tree ferns

[miamicuse]

What kind of tree ferns will work in south Florida?  Can it take occasional wet feet?  Can it take say full submersion in 10-12 inches of flood water say once or twice a year?

I heard some fern trees have nasty splines that can easily draw blood, is this true?

What is the root system like.  In reading up on it seems to suggest the root system is relatively small and not wide spreading.  Will it be a thread to say a 4" sewer line buried 36" directly below?  Yes, I try to avoid planting right on top of drain lines, but sometimes there is no ideal location one way or another.

and is it tree fern or fern tree?

[aabell]

1 hour ago, miamicuse said:

What kind of tree ferns will work in south Florida?  Can it take occasional wet feet?  Can it take say full submersion in 10-12 inches of flood water say once or twice a year?

I heard some fern trees have nasty splines that can easily draw blood, is this true?

What is the root system like.  In reading up on it seems to suggest the root system is relatively small and not wide spreading.  Will it be a thread to say a 4" sewer line buried 36" directly below?  Yes, I try to avoid planting right on top of drain lines, but sometimes there is no ideal location one way or another.

and is it tree fern or fern tree?

Tree ferns are great plants, fast growing and underutilized in FL.

Cyathea cooperi is your best bet in South FL. Most other tree ferns are highland or cooler climate growers, maybe there are others that would work here but they aren't commonly available. I don't think Dicksonia antarctica can take the heat, even in shade. Those are the only two species you will probably ever see at a nursery. My two C cooperi are on the north/east sides of the house but still get quite a bit of sun and tolerate it well, as long as they have water. Irrigation is a must during dry periods. I recommend compost and lots of mulch.  I don't know about flooding, probably not ideal but as long as it drains relatively quickly shouldn't be fatal. 

They don't have spines, just a lot of scales/fur which on C cooperi is very coarse and can be irritating. Far from the worst thing to handle in the garden though, never really bothered me touching any part of them bare-handed. I can't imagine the roots ever being a threat to anything, they are very fine. 

 

Edited May 29, 2023 by aabell

[Merlyn]

I tried the "Australian Tree Fern" when I first started planting, three small HD purchases and a trunking one from a local nursery.  They did great until I had a couple of oaks cut down...then they all quickly died from drying out and too much sun.  Now that I have some shade on the West side of the house I picked up another 1 gallon HD plant.  It's now 5 or so feet tall and growing nicely in the shade.  I've read that they do NOT have any drought tolerance, which is probably what killed mine a few years ago.  Their habitat is forest and swamp forest, I think...so random inundation with non-salt-water might be ok?

A local nursery (Lukas) also sells Dicksonia Antarctica, but I haven't tried it.

[ZPalms]

I'm guessing tree ferns hate frost but what about the cold or under canopy? Ive been looking at them recently and curious about what does well under high humidity or very warm temperatures so I'm guessing Dicksonia Antarctica would be the way to go?

[mnorell]

You might want to try Angiopteris evecta, it is a spectacular gigantic tree fern that should do well in Ft. Lauderdale. You can sometimes find rootable heads on eBay or Etsy from folks on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Marie Nock may possibly sell rooted plants as well...though they are easy to root yourself if you can find an unrooted top for sale online. I bought one of these a few years ago and rooted and grew it in the Keys for a couple of years until I was out of town for months and it didn't get watered properly...dried out. But while it was alive it seemed to like the heat and humidity of the Keys, was growing nicely and did withstand some drying (within reason) without complaining.

And yes, you were correctly informed...the root-systems of tree ferns are never going to be a threat to your underground utilities, foundations, etc. That is the realm of dicot woody trees with their ever-enlarging root systems (think Banyans and other Ficus, or Royal Poincianas).

I would certainly be wary of trying Dicksonia antarctica because I would suspect they could collapse under the regime of SoFla warm/hot nights for such a long period. These are native to a very consistently chilly climate and so there are probably a number of better first choices for the experiment. But you never know.

[greysrigging]

27 minutes ago, mnorell said:

You might want to try Angiopteris evecta, it is a spectacular gigantic tree fern that should do well in Ft. Lauderdale. You can sometimes find rootable heads on eBay or Etsy from folks on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Marie Nock may possibly sell rooted plants as well...though they are easy to root yourself if you can find an unrooted top for sale online. I bought one of these a few years ago and rooted and grew it in the Keys for a couple of years until I was out of town for months and it didn't get watered properly...dried out. But while it was alive it seemed to like the heat and humidity of the Keys, was growing nicely and did withstand some drying (within reason) without complaining.

And yes, you were correctly informed...the root-systems of tree ferns are never going to be a threat to your underground utilities, foundations, etc. That is the realm of dicot woody trees with their ever-enlarging root systems (think Banyans and other Ficus, or Royal Poincianas).

I would certainly be wary of trying Dicksonia antarctica because I would suspect they could collapse under the regime of SoFla warm/hot nights for such a long period. These are native to a very consistently chilly climate and so there are probably a number of better first choices for the experiment. But you never know.

The King Fern has no drought tolerance whatsoever... my garden speciemen wilts after about 12 waterless hours.... dry winds and low humidity/dew points are not their friends.
They are native to the wettest regions of the tropical and subtropical eastern coastc of eastern Australia and the root bases are often permanently wet.
My son's pic from Babinda in far North Queensland.

[Marie Nock]

There is also a native Florida tree fern, Ctenitis sloanei, that never gets more than 4' tall.  It loves our alkaline soil.

 

 

In Miami my Angiopteris angustifolia grows much larger than the evecta.

 

[mnorell]

Thank you, Marie, for commenting on this topic...I was hoping you would. I had never even heard of A. angustifolia.

And @miamicuse, I would highly suggest you contact @Marie Nock, because if you don't know her already she is the "Queen of Exotics" in SoFla, and has the most incredible collection of spectacular and hard-to-find exotic plants for sale, and is a fount of knowledge and experience.

[Silas_Sancona]

World's tallest Tree fern:   " ...Heights of 80ft -or more .. " 


 

[Kaname-kun]

I grow Cyathea cooperi, C. robusta, C. brownii, C. intermedia, and C. medullaris, as well as the Hawaiian tree fern, Cibotium glaucum here, and Angiopteris evecta, angustfolia, fokiensis, and 'Nova' here in Fort Lauderdale. One C. cooperi is about 15 feet tall, and the Angiopteris (Thank you, Marie!) are huge. Cyathea Protection from wind and sun is absolutely essential, and none of them must ever be dry. Cyathea intermedia is extremely fast growing and eventually becomes very tall, so you must have canopy. It also has a pleasing blue-green stipe with few scales (the itchy brown "wool" that can irritate your skin). The Hawaiian tree fern has especially beautiful fronds, which are waxy and more rigid than the Cyathea. There are a few thorny tree fern species, but none are available so no need to worry about that.

Definitely try some tree ferns if you have the right combination of shade, wind protection, and are willing to water.

I'll take some photos today and include in a new message.

[Kaname-kun]

Some tree fern photos from my yard:

[Kaname-kun]

The interesting color of the stipes of Cyathea intermedia, and a double Cyathea cooperi.

[Marie Nock]

20 hours ago, Kaname-kun said:

Some tree fern photos from my yard:

Jeff, you are such a good grower!