Question

"Hi Tom! I am from Holland and over a period of some three years have planted a small forrest of various sizes of dicksonia antarctica. I thought I knew how to handle them having helped them to survive the past two rather harsh winters (well protected and all) but now when all the fronds are uncurling I noticed that one 2 meter high one has all its young curled fronds rotted to mash. I heard from some experts that you may scoop out the rotting material and then plant a young new dicksonia on the dead stem. If this may work how should I proceed exactly then? Can you explain this procedure to me in detail and step by step? Hoping to hear from you real soon I remain, sincerely yours, Joost Rethmeier from The Netherlands..."

and was asked on 04/21/2009


Answer
Hi Joost,
Thanx for your question.  It is nice to hear from the Netherlands.  I see this fern tree growing in Florida whenever I go to visit my brother and his family about 3 times a year.  It is a beautiful plant.  I personally do not have any experience with it but I found a link to the Australian government that talks about propagating this plant.  One thing you can do to the plant is cut off the the trunk and try to grow the living section.  Take a look at this link and let me know if this helps.  Otherwise, I would suggest planting a new plant in a different location and digging out the dead material, sanitizing it and allowing the soil to lie dormant for a few years or plant something in it that isn't related to the fern family.

http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2003/dicksonia-antarctica.html

I hope this helps.
Tom