very beautiful tree. i bought one recently only about a foot, young plants with lots of big leaves. it is in a pot. i was wondering if i could bring it indoor in the winter time. it is kitchen extension with good amount of light but never go more than 21 degree temperature. is it okay?
Hi, a bit confused as to how long to leave the previous year fronds above the crown after winter. You suggest 100-120mm, some places say its fine to cut just above the crown as looks nicer and the trunk will form to its natural shape anyway?
If your going to cut off fresh fronds you should leave 10 - 13 cm or 100 - 130 mm. Over time the remaining stump will dry out and once the stump has fully dried out you can then cut it again closeer to the crown - at this point you should still leave 2 - 3 cm (20-30mm).. Ideally fronds should not be cut off when green (as in this video). The lower - older fronds will naturally die off and should be cut once this has happened. The reason fronds look tatty is because the tree fern is not receiving enough water. The fern has to be watered at the top and the bottom with a lot of water on a regular basis. Most people get this wrong! Pouring a watering can over the crown does very little, water should be dribbled into the crown over a long period and the volume of water (strength of the dribble) should be high enough to fill the crown with water. The crown is cup shaped therefore the cup in the crown should be full with water so that the water soaks into the crown. Think of your skin, if you pour water over your hand it runs off and your hand dries within a few minutes but if you put your hand in a tub of water for an hour your skin wrinkles because it has absorbed the water - that is what the tree fern needs, to absorb water in the crown. I achieve this by running a hose up to the crown and allowing a trickle of water to pour onto the crown for at least 1 hour everyday during the summer, no watering required during the winter as it's too cold. My tree fern gets full sun from 8am - 2.30pm and then shade from 2.30pm onwards and has lovely lush green fronds that only get cut off when they naturally die back. The crown on my tree fern is nice and thick (thicker than the truck) and the tree fern has been in place for 7 years now
Hi - thanks for your question - they last & do perfect - the old ones protect the new growth - some straw can be placed in the crown to protect if the frost if its bad
Hi Kevin - thanks for your question - its hard to say without seeing it but if its getting narrower at the top, it would suggest that that old fronds are been cut too tight - if you leave 100-120 mm this creates the stem and should widen - does that make sense -send a pic to info@darraghconnolly.ie if you like
Hi Sandra - thanks for your comment - it would be best practice to dig it up with and cut from the bottom of the trunk then replant with plenty of compost and heel in well. Its noit gauraunteed fingers crosseds for a good result
