Cyathea medullaris -Black Tree fern

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Got this beauty from the local hardware store , they had one with 7' of trunk but despite much pleading refused to sell me the big one ( display fern ) . Apparently they are one of the fastest growing tree ferns and in my opinion one of the most stunning. The black Tree fern is also native to the Chatham Islands .

How do they go planted in full sun ??

My latest addition !

A mature specimen

[Gonzer]

Troy, a buddy of mine planted a small specimen just a couple years ago, full coastal sun, and it the fastest grower in his yard. Unbelievable progress in such a short time.

[peachy]

Troy Augustus Donovan....I hate you. They are a beautiful tree fern and yes they are a fast grower. You can get away with full sun but you must water daily without fail. In Queensbloodyland we can only get Cyathea cooperi, slow as a wet week growth wise and miss more than a couple of days watering and they croak never to rise again. I have managed to keep 2 alive out of 20 and in 6 years they have grown about 20cms. You got it from Bunnings .....GRRRR I have a few Blechnums, they do okay here. Oh well, some compensations to living here I guess, like yesterday, I picked up 6 Rhopie cheesemanii, about 20cms high. Had to pay $20 for the six though. btw Little Mr Rhopie chatham island is doing well now.

Peachy

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Troy Augustus Donovan....I hate you. They are a beautiful tree fern and yes they are a fast grower. You can get away with full sun but you must water daily without fail. In Queensbloodyland we can only get Cyathea cooperi, slow as a wet week growth wise and miss more than a couple of days watering and they croak never to rise again. I have managed to keep 2 alive out of 20 and in 6 years they have grown about 20cms. You got it from Bunnings .....GRRRR I have a few Blechnums, they do okay here. Oh well, some compensations to living here I guess, like yesterday, I picked up 6 Rhopie cheesemanii, about 20cms high. Had to pay $20 for the six though. btw Little Mr Rhopie chatham island is doing well now.

Peachy

Augustus ???? LOL where did ya get that one from !

I think it will grow fast down here . The Rhopie Cheesmanii should do well for you . Lets see an update of the little Chatham .

[Darold Petty]

Stay tuned, Peachy, tomorrow I'll show you mine, (non-monty, that is!)

[Kailua_Krish]

Beautiful! I am definitely jealous!

-Krishna

[edbrown_III]

I grew one for a while in Florida you have to be wary of termites though

I plan to get some small ones nad start again once Fern Factory offers them.

Best regards

Ed

[Darold Petty]

Here are two shots of my fern, sorry I can't get a more clear shot! This one is 18 years old from a 10cm pot, and now has 4.25m of stem.

The silvery, shuttlecock palm in the background is Ceroxylon quindiuense.

[ThunderSRQ]

Does anyone know if there is a current source for this fern in the U.S.?

Thanks...

Tim

[Moose]

Does anyone know if there is a current source for this fern in the U.S.?

Thanks...

Tim

Excellent question Tim!

[Eric in Orlando]

I've tried they here a couple times with no luck but will try again !

[ThunderSRQ]

Eric,

What do you think was the problem with trying to grow them there at Leu? (too hot?)

Thanks,

Tim

[Eric in Orlando]

seemed like it, they never really thrived and croaked in mid summer

[Moose]

seemed like it, they never really thrived and croaked in mid summer

Eric - From your experience would you say we may not be able to provide enough temperate conditions for this fern to thrive in Florida?

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Here are two shots of my fern, sorry I can't get a more clear shot! This one is 18 years old from a 10cm pot, and now has 4.25m of stem.

The silvery, shuttlecock palm in the background is Ceroxylon quindiuense.

Awesome medullaris Darold - seeing this one and the ones growing in Britain on the "Growing on the edge "forum is where i got the inspiration to buy one ! .

[Kailua_Krish]

I recently acquired one of these, any suggestions for what kind of lighting exposure I should aim for in inland Florida? I understand that I need to try to find the most humid location possible, but I also have to consider our yearly low temps and frosts. Ive had good luck with both C. cooperi (exposed and under canopy) and D. antarctica (under canopy) so i thought Id give this one a go.

-Krishna

[edbrown_III]

I grw one to about 3 foot tall but I think termites did it in . I have a shaded area about 1/4 acre I call the rain forest. A 1" solenoid powered by a transformeer and 5 dollar wal mart timer keeps the yard water litely 5-6 times per day --- just 15 minute intervals but its the right amount of water and temp reduction for temperate plants --- I just cant seem to get the back ground diseases and pests (like termites at bay) I reckon I could use Bayer or some other systemci but I kinda like a not so chemically controlled environment there. Best regards & good luck. Ed

[Kailua_Krish]

Thanks for the advice Ed!

