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I received a staghorn fern in May and it doesn't look healthy like it did when I got it. The leaf tips are sagging and I'm afraid it's struggling. These don't require much care, and I don't know what to do. I mist it every few days with distilled water.
Anyone else out in TE land who has experience with these plants?
Thanks - Barb
I think of ferns as moist plants, so perhaps more water?
Is it getting too much sun?
But I never feel I have the right place to grow one. Anyway I have no idea what could be wrong but did find this on Google;
How to care for a staghorn fern
A couple of years ago, a friend was downsizing their garden and offered me a couple of staghorn ferns. I declined the offer because I wasn't really fond of them. Now I realise the reason I didn't appreciate this type of fern was due to most gardeners use of them. I've usually seen them tacked on to eucalypt trees in the middle of someone's lawn. Yuk!
These plants are best suited to raniforest environments. Staghorns are epiphytes, meaning they prefer to grow above the ground attached to tree trunks or rocky outcrops where they can siphon water run-off from their host material. This run-off contains many nutrients that sustain the staghorn's growth. The amazing thing about these ferns is that they also feed of their own composted frond material.
There are a couple of ways of growing these ferns. For small specimens they may be grown in pots until they begin to outgrow these but he most popular way of growing them is attached to a board and hung in a shaded area. To mount a staghorn fern, place the fern on a hardwood board that is wider than the basal fronds. Place a pile of sphagnum moss just below center and and sit the fern on top, allowing the basal fronds to come in contact with the medium while the bud sits just above. Attach the fern securely with wire to the board and then hang in a suitable position.
DOES THE STAGHORN REQUIRE EXTRA WATERING?
Most staghorn's fail due to overwatering. To ensure that fern has enough water check the sphagnum moss in the center of the plant. If it is still moist and spongy, leave it for a day or two. If it is drying out then it is time to water again.
DOES MY FERN REQUIRE FERTILISER?
Yes. Many gardeners use a dry fertiliser when mounting or remounting ferns and the supplement this with a liquid fertiliser. Liquified worm castings or seaweed extract would be appropriate during the growing season.
HOW DO I TAKE CARE OF MY FERN?
If the staghorn becomes too large for the mounting board then it may be time to remount it. Repeat the process that you performed when mounting the fern but increase the dimensions of the board to accomodate extra growth.
Staghorns have very few pests but the ones that do like these types of ferns are mealy bugs and scale. You may want to steer away from oil-based solutions as these can blemish the fronds.
Grow your staghorn in filtered light where it won't come into contact with direct sunlight at any time during the day.
Sounds like they have special requirements, hope you find the help you need above Barb.
Thanks for the information. I'll hunt for sphagnum moss and seaweed extract. Wonder where I'll find these . . .
My college roommate had a staghorn fern during my freshman year. She did so little to care for it and it always looked fine. This was a loooong time ago.
Barb