Topic: Pongo?

[Sarah-b]

I need some advice: We have a tree fern - which I think is called a pongo, which cost a lot of money and we don't want to lose it to the first frost. Are they hardy?
Do they need wrapping up all cosy for the winter and if so, how would I do that?
Thanks,
Sarah

[Mrs Ava]

I believe they are a little on the tender side.  I lost mine not thanks to mother nature, but thanks to my kids picking the middle out one day!  Now where is our tropcial gardener Roy when you need him?!?

My guess is, if you can't move it inside somewhere to keep just frost free, then I seem to remember it is the growing tip that is important so pull all the fronds up and tie them and stuff leaves in the middle.  Maybe wrap is in fleece.....hmmm...I am sure I saw Alan Ti thcmarsh do something like that to his tree ferns in his garden.

[Mimi]

I dont do very much with mine to put it away for the winter.  Chuck a small handful of chicken manure and some leaf mulch down the hole in the centre, pull all the frond together and secure.  Then wrap in some bubble wrap.  I have mine in quite a good size pot and it never freezes hard enough here to do any damage to the roots anyway.  It is under the trees in the garden and seems to really like this position.  It has survived 3 house moves and I have now had it for 5 years and it is thriving as you can see.

[Roy Bham UK]

I’ve not heard of a “Pongo”  :o I Googled it and got an Orang-utan, ::) if it looks like Mimi’s lovely specimen, my guess is it must be a D icksonia Antarctica ‘Tasmanian tree fern’ in which case treat as Mimi and EJ says the only little differences I make is that I don’t feed any of my plants in winter and would not put Chicken poo in the crown as the crosiers are quite tender and may burn.
If I hear of a sharp frost coming I fill the crown with straw place an upside down small plastic pot on top (keeps out rain) tie up the fronds and wrap trunk with fleece, they should survive temps down to -9°C.

Emma your fern should come back to life by the next season when it should push up a fresh flush of fronds (fffffff) ??? keep it moist.

Pity we can’t see a picture to be more certain what fern it really is. :-\

Roy ;D

[Mrs Ava]

If only Roy, the kids picked and picked and picked and literally emptied the trunk!  It was amazing, and heart breaking!  It went to that compost heap in the sky, well, the allotment actually.

[Mimi]

The inside 'fluff' must be very very soft Emma.  We found a little wrens nest inside an old hanging basket and clever mrs wren had plucked the fluff to line the nest for her babies..

[Roy Bham UK]

I've also heard that squirrels climb into the crown and eat the young crosiers, :o if that happens to mine I'll have their nuts :o ;D