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Nature of problem: Cutting off trunk of large tree fern to re-grow.

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Type of Plant (if known): Tree fern. Symptoms of Plant Illness (please try NOT to diagnose your problems yourself): Too tall. Soil Type (e.g. sandy, clay or loam) OR Potting Mix Type: good soil. How often do you water the plant. Sep 21, Make pruning cuts 2 to 4 inches above the base connection to the growing crown at the top of the tree fern stem. Step back and re-examine the tree fern. Look to see if the fronds are evenly and attractively distributed around the entire growing tip.

Avoid lop-sided, over-pruning of the crown. Apr 23, i've cut off about 5inches altogether on that 2ft trunker. 1 inch slices at a time over about 2 weeks. Still oozing but getting less and less to almost a dribble. Can't see it coming back now tho, almost resigned myself to hollowing it out and putting a native or epiphytic fern on top. Sep 01, It's a fast-growing plant and can get out of control in a very few years. If you remove the topmost foliage, the plant will die down to the roots.

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It's better to cut the tree down completely to ground level and allow new sprouts to develop at the crown of the plant. Alternately, you can dig the tree fern out and replace it with a new one. Oct 07, Oct 6, #8. It's called 'topping' and yes, it looks bad and is also bad for the health and safety of the tree.

I attached an image from the web.

Just do a web search on 'tree topping' and you should find plenty of information on why it is widely accepted as a bad practice in arboriculture. dave