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Dicksonia Antartica Tree Fern.

We are proposing to refurb an office courtyard garden, where we have a tree fern that has outgrown it's position, heightwise. Having seen crates of new arrivals at the wholesale nurseries, they just seem to have been cut off as a trunk. So, my questions is, could I just cut this one off to reduce the height and pop it back in? Surely it can't be that easy?!

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  • Well, it is that easy in theory!

    You should be able to cut the top off and plant it like a cutting. The top will re-grow but the base won't send out new shoots. In practice, I've seen ofsets come from the roots before when the top has died off due to frost, but it won't regrow from the top of the stump.

    I'd replace it, but take the top and have a go somewhere it can have proper care.

    One other thing, I've seen quite a few tree ferns that aren't. They tie an ordinary fern in to a chunk of tree fern trunk, and sell them door-to-door: the same guys who sell the cheap box topiary that never takes off and looks very sad after a season or two. Ironically, so long as they're watered, they are more hardy than the proper thing...

  • Thanks Paul. It's been in about 12 years and is now 8' tall - I want to get it back to about 5'.

  • Colin,wouldn't chance it,8 foot tree fern worth £300+,replace it with a 5 foot fern (about £150) and resell the 8 foot.Not as hardy as nurseries make out,one client lost 3 in the hard winter a couple of years ago.

  • Hi Colin, Tree ferns root easy in the the growing season,as my one come bare-rooted so just the big trunk. but i doubt they would root at this time of year.

    In very cold winters they should be wrapped with straw and fleece to protect the crown as it rots if too cold then dies. Good suggestion above, let me know if you decide to sell it.

  • Just found this post...

    When I was on a nursery we got hold of tree ferns by the pallet load. They were dry and completely dormant, having been chopped and shipped several months before. We took them and (at the insistence of a retail manager who didn't know anything about tree ferns) potted them. Within two weeks of their first watering they were well into growth, although rooting into pots took easily two years!

    The roots at the base of the trunk (in the ground) are stabilising roots, so aren't needed by the plant for water etc, so it would be safe to chop off.

    However, one key consideration before you get the saw out- how tall do you want it to be when it's back in the ground? It would be sensible to bury 2ft of trunk back into the ground, so choose your cutting point carefully!

    Also if it's growing too 'big' could I also suggest a thinning of fronds? It was a trick I used to use with tree ferns to make them look more practical to move; customers were put off by 3-4ft fronds adding extra bulk to the thing for planting, so I used to thin out fronds to leave a more open canopy which seemed to reduce the 'bulky' look of them. Seemed to give the desired effect.

  • Thanks Ben. Sounds hopeful, so will give it a try!  The problem is that it was planted as a centre piece in a 'modern' design consisting semi circular stainless steel/frosted glass panels.  The tree fern is now growing through the top of the steel pergola.  It's been in about 12 years, so it's been good value.  

    • I think with good handling now it will be great for another 12 years. :-)

  • As mentioned before, you should be able to reduce the height at the bottom. We used to have lorry loads of them in from Australia and they were literally like logs coming off the truck. They will root eventually, but as long as they are buried enough they don't need them for water as all the water really goes in the top.

    • I'm getting more excited by the day!  What a great game we're in, after 42 years in the trade I am trying something new!! I'll take some pics and keep you informed

  • Hi, I am in NZ (moved back from UK)  and would like to add a wee bit to the discussion, there are quite a few tree ferns available in the UK, Dicksonia antartica, D. squarrosa, D. fibrosa but also Cyathea spp - the easy visible difference is the trunk appearance after fronds die off.  
    Dicksonia: can be cut and replanted BUT IF you cut your trunk the bottom part WILL die, the growing point is at the top, the reason why a "dormant log" can be replanted and sprout is because it retains it's growing point whether it is short or tall. With the growing tip in place you may get off-shoots on the trunk - but not if you cut the growing tip of the trunk.  Replanting, the trunk should not be buried deeply!  This is like planting a tree too deeply - just plant it in enough soil depth to stabilise it only, then keep the trunk watered well - esp when newly transplanted. Don't "over water" too much into the crown as this may cause it to rot.
    Cyathea's - will usually not survive being cut in half or I should say, it is difficult to help them to survive, preferably transplant with root in tact.
    With my ones in the winter in UK (Surrey), I used to just use the dead fronds scrunched up and sat on top of the crown to protect it and then as the weather warmed and you could feel the fronds forming, remove the protection.

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