My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?



--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author. Will work for money.

"Bernard wrote in message ...
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?

A Dicksonia for 50p !!!

One I've seen damaged sprouted from the base but on one side, like a new
branch coming up from soil level.
If it's got fronds all round the base of the stem perhaps it's been potted
upside down?

--
Regards
Bob

Use a useful Screen Saver...
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
and find intelligent life amongst the stars

"Bernard wrote in message ...
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?

A Dicksonia for 50p !!!

One I've seen damaged sprouted from the base but on one side, like a new
branch coming up from soil level.
If it's got fronds all round the base of the stem perhaps it's been potted
upside down?

--
Regards
Bob

Use a useful Screen Saver...
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
and find intelligent life amongst the stars

Bernard Peek1/4/04 1:20
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?


Doesn't count - hit my screen after 12 noon. ;-)
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

Bernard Peek1/4/04 1:20
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?


Doesn't count - hit my screen after 12 noon. ;-)
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds to email me)

In message , Sacha
writes
Bernard Peek1/4/04 1:20
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?


Doesn't count - hit my screen after 12 noon. ;-)

Hmmmm. I probably should have posted it later. It's genuine.


--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author. Will work for money.

In message , Sacha
writes
Bernard Peek1/4/04 1:20
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?


Doesn't count - hit my screen after 12 noon. ;-)

Hmmmm. I probably should have posted it later. It's genuine.


--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author. Will work for money.

On Thu, 1 Apr 2004 01:20:49 +0100, Bernard Peek
wrote:


It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?


It sounds like D Squarrosa. You often get "pups" appearing at the
base. I have one and thought I'd lost it through leaving it out one
unusually cold night. However, a new one is now growing from the base,
and throughout the summer, more fronds will appear all round the
deceased trunk.

So try to keep it going.

They're are nowhere near as hardy as D Antarctica and you'll lose it
if it's exposed to anything below -7. The fronds will shrivel at about
-4.

Cheers,

Tom.

"Bernard Peek" wrote in message
...
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?



--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author. Will work for money.


Which ever type you have got, for 50p it has to be worth saving.
Good luck.

Colin...............

"Bernard Peek" wrote in message
...
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?



--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author. Will work for money.


Which ever type you have got, for 50p it has to be worth saving.
Good luck.

Colin...............

"Bernard Peek" wrote in message
...
My good lady (I have to say that in case she is lurking) bought a
Dicksonia (probably antarctica) from a local garden centre. It was the
runt of the litter.

It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?



--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author. Will work for money.


Which ever type you have got, for 50p it has to be worth saving.
Good luck.

Colin...............

On Sat, 3 Apr 2004 11:29:30 +0100, Bernard Peek
wrote:

In message , Tom C
writes
On Thu, 1 Apr 2004 01:20:49 +0100, Bernard Peek
wrote:


It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?


It sounds like D Squarrosa. You often get "pups" appearing at the
base. I have one and thought I'd lost it through leaving it out one
unusually cold night. However, a new one is now growing from the base,
and throughout the summer, more fronds will appear all round the
deceased trunk.

So try to keep it going.

There doesn't seem to be any signs of life in the trunk. I was wondering
whether it's possible to cut it away, or to grow a new plant by taking
a cutting. Obviously I don't want to risk killing off the original
plant, because I'm unlikely to be able to replace it for 50p.

AIUI, the 'trunk' of a Dicksonia is just dead fibre, the remains of
the roots of previous year's growth. Again AIUI, the top sprouts new
fronds and new roots each year, the latter growing down the outside of
the 'trunk' until they reach the ground. Dicksonias are transported as
'logs' while dormant, and are then 'planted' by just sticking the
'log' in a hole in the ground. But no roots grow from the base, unlike
normal cuttings, for example.

Can't explain the growth from the base though, unless it's upside down
as has already been suggested. When you're dealing with an unplanted
'log', it may not be easy to know which way is up when it's first
planted and before growth starts, especially in a small plant. Dig it
up and look at the base. Can you see the characteristic shepherd's
crooks of unfurling fronds, albeit somewhat distorted from having been
stuck in the ground?

Another possibility is that it's homesick. After all, they do come
from 'down under' :-).


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

On Sat, 3 Apr 2004 11:29:30 +0100, Bernard Peek
wrote:

In message , Tom C
writes
On Thu, 1 Apr 2004 01:20:49 +0100, Bernard Peek
wrote:


It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?


It sounds like D Squarrosa. You often get "pups" appearing at the
base. I have one and thought I'd lost it through leaving it out one
unusually cold night. However, a new one is now growing from the base,
and throughout the summer, more fronds will appear all round the
deceased trunk.

So try to keep it going.

There doesn't seem to be any signs of life in the trunk. I was wondering
whether it's possible to cut it away, or to grow a new plant by taking
a cutting. Obviously I don't want to risk killing off the original
plant, because I'm unlikely to be able to replace it for 50p.

AIUI, the 'trunk' of a Dicksonia is just dead fibre, the remains of
the roots of previous year's growth. Again AIUI, the top sprouts new
fronds and new roots each year, the latter growing down the outside of
the 'trunk' until they reach the ground. Dicksonias are transported as
'logs' while dormant, and are then 'planted' by just sticking the
'log' in a hole in the ground. But no roots grow from the base, unlike
normal cuttings, for example.

Can't explain the growth from the base though, unless it's upside down
as has already been suggested. When you're dealing with an unplanted
'log', it may not be easy to know which way is up when it's first
planted and before growth starts, especially in a small plant. Dig it
up and look at the base. Can you see the characteristic shepherd's
crooks of unfurling fronds, albeit somewhat distorted from having been
stuck in the ground?

Another possibility is that it's homesick. After all, they do come
from 'down under' :-).


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

In message , Tom C
writes
On Thu, 1 Apr 2004 01:20:49 +0100, Bernard Peek
wrote:


It has a central stalk that has obviously been damaged, and the growing
fronds are sticking out in a circle from its base. I think a healthy
specimen has fronds growing out from the top of the stem. Is there any
way to get this specimen back to full health, or have we wasted the 50p
it cost us?


It sounds like D Squarrosa. You often get "pups" appearing at the
base. I have one and thought I'd lost it through leaving it out one
unusually cold night. However, a new one is now growing from the base,
and throughout the summer, more fronds will appear all round the
deceased trunk.

So try to keep it going.

There doesn't seem to be any signs of life in the trunk. I was wondering
whether it's possible to cut it away, or to grow a new plant by taking
a cutting. Obviously I don't want to risk killing off the original
plant, because I'm unlikely to be able to replace it for 50p.



--
Bernard Peek
London, UK. DBA, Manager, Trainer & Author. Will work for money.