That's unfortunate. The climate in Southern California is just a little drier than what tree ferns would like. Because of the dry air, tree ferns here need to be continually watered. And they prefer slight shade too (although it is really difficult to grow a young tree fern if it is not getting enough sun).

If you have been drastically overwatering them (I mean to the point that the soil around the base was always damp), one possibility could be root rot. Tree ferns do better if the soil around the top is allowed to dry out a little, and then the ferns are watered deeply. Symptoms are sudden die back. There is no effective treatment once die back has occurred - the tree either recovers or it doesn't. The fungal disease Phytophthora cinnamomi can cause root rot even in drier conditions (this is also the leading cause of damage to avocado trees, and this disease can be treated). I've also read there's an unknown disease going around affecting tree ferns. This is mostly happening in Australia and it's unlikely you have it.

Thanks for your comment. Now Im not sure if its getting watered too much or not enough. Ive been trying to get my gardener to make sure its getting enough water. it always looks so dry in that area. He said the leaves from the other plants were redirecting the water. I hand watered it just now, but not sure if i should keep doing that. They've always been in pretty much full sun, at least at the top. I guess I will just wait it out and see what happens, but if it isnt producing more branches it probably not going to recover I guess.

Try deep watering , leave the hose on very low (almost dripping) for 20 minutes to an hour, giving plenty of time for the water to seep deep down into the soil. Water like this about every 5 to 6 days, giving time for the top soil to dry out. To check the top soil, dig down about 1 or 2 inches.

Yes, it can be a little confusing whether it is too much water or not enough water (because the symptoms can be similar), but I think you will have a pretty good idea which one it is. In Southern California it's usually not enough water. This is almost certainly true if you've noticed it's dry all the time and has never been muddy for extended periods of time.

Sometimes extended periods of drought can later leave trees vulnerable to fungus infection, ironically. I'm not sure if this is true for tree ferns, but it is for many other trees.

I could try that. Thanks.

Ok, I'll try just hand watering it every day in case the sprinklers arent watering enough. I just went and felt the dirt and its still really wet there from watering earlier. Another thing is that this yard is very root bound. its hard to even dig a hold without running into massive roots. I wonder it it just doesnt have enough soil.

It could be root bound because of the types of plants. Ficus and wisteria vines have very invasive roots and that could be sucking the water out of the soil. The clay rich soil also makes it difficult for water to penetrate very deep. I've read that one of the factors why some areas are forests and other areas are desert has to do with the soil. In warm climates with limited or highly seasonal rainfall, soil that retains water is better able to sustain plant life.

the soil here has a lot of sand in it. Im near the beach. Ive been having my gardener add top soil everywhere. A couple of years ago i tried to plant a bunch of different flowering plants and some that had colorful leaves. The only ones that survived were the geraniums. I have banana trees that do really well. I have giant bird of paradise trees. My guava tree has tons of fruit this year. I have massive bamboo all across the back of the yard. I dont think anything could kill that stuff. Some plants do well and others dont. My ficus tree is on the other side of the yard and is still young and thriving. I dont have wisteria. But who knows what was in this yard in the past. I heard it used to be a rose garden years ago. i still get rose plants that pop up occasionally but dont flower.

My goodness!! Please note that the roots of the tree fern are what make up its trunk!!! Forget watering the soil WATER THE TRUNK of the tree fern every day.

Flood the top and get the new growths wet too. The water will run down the trunk and get the rest of the roots wet and the ground moist. Also get a hose end sprayer nozzle and spray around the plant every other day or so. Push up that humidity. The gingers will definitely love you for that. Good luck.

Ok I will try that. It cant hurt I guess, It cant get much worse than it is now. Thank you.

This is a rain forest plant. It NEEDS a moist soil and would appreciate relatively high humidity as well. Also not happy in full sun. Even here in the much damper PNW, this is a plant that will appreciate routine deep watering as often as possible. In fact, it is most often found here as a pond edge or water marginal plant, appreciating free and easy access to consistently moist - even wet - soils. Can't think it would be the slightest bit happy under any watering restrictions or under drought conditions - I'm somewhat surprised it is still alive...............

So you really think I can save it?

libracats, I have one of these and have had it for some 48 years. When I first got it it was only about 3 feet tall. I moved it from my parents house to mine when I got my own home. Here it grew up to about 6 feet easily and in full sun and was exposed to the Santa Ana winds we get. I was surprised to see how well it was growing despite what i would presume would be difficult growing conditions. Yet because I knew its stems were nothing but roots I hacked it down to half size and put it in a pot with a humsy type of soil I concocted. And my procedure to grow it is what i have already told you. But let my image of it which I took ten years ago in 2006 shows the plant after I had cut it down.

It is still in the same pot and has gotten a foot or so taller. Yeah I think you can save it.

Thank you so much. I will water water water and we'll see what happens.

Any idea how old the fern is? How about life span?

I dont know Tim. They were here when i bought the house 4 years ago. They were already pretty tall. The prior owners may have planted them since I know they put in the bamboo and the banana trees. They bought the house in 2002 I think. Not sure when they were planted.

I love this plant,but lost mine a few years ago when we got avery cold (for us) winter.Mine at the time only got morning sun and did very well for many years.I even used to hang ornaments on it at xmas time. I'd love to have another,but with our water restrictions,i'll wait..