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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Dicksonia antarctica dying?
I bought a small antarctica in the summer and its been growing fast and happy until i forgot to water it...
So, many of the leaves still looked ok, a few had shrivelled, i watered it and stood it in water but over the last few days most of the leaves have continued to shrivel, nearly all gone now.
Is it a goner? Could it be going dormant? It's quite cool now min ~10C where it us in the conservatory and quite dark.
Time to buy a new one or wait till spring?
_________________ Mark
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 2:47 pm |
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David Matzdorf
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:06 pm Posts: 5321 Location: Islington, London UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
How big is "small"? Is it a trunkless sporeling or a short-trunked plant?
If it has any kind of trunk, then it has a reserve of carbohydrate that it can use to make new fronds next spring. Or, in a conservatory, even this winter.
Whichever, I would wait until next spring before giving up on the fern. In fact, I would wait until next summer.If it hasn't shown any signs of growth by then, you probably killed it.
But it is more likely to recover. They're tough.
It's naturally evergreen, so it won't "go dormant" of its own accord - not unless dry or cold conditions defoliate it.
_________________ 51º33'07"N x 0º07'21"W
43m (142 feet) ASL
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 4:05 pm |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Hi thanks for the reply.
It had a very short trunk, about 3-4cm, there were several smaller plants in the same pot but i'm assuming they're dead, they were getting buried anyway by the roots off the main plant. I could put it in the warmest section of the greenhouse (min 15C) if that will encourage it to grow sooner rather than later. I do hope it recovers, it was a much faster grower than I was expecting and was starting to look like a real tree fern (if a small one!).
_________________ Mark
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 5:21 pm |
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David Matzdorf
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:06 pm Posts: 5321 Location: Islington, London UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Cool is better than warm in winter. And humid is better than dry.
If it starts to grow soon, OK, but it should be happy enough to sleep until there's more light. If the centre of the top of the trunk is firm and not desiccated, it should produce new fronds from there eventually.
_________________ 51º33'07"N x 0º07'21"W
43m (142 feet) ASL
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 6:32 pm |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Thanks David, ill leave it where it is, lesson learned about the watering. I have some squarrosas and a couple of small cyatheas in the same area so remembering to water has to be a future priority.
_________________ Mark
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 7:41 pm |
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Kev Spence
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:59 pm Posts: 10902 Location: Loughborough, Leics, central UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Welcome to the forum Mark. Dicksonia squarrosa is a tough keep inside over winter it could do with spraying with water every day!
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 7:59 pm |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Thanks Kev,
I keep them in a small conservatory with quite high humidity, (its full of orchids/nepenthes and ferns) and they seem to like it in there, i bought two and one i put out in the greenhouse didn't do as well as the one in the conservatory so both are now there. Actually i bought the squarrosas thinking they would be faster growing but the antarctica was romping away. Now its got cold the only one still growing actively is a cyathea cooperi.
_________________ Mark
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:40 pm |
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Kev Spence
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:59 pm Posts: 10902 Location: Loughborough, Leics, central UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Cyathea cooperi never stops growing mine is outside and trys to unroll croziers even in the depths of winter! Just by chance I snapped a pic today
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 8:47 pm |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Nice! I didn't think you could grow cooperi outside? Do they survive freezing? Lowest we get in a normal year is about -3C.
_________________ Mark
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 9:05 pm |
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Kev Spence
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:59 pm Posts: 10902 Location: Loughborough, Leics, central UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Not normally just lucky I guess this survived 2010 and -11c with protection....apologies for going off your topic.
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 10:21 pm |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
No problem going off topic, think my antarctica question was answered, really very interested to hear I might be able to put the cooperi outside at some point (when much bigger).
_________________ Mark
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Sat Nov 26, 2016 11:11 pm |
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David Matzdorf
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:06 pm Posts: 5321 Location: Islington, London UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
I think the general conclusion here is that Kev has an unusually hardy C. cooperi and is growing it unusually well. No one here has heard of anyone else in the UK who has managed to get theirs through anything close to his winter conditions.
_________________ 51º33'07"N x 0º07'21"W
43m (142 feet) ASL
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Sun Nov 27, 2016 12:31 pm |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
C. australis maybe?
_________________ Mark
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Sun Nov 27, 2016 4:58 pm |
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Kev Spence
Site Admin
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:59 pm Posts: 10902 Location: Loughborough, Leics, central UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
Lost a 7ft trunked C.australis here even before 2010
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Sun Nov 27, 2016 7:00 pm |
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SilverShaded
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 7:37 pm Posts: 60 Location: Cheshire UK
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Re: Dicksonia antarctica dying?
hmm, mine will be staying in the greenhouse then.
_________________ Mark
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Sun Nov 27, 2016 7:12 pm |
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