I transplanted some EEs from a friend's yard a few days ago. Someone told me to plant them as is, and another person told me to cut off the foilage. I planted them as is. They are both between 2 & 2 1/2' tall, relatively immature plants with not a lot of roots. They are just laying on top of the soil, pitiful! A few weeks ago I planted a more mature purple EE about 8 feet away(from a nursery). It is doing fine. Any suggestions? How much water? Do I prop up the leaves?..... Please help.
The other EE is doing fine. Also, I have no idea what kind they are.
Hi Terichris, I am going to bump this up, so that maybe someone can come in to help you. I wish I could, but everything out here just grows like mad, so I don't know what to tell you that would help. Have patience, we'll get you an answer if possible.
Thank you. Someone did advisse me to hang in there. So that is what I am doing! They look a little better today. It has been slightly overcast this afternoon & I think that has helped.
If it was me, I'd cut off all but the newest center leaf. It'll still be able to photosynthesize that way, but won't have all those leaves to keep alive while the bulb gets settled in.
Or you could just leave as is; in your climate, it's gonna live almost no matter what you do!
Barb
Yep...me too...there is just too much leaf for the plant to try to sustain while in shock...trust me though...You will be thining them out in no time.
If I ever move them and don't want to put them in shock, I dig them out without disturbing the roots..keep all the dirt around them .just take out the block of earth they're in..even then it's a bit hit and miss.. otherwise hack the leaves, except the newest and plant.
thanks rj. They came out of sandy soil & it all just fell away. I mixed some sand into the soil. I am now looking at fern trees.....wish me luck!
I sure will...
The biggest advice on them is....water the fuzzy part everyday when it hasn't rained..When they're planted...just barely stick the roots in the ground making sure the fuzzy part is well out of the soil...it will kill them quick if the fuzz is covered in soil.
this is a fern tree pup....it's kind of blury, but see the fuzzy part the frond is coming from...there is not much more to it than that..I planted it less than a quarter of an inch deep... keeping the fuzz away from the soil as much as you can..of course the ones you get will be much bigger and have visable roots. that little fuzz cushion are actually part of the ferns roots system, which is why it needs a bit of water every day.
Maybe that's how I killed my tree fern. Planted it too deep. Crap. I loved having one.
I bought it at the Biltmore House Garden Center this past June.
Now I "have" to look for another!
Barb
I just came from walmart buying manure & buttermilk (think moss). They had a dozen australian fern trees. I never buy plants there. Our particular walmart's entire garden center looks like the distressed rack anywhere else. Anyway, they were less than $10 and about 3 feet tall. I haven't looked at my regular garden center. I just got this bug after reading palmbob's article. Are they usually inexpensive like this? Should I buy one?
OH. Just wait until RJ can get back to you. His is almost a full grown tree. He is an expert on most anything tropical actually. That is a very good price. I bought one at HD for $18 two years ago. Had to get rid of it because it affected my skin like poison ivy. Doesn't seem to bother RJ and probably a lot of others. Just a quirk for me. I would advise buying it and letting him tell you the rest. They will probably go quick.
LouC
OH YES...the answer is yes yes yes...buy it...that is a great deal.
This tree was slated for Home Depots throw away Pile...it looked like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree it was so scraggly.
It seems at first they like the edge of bright sun, but in shade..the older they get the more sun tolerant..and actually like it.
This mornings picture of the former Charlie brown...It didn't even have one frond when I bought it...
Now keep in mind, everyone, every location may experience something different. The soil is sandy in florida, which is actually good as they seems to prefer well drain by the roots.
I've spoken with PalmBob who has quite a few trees. He says some folks in California put drip hoses over the center where the fiddles/fronds emerge.
fern pup..
notice how the fuzz is well away from the soil.
Trust me, I only know this from experience...I've killed a few before I figured it out.
One thing I have observed is that if your able to keep them alive at least 2 years in whatever state...the 3rd or the end of the 2nd year...they seem to develop a hardiness...again observation from my garden
Thanks Christi.
This one has pretty good sized leaves...These are being grown from fern balls I got in Hawaii...they are just a round fuzz ball..
I am going right now to go get it. I took out a few jasmine bushes yesterday & planted them next door. They live in St Louis & don't maintain their back yard.....I replaced his sticks in the dirt with some huge ones & he'll never notice. I am the one looking at his yard so I want it to look nice. I will put the fern in their place. I will post new pictures of my back yard tonight. Thank you everyone for so much help!
cool...Good luck
Our garden show is tomorrow. With any luck, one of the vendors will have one.....
