Where is the root system on a tree fern.

I ask because the tree ferns I have seen for sale all appear to be saw
across at the base and appear to be just a stump stuck in a small pot.
I have been told by one garden centre that the root system is near to the
crown so that the trunk is irrelevant

Any comments please

"Rupert" writes:

Where is the root system on a tree fern.

I ask because the tree ferns I have seen for sale all appear to be saw
across at the base and appear to be just a stump stuck in a small pot.
I have been told by one garden centre that the root system is near to the
crown so that the trunk is irrelevant

Depends on the species but they certainly run through the trunk, and
the Dicksonia Antarctica is normally transplanted by cutting it near
the ground. The root system will re-establish outside the trunk in a
year or two and some fern nurseries will grow on recent imports for a
year to ensure they will establish.

Anthony

On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 18:25:51 +0100, "Rupert"
wrote:

Where is the root system on a tree fern.

I ask because the tree ferns I have seen for sale all appear to be saw
across at the base and appear to be just a stump stuck in a small pot.
I have been told by one garden centre that the root system is near to the
crown so that the trunk is irrelevant

Any comments please

I believe that is the case. My understanding is that the roots are
actually just below the top of the trunk, and when the fronds start to
sprout and unfurl, the roots grow down over and in the surface of the
trunk until they reach soil level. The trunk itself is the dense
fibrous accumulation of many years of previous growth, but is actually
dead, a bit like compacted peat.


--
Chris

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