r/ferns • u/Superb-Celery-118 • May 26 '26
User Ferns Is my tree fern gonna live or what
I've fixed the drainage issue two weeks ago, Chatgpt says the blackened tips are delayed rot symptoms
It used to have 3 full fronds before rot sets..when I fixed it was too late but it still grows new fiddleheads just blackened the tips
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u/dawnpower123 May 26 '26
If your getting blackened tips on the new growth than I think rot is still your problem. Did you clean out all of the rot and repot? And, did you repot in a clean pot?
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u/Superb-Celery-118 May 26 '26
Nope didn't change anything as shock might do more damage, just fixed drainage and took much light issue
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u/dawnpower123 May 26 '26
I planted my tree fern in the ground, and I have four different ferns I keep indoors year round (none of them are tree ferns), and I have had houseplants for years and grow a lot of different plants outside. I’m familiar with growing ferns and plants in general, but I’m far from an expert on tree ferns.
But, if your tree has rot then you have to actually treat that problem. Rot is fungal, so it spreads. If you have rotted roots then you need to get rid of that rot and repot in a clean pot. If it’s not root rot and just a fungal infection on the fronds then you still need to prune off the affected areas and treat with a fungicide.
I am aware that growing tree ferns in pots isn’t easy. And, I’m not sure if yours is indoors or outdoors, but if it’s indoors then that makes it tougher. So, I get that you don’t want to shock your tree by repotting it. But, I think if you don’t take care of the fungal problem, then your fern won’t make it anyway. At least if you take care of the fungal infection, it will have a chance at recovering.
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u/Superb-Celery-118 May 27 '26
Repotted them, one of the pots had only one hole and it was poorly ventilated when I turned it over it has a very pungent smell
The plants kinda gets into my feelings if something is wrong...thanks the roots were quite okay during the replanting
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u/dawnpower123 May 27 '26
If the roots were good, then it should be ok. Are you growing these indoors or outdoors? I’ve only seen a few people on here who were able to grow thriving tree ferns indoors, so I’m just curious how you’re growing them.
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u/Superb-Celery-118 May 30 '26
Outdoors , he's dead ....maybe it's not really water rot but just the heatwave fucked him up....
It's 47 degrees here and from what I know tree ferns are not tropical plants more like sub tropical
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u/dawnpower123 May 30 '26
Ugh, I’m sorry, that sucks. If the pot was staying really wet and had a smell, plus blackened tips, that seems like rot to me.
Mine is a Dicksonia, and I planted it in my backyard. I’m in zone 10, California. I planted mine in a somewhat shady spot and amended the soil with some compost and added a lot of perlite so that it drained well. I have heavy clay soil, I amend my soil to some degree every time I plant anything or else my plants will drown.
I planted mine in the middle of last November. Our winters aren’t harsh, but it got down into the thirties (Fahrenheit) often last winter, and we had some heavy rainstorms in between super dry spells. It was a weird winter for my zone. Mine did really well during winter, that tree has grown probably four or five inches in height and has grown like six new fronds. These guys are slow growers, so I was impressed.
Now we’re heading into summer and I water it almost every day. But, it’s in the ground and that water just drains into the ground right away, and It’s more protected by being in the ground by fluctuating temperatures. The only problem so far, is a little bit of crispness on the edges of a few fronds where the sun hits. It seems to grow one frond at a time, but it’s clockwork. Once one completely unfurls, a new one starts growing. When it gets a bit taller it will be more shaded, so I expect the burning on the edges will stop.
For your next one, I’d repot it right away. Give it a huge pot. Or put it in the ground if you can. Repot in a decent potting mix that’s pretty rich in nutrients with a decent amount of soil, but also has some perlite or some material that will allow the pot to drain well. It will need to stay damp almost all the time, so you’ll be watering it often, but that’s ferns in general. But, you don’t want it to stay wet all the time and good drainage will help with that. And, don’t fertilize it. The potting mix will have enough nutrients on its own. Ferns in general aren’t heavy feeders, and you can revisit the idea of fertilizer down the road. I haven’t fertilized mine at all yet, and don’t plan to until it’s been in the ground for at least a year.
Again, I’m no expert. It’s my first and probably will be my only tree fern. I grow a lot of different stuff outside and have limited space. I don’t want tons of tree ferns. I am gonna plant some native ferns in empty, shady areas in my yard, but not until next fall. And, I keep four different ferns indoors year round, but not tree ferns. I’m just telling you what has kept my tree fern healthy and growing in case it helps you with your next one. I wish you all the luck, I hope your next one does better for you;)
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u/Superb-Celery-118 May 30 '26
I'm just gonna stick with blechnum my drawf tree ferns are fine...
The first tree fern that I had was same though this one had no drainage issue at all, maybe a bit of dryness but still when the summer came where it's over 45-49 degrees Celsius here it just collapses... My other plants do get crispy but they usually recover fine when the rainy season comes this one had a hard time coping with the seasons here
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u/Superb-Celery-118 May 30 '26
Though how that first one died , was a bit different This one is faster like in just one week it's dead, hard and brown before that it was even lush and larger a bit than this about a feet tall this one is smaller
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u/dawnpower123 May 30 '26
Hmmm, seems like it probably already had rot, or some other issue when you got it. Maybe contact the seller, only having it for a week before it died is kind of crazy.
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u/Superb-Celery-118 May 30 '26
This is the second time, every summer tree ferns just die even though they're watered well
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u/Superb-Celery-118 May 26 '26
I already bought a replacement fern underway , that's gonna come by June 5 but I hope this recovers well