Spring is very slow to come here.

The turkeys are here all winter and early spring until their breeding season when they disappear to nest.

All suggestions/experiences are welcome.

Thanks,

Claire

Comments (5)

kathyannd
13 years ago
Hi, Claire,

I would go ahead and dig generously around it and move it. I had something similar happen with Japanese painted ferns and ended up losing them. I wish I had taken the chance on moving them as they were unfortunately getting trampled in a big way when our pups chased gophers and rabbits who dug under our fence. Like you, we tried protecting them but ultimately lost them all - three beautiful plants.

If you have the time to nurse them through the move (watering daily is the most important thing in this heat), I'd go for it and do it now. There is still enough growing season left for it to establish roots to get it through the winter.

I also live on a coastal area and the winters can be tough on a plant that has been injured repeatedly during the year.
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks, kathyannd, that's pretty much the way I've been thinking. I went ahead and moved it this morning - egged on by the fact that I bought another Autumn Fern a few days ago and wanted to get it planted and out of its pot. So I now have four ferns in a grouping still under the pine, but with a little space for the turkeys to hang out (and land). Now I just have to worry about the five little wintergreens I planted under the pine in June. No turkey damage so far.

I've also been watching a miniature hosta (Change of Heart) that was doing reasonable well until a few weeks ago. Something, probably a turkey although it could be a skunk, has been scratching at its roots. I potted the poor hosta up and it's now on the deck with the houseplants for now. If it recovers I'll plant it in an area where nothing bigger than a Song Sparrow visits.

Claire
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kathyannd
13 years ago
We're blessed that we don't have turkeys here, although my mom was plagued with them. We have woodchucks and lost our entire veggie patch and all of the yarrow and cone flowers in our perennial beds to them last year.

One of our little dogs decided he had had enough and took up where the cat left off, clearing our yard of unwanted rodents including three woodchucks. Once they were gone, I became much more aware of the damage that they had done (and weren't doing any longer). It's been an amazing epiphany.
claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
Original Author
13 years ago
Oh, I love having the turkeys here. They're fun to watch and mostly do little damage. Seeing the babies grow up under the watchful eye of the hens is delightful. Of course, I love most birds so I'm biased.

And turkeys eat ticks, which is a blessing here. Not many woodchucks, probably due to the coyotes and foxes and neighborhood dogs running loose.

Claire
kathyannd
13 years ago
I love to watch the birds we have as well. We feed them year round. Saw pix of your turkeys on another thread and they are indeed fabulous. Any bias I have about them comes from my mom, who really had a rough time with them - they trampled her gardens and at her age, with arthtitic knees, it was a heartbreak for her.

We could use help with the ticks for sure, but for now, DE seems to be doing a fairly fine job of keeping them under control. That and oil of rose geranium sprayed liberally on the yard and the dogs.

Best time to move newly planted Autumn Fern?

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kathyannd

claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
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Best time to move newly planted Autumn Fern?

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kathyannd

claireplymouth z6b coastal MAOriginal Author

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