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Tree fern in winter

Hi,

I have a tree fern in a pot and usually pop it into the greenhouse over winter and so far so good. This year however I may not get it into the gh as it has been potted up into a larger pot, I know they can stand  quite a low drop in temp but should I put the pot into a fleece bag to protect the roots and also I usually pop some straw into the crown to protect new growth so not sure what to do. Would you wrap the whole plant up or not?

I do live in Devon close to the sea so our winter temp doesn't go that low

 

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  • FleurisaFleurisa Posts: 779

    They showed wrapping up a planted one on the last program. They put a chicken wire tube around the plant, filled it with straw. Put straw into the crown, folded the leaves over it. Then put some bubble wrap on the top to keep the rain off. Your pot would benefit from some bubble wrap round it too

  • Tropical SamTropical Sam Posts: 1,488

    Do you have a place with over head evergreen cover? Some large conifers or the like? Seaside Devon should be fine if the crown is kept dryish and the roots dampish without any cover unless it gets a sustained below -5C. It should actually stay evergreen.

  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039

    Being in a pot the roots are at risk from frost so I would wrap the pot in bubble wrap and then protect the crown with dry straw and then maybe by folding the leaves back over the crown and securing.

    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Tropical SamTropical Sam Posts: 1,488

    Straw can actually cause the crown to rot, so if you do not fancy remocing it ever few weeks I suggest not to, esp if it has overhead protection. In Devon you should be able to keep the fronds evergreen, so I would NOT break and pull the fronds inwards - which you can do in more inclemant areas.

    I would suggest putting a few fallen leaves in the crown though, tough ones like Euctalyptus etc that take time to rot down as that will protect it and is exactly what happens in Oz.

  • Hi, thanks for the replies. 

    I have put the straw in the crown when it has been in my greenhouse, just didn't want to risk losing it but it was kept dry in there,I think I might bubble wrap the pot and push it up by a fence, I have a climbing plant at the back of a "Stella" magnolia so I might try and wedge the tree fern in between, failing that I will somehow move it to the greenhouse and bring other plants into the house 

  • Still need to put mine to bed! And far further North than yourself! H's-nan!

    Job for the "Weekend" as they say! image

    image

     Here's my little "Baby" image

    Never thought of leaves rather than straw Blair's! Natural abitat n all that! image Cheers! 

    Just looked this up! image

    http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Help-advice/Videos/Overwintering-tree-ferns

     

  • Still need to put mine to bed! And far further North than yourself! H's-nan!

    Job for the "Weekend" as they say! image

    image

     Here's my little "Baby" image

    Never thought of leaves rather than straw Blair's! Natural abitat n all that! image Cheers! 

    Just looked this up! image

    http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Help-advice/Videos/Overwintering-tree-ferns

     

     

  • Opp's! Forgot to press enter! image

  • Dean that is looking spectacular

  • When I lived in New Zealand (the land of the tree fern) I thought they looked utterly amazing out in the bush (forest), under a thick blanket of snow.  Biiiig ones, that had survived many winters, in quite exposed locations.

    What I'm saying is that they are tolerant of some quite cold weather.  With an established specimen, and in Devon, yours might be happy anyway.  Even better if you can get it some friends to cuddle up with...other trees, shrubs.  Do shelter it from very cold or very strong winds, which will shred the fronds.

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