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Anyone have experience with deformed fronds on cyathea cooperi?


PhilippineExpat

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We planted the tree fern about 3 months ago and it had no fronds. It grew its first fond well but now its leaves have been turning black and falling off: XdOB3rv.jpg

It then went through a period of dormancy and now it's new frond is small and deformed. 

Some details about the growing conditions:

- It gets blasted by the sun until about 2PM. This is intense tropical sun.

- The soil is clay like, so I am wondering if root rot may be the issue.

- I've amended the soil with fertilizer before, but nothing recently.

- We spray the trunk with water every day to keep it as moist as we can (maybe this caused crown rot?).

- We live in a humid climate 

 

Any ideas of what could be wrong? We could stick it in a shadier part of our garden but I'm worried that digging it up will kill it. But if its doomed in its current location then I may as well take the risk.

20200308_110642.jpg

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You're likely right about the root rot. They're mainly a rainforest plant with a very large natural range. From south of Sydney to the top of Cape York Peninsula.

They like well drained soil but also constant moisture. You see them along creeks above water level. They're usually under some canopy although they can get some direct sun as it moves across the sky.

In clay up on an enbankment might work but no good on the flat. This is some inland in a sandstone gorge which provides seepage water all year and protection from harsh drying winds.

cg120813055.jpg.d24d46ca3dd09b57baa32deb86003863.jpg

 

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31 minutes ago, tropicbreeze said:

You're likely right about the root rot. They're mainly a rainforest plant with a very large natural range. From south of Sydney to the top of Cape York Peninsula.

They like well drained soil but also constant moisture. You see them along creeks above water level. They're usually under some canopy although they can get some direct sun as it moves across the sky.

In clay up on an enbankment might work but no good on the flat. This is some inland in a sandstone gorge which provides seepage water all year and protection from harsh drying winds.

cg120813055.jpg.d24d46ca3dd09b57baa32deb86003863.jpg

 

Oh man that is so beautiful! And those tree ferns!!!! Now that you mention it, the wild ones I see around here grow on lush, humid mountainsides and are under shade. I think my wife and I wanted a tree fern so badly that we got one when we really should not have =/ I think we will dig it out tomorrow and stick it in a better draining part of our garden with more shade and wind protection. I will be really surprised if it survives, though. I think in its place we will plant a royal palm because I heard they do well in clay soil. It's also one of the only 2 spots with enough room for a royal palm trunk lol. 

 

For our tree fern, do you think we can chop off the rotting roots? Or do you think this thing is done for?

Edited by PhilippineExpat
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2 minutes ago, tropicbreeze said:

You can do that with Dicksonia species but not with Cyathea.

Ah yeah I suspected that would be the case. Oh well. It seems like it's totally doomed. I think we will still transfer it because we have nothing to lose but I am fully expecting it to die. Poor tree fern :( 

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I've always thought the various tree fern species are more trouble than their worth in full on monsoonal/lowland tropical climes.... Do ok at altitude with slightly cooler temps and plenty of moisture.  The drying winds and low humidity are not their best friends.....

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43 minutes ago, greysrigging said:

I've always thought the various tree fern species are more trouble than their worth in full on monsoonal/lowland tropical climes.... Do ok at altitude with slightly cooler temps and plenty of moisture.  The drying winds and low humidity are not their best friends.....

Yeah I totally agree. This is my first dry season in the Philippines and I WAY underestimated just how dry it gets and for how long. We also live in a windy place so the trunk is constantly drying out. I also heard they prefer more temperate climates. A tree fern is definitely not the right plant for our garden and I won't get one again. 

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On 3/8/2020 at 5:07 PM, tropicbreeze said:

You're likely right about the root rot. They're mainly a rainforest plant with a very large natural range. From south of Sydney to the top of Cape York Peninsula.

They like well drained soil but also constant moisture. You see them along creeks above water level. They're usually under some canopy although they can get some direct sun as it moves across the sky.

In clay up on an enbankment might work but no good on the flat. This is some inland in a sandstone gorge which provides seepage water all year and protection from harsh drying winds.

cg120813055.jpg.d24d46ca3dd09b57baa32deb86003863.jpg

 

You were right! We dug it up today and found a bunch of black roots. I'd say about 3/4 of the roots were black and the rest were white. We cut off the black roots and stuck the tree fern in a pot. We figured it would die if we left the roots be, so we figured we'd take a chance. I fully expect it to die, though. 

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