I need some advice on my tree fern

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/852501/
I haven't had any reply from this forum, so thought I would try it here. Anyone care to comment?

i have plenty of ferns in the garden
the only thing that can kill them is the sun!!!!!
I dont know if you can kill it by dividing it but they are some of the oldest plant species so I'd think they'd be hardy and can survive.

I did some research and wow.. there are some varieties!! I looked up wikipedia and found the following:
"The "trunk" of this fern is merely the decaying remains of earlier growth of the plant and forms a medium through which the roots grow. The trunk is usually solitary, without runners, but may produce offsets. They can be cut down and, if they are kept moist, the top portions can be replanted and will form new roots. The stump, however, will not regenerate since it is dead organic matter. In nature, the fibrous trunks are hosts for a range of epiphytic plants including other ferns and mosses.

The fern grows at 3.5 to 5 cm per year and produces spores at the age of about 20 years."
exerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicksonia_antarctica

so I guess this can be normal? looks like you can take the smaller offsets off and try to grow them as new plants?

Sue when I was in a garden club many years ago ...we were told that the trunk is really the roots (that makes sense I suppose even if it is just the roots running through dead tissue) ...My daughter in law had one that had some "pups" growing off hers (very old) and she removed them ...they died ...you know more than most of us I guess so it's your call ...good luck.They do sell stumps in garden centres so I guess that is a clue.

Sue, if it were mine I would lift the whole plant out . Trim it to how you want and replant. I bought one from shop once and as it did not grow , went back for advice. They said cut off some of the base and replant. I did and it has grown well since. Someone with more experience in these may know more but I have not seen any do this before. They usually have the one trunk. Check it's position too. It may get too much sun . Mine grow in the shadehouse with lots of old leaves etc around.
I know it sounds silly with all the rain you have had but they like to be watered from the top. Apparently where the fronds sprout is the growing area. You can cut the base of too tall ones and replant quite well so I would presume that cutting off a trunk would be the same thing.
If your ground is too wet maybe a move to slightly higher position. Also is there any fertiliser around . I know they don't like much.
Hope this is of help Sue.
Jean.

Hi all and thanks for your input. I know the Dicksonia antarcticas can be cut and replanted, as yes, the base is just support for the head and aerial roots on the sides and so can survive a move, but Cyatheas, which I suspect this is, have a root system in the ground, so cannot be cut and moved, but can be transplanted if dug out.
I haven't determined what species this one is, and have been told Cyatheas don't normally have more than one trunk (I've got two with that problem) and that maybe the growths are from spores self-sporing into the parent trunk (self-sporing is my made up word for self-seeding)
Dicksonias apparently have a wide trunk also, but mine are neither greatly wide or narrow! If anyone out there can give me a positive ID, It would be a great start!
I'm thinking, seeing as I have a couple to play with, that I cut one off and see what happens. I would hate to lose the big ones, as I have one either side of the front stairs, but I feel it wouldn't hurt the big one to take a small one at what appears to be the place of origin.
Hey jen, where have you been? Don't tell me you have a life outside of DG? Do tell!
I'm going to go and look at your link and try to get some clue as to identifying features that might help.
Thanks again Aussies (no one in the fern forum even replied!)
Sue

hi,
Cyathea australis
This fern has an erect slender trunk, up to 300mm (12in) diameter that is covered with scales and is buttress at the base. Green arching fronds to 4 m ..
cheers
jenny

Thanks Jen. I'd forgotten about this thread. I've decided to leave the ferns alone, and make a feature of their "Tassie" heads. I've attached some bromeliads to them, so alls well. I figured they were Cyatheas, as they are fairly common around here, and when in Tassie I checked out the Dicksonias, and they were quite different.