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Staghorn Ferns could be an excellent choice for your garden . Do you have :

Platyceriumare unique , attractive and versatile plants arise well in hanging basket , on wood mounts , or even as houseplants , making them adaptable to various garden setups . However , they require specific concern including proper tearing and fertilizing .

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Looking to produce something unusual , a dependable conversation spell … larn more below on caring for Staghorn fern plants .

Except for Platycerium andinum , aboriginal to South America , the genus Platycerium , make up about 18 specie , all line up in natural tropic and moderate region of Africa , Southeast Asia , the Philippines , Australia , and New Guinea .

When first memorize staghorn fern forethought , observe how the staghorn grows in the wild , almost like tune plants . They attach themselves to Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree proboscis living as epiphytes pull in the condition epiphytic fern .

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This makes them great subjects , which well grow as a decorative suspension industrial plant . They can be rise in flowerpot , but like therabbit ’s foot fern , they attain their true typical looking at and beauty when develop as a hanging specimen .

An attractive presentation can be “ create ” in a nursery or protected area if plants ( rummy or multiple ) are tie to a tree diagram trunk as stand - alone specimens .

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Staghorn Plant Leaves – Fronds of Two Types

These ferns have two kinds of leaf ( fronds ): uninspired shield frons , which usually are round out in outline , and fertile fronds , which are forked like the antlers of a Rangifer tarandus . Both fronds are covered with sort of a gray-headed furry down .

Fertile Fronds

It is on the fertile , forked fronds ( some species are held erect , and others are sag ) that the spores are get .

The clusters of spores are visible as a bombastic brown deposit organise in masses on the underside of the leaves , usually towards the tip of the lobe . The spores are the reproductive bodies .

Sterile Shield Staghorn Fronds

The sterile frond also have important functions . They are at first fleeceable and succulent but finally fall behind their wet and become cinnamon - colorful and lambskin - comparable .

In their other stage , in addition to performing the usual role of dark-green leaves , they help to seize the plant to its support .

Later the usually flaring tops support leaves and other debris which have fall from the trees above and ultimately decompose and take shape humus from which the fern roots collect nutrients .

Related : Growing The Cinnamon Fern

How To Care For A Staghorn Fern

Over the age , I ’ve grown many Platycerium fern species successfully by providing four conditions for successful outgrowth .

1 – Stag trumpet do not like unmediated sunshine but need brilliant indirect brightness level for the good ontogeny . Look for a locating that can supply and serious 4 - 7 hr of vivid , verbatim sunlight day by day . They are also wintertime sturdy to USDA Zone 9 - 12 .

2 – These plants come from tropic areas of Southeast Asia , the Philippines , Australia , and Africa , with high humidity . judge to produce plants in high - humidity locations with dear air circulation . Do not mist the works to exert humidness .

Watering is intimately done ( if potential ) by submerge the entire ascendent system in water . body of water weekly in the summer and once every ten days in the winter ; soaking for fifteen minutes is enough .

Add fluid plant food for thought , rich in N , every 3rd lachrymation during the growing season ( outpouring and summer ) .

3 – Again , pay attention to where these plants are native to . During the wintertime , plants should not be debunk to temperature below 55 ° degrees Fahrenheit .

4 – Stag ferns in their aboriginal habitat grow on trees . They can be grown in very plentiful but holey soil ( often sold this way at garden centers ) , but I more often than not do not urge territory as a arise mass medium .

However , the best results I ’ve encountered are not produce in soil but planting or mountingplatyceriumson a moist bed of sphagnum moss and fertilizing every other workweek using a complete ( 20 - 20 - 20 ) liquid industrial plant fertiliser programme .

Different Methods for Growing Staghorn Plants

As we said in period # 4 , stag can be grown in pots .

I ’ve witnessed stag car horn plants flourish in corpse or credit card pots , using pure peat moss as the “ growing medium ” when good drainage is present . Repotting is only required when the plant outgrows the bay window .

The real mantrap of the staghorn fern shines when the plant life is grown on a piece of forest , in a fall basket or box like those used for orchids , then displayed hang as a stand - alone specimen .

The basket or loge is commonly run along with sphagnum moss , and the fern and its root ball are planted directly in the moss with a fishing stemma . Other times sphagnum moss moss is used as the potting mix and lines the hoop , and the fern is implant in a well - draining , rich soil .

Staghorn fern can also be grow on a tree diagram stump , “ plaque , ” or piece of plywood where the fern is mount up on a seam of sphagnum moss and electrify in position .

Grooming

Staghorn ferns do n’t take curry , but onetime withered “ fertile ” leaves should be remove . The cocktail dress - shaped “ sterile ” leaves should be removed when they fall off if lightly touched .

tie in : fern and otherindoor plants for the can

Staghorn Fern Propagation

Staghorns can be propagate in several ways – side shoots , sometimes call “ pup , ” or spore . The leisurely , most common , and most popular method is from side shoots .

Side Shoots or “Pups”

Staghorn fern puppy emerge from the base of the mother plant life . Before removing “ pups ” from the mother plant , they must have already organise and developed a root system . Small pups can be planted in pots in double-dyed peat moss .

Larger puppy can be planted in a basketful of sphagnum moss or mounted on a forest plaque on top of a bed of sphagnum .

Growing Staghorn Ferns From Spores

Ferns do not flower or develop from seeds but distribute from spores . spore are those browned deposition on the undersurface of the antler - same leaves .

September to December are honest months for sow spores .

As the fern spore are cautiously take away , sow them in clean , soused sphagnum ( some deal the sphagnum with a thin level of sand ) . I care to use clear sweater boxes .

Take a slice of glass , cover the circulate tray , and invest it somewhere dark , keeping temperatures around 78 degree .

When Modern plants appear and have mould leaves , establish the young plant into small-scale pots using a well - draining starter mix ( like 50%/50 % peat moss / perlite ) .

fecundate once per week with a liquid industrial plant food at 1/4 metier .

Platycerium Staghorn Fern Species

Staghorn ferns ( playceriums ) , also called elkhorn ferns , of which about 18 species can mature to become very old and are not unmanageable to grow .

The leaf fare in a diverseness of sizes and form . fat frond can arise 2 – 3 foot in length .

Fertilizing Staghorn Ferns

rat horn fern of nature get ample nutrient from their surroundings . On the other hand , those living indoors or in an urban setting rely on a flimsy amount of resources .

Many throw their banana peels on the top of the fern . Due to this , you may take to apply staghorn fern fertilizers to ensure the growth and health of your mount staghorn fern plant .

Like most plants , elkhorn fern requires feed during the active grow time of year . The best intellectual nourishment for them is water system - soluble fertilizers .

Pests and Problems Of Staghorn Ferns

Pests : Staghorn fern are not attack by many pests . If pest problems occur , it is often due to wrong .

Aphids and scale insects can be take away by careful spraying with an approved insect powder – strain natural first . repetition treatments may be ask .

I would never add any type ofwetting agent , wetter or sprayer stickersinto the spray mix , they can clog the “ pore ” and damage the flora .

problem : Droopy parting are usually a termination of insufficient piss . DO NOT pass over off folio even though they look dusty , as the fronds have a furred gray down , which helps slow transpiration .

Staghorn Fern Buying Tips

If you’re able to groworchids and bromeliads , you’re able to grow   Staghorns . Before purchasing any Platycerium , ensure you have a suitable stain to produce it . It can be bought at any clock time of the year .

Depending on the species , the “ uninspired leaves ” may be papery and brown , but the Staghorn ’s fertile parting should be free of impairment and the furry grey down inviolate .