Resurrection ferns

[Tropicdoc 371]

This live oak is at a mom and pop restaurant about a minute from my house. Its covered in resurrection ferns. I wish I could get my trees to look like this.... so lush!

[waykoolplantz 1,020]

Agree..here’s a night shot of one on my oaks

[Tropicdoc 371]

I can't grow all those tropical epiphytes like you. But I've been looking into some of the Aechmea bromeliads...…. And I can grow Spanish moss. it is native and all over the place.

[PalmatierMeg 5,928]

2 hours ago, Tropicdoc said:

I can't grow all those tropical epiphytes like you. But I've been looking into some of the Aechmea bromeliads...…. And I can grow Spanish moss. it is native and all over the place.

I don't know much about resurrection ferns but can't you transfer a small piece from that tree to yours? You can tie it onto a branch with cotton string that will disintegrate after the fern attaches. I tied a small piece of Spanish moss to my spinach tree and now the stuff hangs almost to the ground. 

[Tropicdoc 371]

2 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I don't know much about resurrection ferns but can't you transfer a small piece from that tree to yours? You can tie it onto a branch with cotton string that will disintegrate after the fern attaches. I tied a small piece of Spanish moss to my spinach tree and now the stuff hangs almost to the ground. 

believe me, I've tried exactly that. I have a few pieces here and there. The dang things are spreading on my brick wall UNDER one of the oaks, though!

[waykoolplantz 1,020]

I love Spanish moss too

Here’s the tree this afternoon.  Photobombed by that pesky Tahina

[epiphyte 117]

2 hours ago, Tropicdoc said:

believe me, I've tried exactly that. I have a few pieces here and there. The dang things are spreading on my brick wall UNDER one of the oaks, though!

When I attach ferns to a tree I usually put a healthy amount of New Zealand Sphagnum moss between the fern and the tree.  Initially I try and keep the Sphagnum moss fairly moist, with a little drying out between waterings.  Once the fern is established I tend to let the moss dry out between waterings.  Some ferns, such as Lemmaphyllum microphyllum, aren't able to "escape" from the moss island, while others, such as Microgramma vacciniifolia, are able to escape.  

Here's a pic of the L. microphyllum around three stories up on my tree...

 

[epiphyte 117]

Waykoolplantz, that's your tree?!  Kyle shares pictures of it all the time (latest share), but I have yet to see a picture of it with the hanging Dendrobiums (aphyllum?) in bloom.   

Here's an old pic of Dendrobium lituiflorum blooming on my tree.  It would be a big specimen now but a few years back I removed it and gave a big division to the Huntington Botanic Garden... specifically John Trager.  I wanted him to see how it compares to their Dendrobium aphyllum.  

 

[Josue Diaz 2,697]

I love trees covered in epiphytes! I wish I could grow some in my dry, interior climate. We have lots of epiphytes on trees on our property in Central America, just wish I could recreate that look in Fresno. Here are a few pictures from our trees:

bromeliads galore!

These ceiba species are loaded with tillandsia, bromeliads, aroids, orchids...etc. 

 

Edited February 11, 2019 by Josue Diaz

[epiphyte 117]

Josue, which epiphytes have you tried?  I'm guessing that the cold in Fresno would be a bigger problem than the dryness.  There are lots of relatively dry growing epiphytes.  The orchids and Tillandsias in my front yard get watered around once a week at night during summer.  

[Josue Diaz 2,697]

Just now, epiphyte said:

Josue, which epiphytes have you tried?  I'm guessing that the cold in Fresno would be a bigger problem than the dryness.  There are lots of relatively dry growing epiphytes.  The orchids and Tillandsias in my front yard get watered around once a week at night during summer.  

I can actually grow Platycerium. I have a few that I will be mounting this coming season. Hoya have also proven quite hardy. I have several large plants in hanging baskets. As far as bromeliads go, I am trying an unknown aechmea that doesn't seem to mind the cold, and a bilbergia hybrid. I use to have a large clump of the grocery-store guzmania mounted on a tree fern, but it died during the freeze in 2007. I may try some cheap guzmania again. 

Is that a cymbidium on your tree? How cool. I never thought to mount mine. I have several large clumps that grow and bloom reliably for me outdoors. 

[epiphyte 117]

Josue, if you can grow Platycerium bifurcatum and veitchii, then you should be able to also grow the orchids that share the same habitats, such as Dendrobium speciosum, delicatum and kingianum.  The Hoyas you grow also share habitat with other epiphytes such as orchids and ferns.  The same is true of Billbergia nutans.  Another couple good ones to try are Aechmea recurvata and Tillandsia aeranthos.  They both grow easy from seed.  

[Tropicdoc 371]

Hey guys.... any suggestions for wet zone 9a?

[Brad Mondel 755]

Epidendrum magnoliae 

Encyclia tampensis

[Tropicdoc 371]

Thanks! Will get those at some point!

[krishnaraoji88 436]

On 2/11/2019 at 3:23 PM, Tropicdoc said:

Hey guys.... any suggestions for wet zone 9a?

Aechmea disticantha and Bilbergia nutans have been the best for me up in the big oaks. Also in any tree forks I’ve put holiday cacti which grow well. Laelia anceps survives but doesn’t thrive

[Tropicdoc 371]

Now if I could just get you to give me a pup

Seriously thanks for the info can’t find Achmea distichantha for sale online

[krishnaraoji88 436]

I’m not in Florida now or I’d gladly send you some. I may go back in May and if you still need then I can send. There used to be a website that sold all sorts of hardy bromeliads but I’ve forgotten which one it was. 

[epiphyte 117]

 

Dischidia formosana growing attached to my Australian tree fern along with Crassula browniana, Echeveria gibbiflora and some ferns...

Lepisorus bicolor
Pleopeltis macrocarpa x Polypodium thyssanolepis
Polypodium aureum
Rumohra adiantiformis

The plants were established on a large chunk of New Zealand Sphagnum moss and they get a good soaking a couple times a week at night during summer. In cooler weather I water earlier in the day and less frequently. If D. formosana was in a pot it would probably be fine with once a week watering during summer. It's an epiphyte so it will need a well-drained mix like Hoyas, which it is closely related to.

D. formosana has rather insignificant white flowers but I really like the dime-sized leaves and hanging stems. I've been impressed with how tolerant it is of heat/cold and a skipped watering or two.

[TexasColdHardyPalms 3,174]

resurrection ferns will take 8F and still come back in the spring.  I have some on a giant Dioon that amazingly came back last spring after the winter.

[Tropicdoc 371]

This is a cool thread

 

[RJ 453]

3 minutes ago, Tropicdoc said:

This is a cool thread

 

[Tropicdoc 371]

The ribbon fern pics I looked at reminded me of my wart ferns and hardy bird nest ferns

[RJ 453]

2 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

resurrection ferns will take 8F and still come back in the spring.  I have some on a giant Dioon that amazingly came back last spring after the winter.

Apparently they are good to zone 6

[TexasColdHardyPalms 3,174]

I dont know what kills these, but they truly live up to their name.

[waykoolplantz 1,020]

15 hours ago, Tropicdoc said:

This is a cool thread

 

its been ressurected

 

[SEVA 911]

Thought I’d resurrect this thread with resurrection ferns I saw covering some Taxodium distichum in the Surry/ Isle of Wight area of Virginia. 

[SEVA 911]

Closer view