Barb
I am so glad I went back!!!! There were two left. I bought one. $9.44 , then I asked for a discount because it looked a little manhandled. They gave me a 10% discount. It had a couple bent fronds, it will be fine. They said I had a year to return it if it didn't live. I didn't know that was their policy. How long did it take the rash to develop? I am usually pretty sensitive, but it didn't cause any itching! Good luck finding one Barb. I can't wait to get it in the ground! Thanks for the advice guys. I need all the help I can get!
How big are they? Way to go...what a shopper!
Sounds like a pretty good price to me.!
Almost immediately for the rash. Took a couple or three months to make the connection.
LouC
as a precaution you can wear long sleeves and gloves...
It is about 3 feet tall & 3 feet across. I had a feeling it was priced low! WalMart is so sporatic with pricing. They must have really beaten up this supplier.
Dutchlady has taught me good shopping skills!
oooooh..man...what a great price!!!
I was weeding today & came upon this tiny EE in the spot where I planted a couple EEs a month ago. I determined it was too much sun & moved them to a shadier spot. The original ones pictured in the first photo on this thread are green. The new plant is purple though. It looks exactly like the purple ones I had planted many feet away. They weren't in the ground long enough for the roots to have spread that far. The mature plants couldn't take the sun, but will this little one be better acclimated to it? It gets hot sun in the afternoon for a few hours, but pretty shady the rest of the day. If I need to move it, how big should it be?
Teri,
You could go ahead and move it now. I can't explain how it got there but it should go back into the shade. Morning sun might be okay, but only for a couple hours.
Molly
:^)))
Here we lay the tree fern on the ground or at an angle. The roots are all exterior...good way to fertilize is to spray the fert on the trunks. The are great to grow epiphytes on...like orchids, ferns, hoyas etc.....
Carol
terichris how are your fern trees doing?
It is doing well! I had to educate the pool man that the newly cleared area was not a new path to get to the pump...I had some broken fronds, but all is better now! I have been keeping it moist & so far it looks good. I remember someone saying it takes about 2 years for them to settle in. I see a new leaf uncurl every 10 days or so. Thanks for asking!
Sounds like they are doing good...Yes that's been my experience...a fern pup I brought back from Hawaii is just now starting to kick in a bit more..I could fit it in the palm of my hand when I brought it back.
RJ- So how old is the one in your garden that we have seen in the photos?
It is 4 years old this month...it's only been in the ground 3 years this month though.
OK. I do notice my fern tree seems to be turning away from the light. The leaves are turning sideways on the side closest to the sun. It is on the south side of the house & the neighbors house is only about 8 feet from mine. I picked the spot because I was getting moss growth there already & there was moisture coming from condensation from the pool heater. Could that really be? I think I need to find a spot for the baby EE ear too. Do you agree to dig it up now?
Here is the oxymoron...while they like water, they don't like wet feet..so a saturated or wet enviornment is not a happy one for them. If it's just slight moisture condensation, I don't see a problem.
The center is the area that contains the roots...the hair on the fiddles exiting the center area ARE the roots which is the area that needs watered...In other words..this is a difficult plant to put in a location that you don't attend to for a week at a time....and yes..I'm having a heck of a time with the young ferns..as they don't really like much sun at all, and they really don't like shade either..I have to find areas that are on the border of sun/shade..and that's hard because the changing sun positions. I'm just thinking of putting an opaque umbrella over them and see how they do...the new zealand tree fern really was doing well in the greenhouse till I took it out..then it was getting too much sun outside..
hmmmm, sounds like it would have been easier to have another child! :)
Hmmmm, I thought the roots were on the outside. No telling how much else I don't know!!! LOL!!
So really, do I just give it a pitcher of water every other day rather than a hose soaking? We are in a drought but it is humid here in South Florida, and in the 80s.
Water the center everyday...yes Carol, they are on the outside..the hairs on it are the roots...but the bulk of them are on the emerging side of the fidles in the center.
I keep watering can by the fern in the summer, so if I neglect everything in the garden (and I have my days) the fern gets watered no matter what.
great idea. thanks again.
Hello. In relation to the original question. (BTW, I've can't get rid of these things out of my yard- ugggh!) The best way to transplant the EE would have been to put it in a pot in the shade first and allow it to root out, and then plant it in the ground. At this point, I would water heavily, and I would cut off any to all leaves that are wilted. Even if there are no roots or leaves, there should be a tuber of some size that is pretty hardy and I do think these plants will take and look good for you even though you stuck them directly in the ground. Have fun! F4F