[Tropicgardener]

I have tried this one a few times and it failed for me but it lasted longer than the Silver Tree Fern.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

well My cyathea medullaris is HUGE now and has about 3 ft of trunk easily being the fastest tree fern in my garden ! They like LOTS OF WATER and i also have a mister that sprays into the crown for extra moisture . Never use any chemical fertilizer and a light sprinkling of bloodmeal every 6 weeks and mulch is all thay need !

I will post a pic of mine this Sunday !

Darold Petty's is the best one i have ever seen ( was there 2 weeks ago )

Troy

[edbrown_III]

Good luck to you Tassie , I wish I could grow here in FLa I am hoping Eric works out the formula maybe I gotta doze them with Bayer insecticdie or stake an anteater in vicinty . My first wife took alot of the plants and moved to the beach with all the yuppies but she did well with the tree ferns she got some of the various Cyathea to get 8-10 foot of trunk very beautiful plants but done in by insects. Not much room for error in Florida Best regards Ed

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Ok time for an update here is my Cyathea medullaris 2.5 yrs later

The fence is almost 6 ft . The small tree fern to the right is Cyathea robusta from Lord Howe Island .

[SanDimas]

Check this out....

http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/treeferns/#blechnum

[Kailua_Krish]

That page is quite good and Ive used it as a baseline for looking. It says that medullaris is slightly hardier than cooperi which I why I was curious as to exposure level

[edbrown_III]

Freeze wont do these in atleast in North Florida all you have to do is keep the crowns dry durin the event cover wrap with a garbage bag. you put a sprinkler on them or mist them durig the freeze the ice crystals will form and injure the crown. Like Pinky said you cant every miss a watering or its curtains ... I have tried these so many times and lost them ... I actually had one as good looking and about the size of Troys but it suddenly died and wasa full of termites. A few folks have g rown them my ex had some big ones and theres a suppper large one in River side g rowing up against a house. (probably benefiting from the houses termite protection ) I grew mine under pine canopy with the solenoid timed valve so I would nt miss a wateringn this was in the late 90s when we were having weeks of 100's degree temperature and the countys south of me were burnign and the plants survived but suddenly died . Good luck and keep trying Best regards Ed

[edbrown_III]

Freeze wont do these in atleast in North Florida all you have to do is keep the crowns dry durin the event cover wrap with a garbage bag. you put a sprinkler on them or mist them durig the freeze the ice crystals will form and injure the crown. Like Pinky said you cant every miss a watering or its curtains ... I have tried these so many times and lost them ... I actually had one as good looking and about the size of Troys but it suddenly died and wasa full of termites. A few folks have g rown them my ex had some big ones and theres a suppper large one in River side g rowing up against a house. (probably benefiting from the houses termite protection ) I grew mine under pine canopy with the solenoid timed valve so I would nt miss a wateringn this was in the late 90s when we were having weeks of 100's degree temperature and the countys south of me were burnign and the plants survived but suddenly died . Good luck and keep trying Best regards Ed

[Gonzer]

A couple of specimens belonging to friend in Oceanside, 1/2 mile from the ocean.

[edbrown_III]

it looks like they lighten up a bit in the full sun --- they are so black trunked in shade in Northen CA Thanks for sharing magnificient photo

[paulgila]

does anyone know if these can be purchased anywhere locally in the greater san diego area & if so where?

[joe_OC]

Paul,

Try the "fern factory". Jim Boeme has them in 1 and 5 gallons. I got a couple from him and they are doing very well. I would suggest you pick up a C. Brownii as well. It's faster and larger than any fern tree I have seen in Socal. PM me if you need the phone number.

Joe

[Justin]

Peter, Gary and I each got some "black tree ferns" several years ago - not sure if they were Cyathea medullaris or not. Peter and Gary, do you recall who the source was? Was it actually you, Peter? Whatever we got, they are doing absolutely phenomenal at my place, much better than Cyathea cooperi or Dicksonia antarctica - they don't seem to wilt as much on Santa Ana days.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I had two of these, unfortunately, a week of 108F last Fall killed one of them but I've managed to revive the other one after digging it up and nursing it back to health in deep shade.

Can these things really take full sun? I am reluctant to replant mine in full sun at this time given what happened last Fall. Even this early Summer's heat wave was tough on all my tree ferns.