Dicksonia antarctica is a tree fern from the forests of the tropical zone, which can be grown in our conservatories and winter gardens. This plant has foliage characteristic of ferns, but over the years it also forms a trunk, resembling a palm tree. See what the cultivation of tree ferns in Poland looks like and what care this plant requires.
Dicksonia antarctica - tree fern
Tree fern - description, characteristics
Ferns are a very diverse group of plants, appreciated in gardens thanks to the possibility of using them in shaded places.They can be grown not only in flower beds, but also in containers and at home as houseplants. Typical for them are leaves divided into characteristic gills, which in their youth have the form of a crosier.
Most of the ferns that are grown in gardens and apartments today, have leaves that grow just above the ground, straight from the scales covered with rhizomes. It is slightly different in the case oftree fernsTheir leaves also grow from the rhizomes, but in the following years, after falling lower leaves, there are further layers of scales. As a result, the rhizome begins to resemble an increasingly taller trunk, on top of which there are umbrella-like leaves. Then the fern takes on an extremely exotic appearance.
The firsttree fernsappeared on Earth in the geological period known as the Devonian, more precisely in the Middle Devonian, about 390-360 million years ago. They were the predecessors of the ordinary ferns we see today. Fortunately, somespecies of tree fernshave survived in tropical forests to this day. Tree ferns , although they look very special, are not very popular houseplants. And this is probably because until recently they were almost impossible to get in Poland. Fortunately this has changed."
One of the finest tree ferns you can get today isDicksonia antarcticaThis plant is native to the tropical and subtropical forests of Central America, New Zealand and Australia. Diksonia is perfect for conservatories, conservatories and greenhouses, although you can also try growing it simply in the apartment. In summer, you can put it on the terrace or balcony.
If you provide it with the right conditions, it will become quite large after many years. Under natural conditions, the diksonia grows up to 6 meters in height, and the leaves collected in the apical rosette can reach a length of 1.2 to even more than 2 meters. In older plants, the leaves curve downwards. However, these plants grow up quite slowly, so you do not have to worry that the plant grown in the apartment will grow too large too quickly.After 20 years of cultivation, the trunk reaches about 75 cm in height.
This is the height of the rhizome that can be ordered online (this is probably the easiest way to get them). You can also buy seeds, but you will have to wait several years to get a plant with a trunk.
Dicksonia antarctica - cultivation in Poland
Plants are usually delivered as dried rhizomes to survive the journey. Plant the resulting rhizome in the ground and start watering it regularly. Then it will sprout wonderful green leaves.
Tree fern is plantedin the soil with the addition of coarse sand, compost and shredded bark in a ratio of 1: 2: 3: 1. Under natural conditions, dixons occupy the lower level of forests, so they grow rather in partial shade. In the apartment, you can provide them with a bright position, but not directly exposed to sunlight.
Standard room temperature is appropriate forgrowingtree ferns, but it should not rise above 24 ° C (we pay attention to this especially to owners of conservatories warming up in summer).In winter, the plant tolerates drops in temperature to 7 ° C, although some sources say that it can withstand drops in tmp. even down to -10 ° C. Anyway, in our climate, these plants are not suitable for growing as garden ferns. Outdoors, they may only be exhibited seasonally.
Watering the tree fernshould be done regularly. The soil should be moderately moist and not dry out between waterings. Since the trunk produced over time is essentially a fern root, it should be prevented from drying out by sprinkling it with water. This is necessary especially in hot weather and if the air humidity in the room where you grow dixson is too low (e.g. in apartments during the heating season). During the heating period, it is also good to put pots with ferns on trays filled with small pebbles and poured with water. Water evaporating from the trays will moisten the air around the fern.
Fertilizing dicksoniiis necessary during the growth period. From spring to autumn, every 2 or 3 weeks, water the dixson with a liquid fertilizer with a high nitrogen content.
If in the spring of the following year you notice that the fern roots have filled the pot, you need to replace the pot with a slightly larger one. However, when after a few years you decide that the diksonia is too large for your apartment, stop replacing the pots with larger ones, and only replace the top layer of soil, which will inhibit further growth of the plant.
I hope thatgrowing this extraordinary tree fernwill give you a lot of satisfaction, and its huge, umbrella-like leaves on the top of the trunk will delight many guests in your home!
