Tree Fern Slime

Question

How can I treat my tree ferns? Since the hard winter they have orange looking slime in the top. What can I try, if anything, to revive them?

Answer 1

It sounds like you have a slime mold, which is feeding of decaying parts of the plant. Clean it off and treat the plant with fungicide. Since it feeds off decaying plant matter, this means the tree fern, at the very least, has damage. If it is still alive, it may recover, but will need a careful eye on it to look for pests and disease that are prone to attack sick plants.