Hi, I know that licorice ferns (in BC) usually grow on maple trees, but what other trees/logs or conditions will they grow in?? I've got some small ferns and would like to add them to my PNW native garden (& to have them be happy there) but so far I only have a rotting cedar log - no maple. The woman who sold the ferns to me said they'd do fine anywhere with good drainage & lots of moss. So can I put them directly in to the dirt? Or among some rocks? Would the cedar log be ok? Or should I look for a piece of maple to hollow out instead?? Very confused. Thanks.
I've never seen them (or at least their European close relative Polypodium vulgare) growing under conifers or other evergreen trees, I think they probably prefer to be under a deciduous canopy for the extra winter light, or in the open with full sun. If your log is in a position that fits that requirement, I'd think they should be OK.
Oh no, in BC they definitely grow under the fairly dense coniferous canopies as well as under the more open deciduous ones. But maybe that's just because we're in a (primarily coniferous) temperate rainforest and don't have many large stands of old deciduous trees like you find in most of Britain & eastern North America. And as for my garden, all of it gets the morning sun but the 'sunny side' also gets some in the afternoon. So hopefully that'll fit the ferns' light-requirements. Thanks Michael F!
Bigleaf maples have heaviest buildups of bryophytes and ferns because those have the nutrients and pH the lesser plants respond to. Local conifers may also have bark that tends to make unsuitable substrates physically, as well as dense dark canopies that direct rainfall out away from the trunk.
I've got some polypodiums growing in soil, though I think they are all different types from yours. I did grow one for a while on chunk of willow log on which I'd put some dirt in a hollow part. I could never keep it watered well enough. I later planted it under a giant Chamaecyparis, where it still dries out easily due to the porous nature of the matter (not able to call it soil!) under the tree. The other Polypodiums I have in pots look far better than this one, having richer soil, and perhaps more significantly more moisture than I am ever able to offer this one.
