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Good staghorn fern care requires frequent watering, but allow the plant medium to dry out in between. Fertilize them once per month with a 1:1:1 ration fertilizer diluted in water. The plant is prone to black spot, which is a fungal disease.
How often do you water a staghorn fern?
Proper watering is an essential component of a staghorn fern’s success. They’ll need frequent watering, but the base should be allowed to dry out in between—about once a week in warmer climates or during the summer months, and once every two to three weeks in cooler months.
Does staghorn fern need sun?
Growing Staghorn Ferns Staghorn ferns are epiphytes, which means they are air plants. They gladly grow on a wall mount, which lets air circulate around them. They need good-quality light, even some direct sunlight. They need some drying of the soil or medium in between watering.
What do you feed a staghorn fern?
Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer (ratio of 1:1:1). During periods of dormancy (fall and winter), reduce fertilizing to every other month. Some people suggest feeding your staghorn fern by slipping a piece of banana peel under the shield frond.
How do you save a dying staghorn fern?
Here’s what I would suggest. Fill the hole with sphagnum peat moss (looks like fibrous, tan moss) or homemade compost. Add a small amount of a slow-release fertilizer, such as Osmocote or Nutricote, into the hole as you add the moss or compost. This will provide nutrients and encourage growth.
Do staghorn ferns like to be misted?
The basal fronds are essential for meeting the water requirements for staghorn ferns. Growers often thoroughly mist the basal fronds of staghorn ferns once a week. Spray bottles may be adequate for small indoor staghorn ferns, but large outdoor plants may need to be watered with a gentle, misting hose head.
Can you over water staghorn fern?
Since the Staghorn Fern is an epiphyte that naturally grows along tree trunks in the tropics, its roots are smaller than you might expect and are easily overwatered. This can lead to root rot and harm your plant. Overwatering can also lead to fungal infections that appear as black spots on your Staghorn’s fronds.
Can staghorn ferns tolerate full sun?
How to grow stag horns in a garden. Choose a place in the garden that gets filtered sun and is protected from the afternoon sun. Choose an appropriate support for the plant.
Which way should a staghorn face?
This is best achieved by placing them next to the brightest window in the house. All directions are fine, but west-facing windows might expose the fern to too much direct afternoon sun.
Where is the best place to hang a staghorn fern?
Staghorn fern plants grow best in part shade to shady locations. Because they get most of their water and nutrients from the air or fallen plant matter, they are often hung on limbs or in the crotches of trees much like they grow in their native environments.
How do you make a staghorn fern grow faster?
Summer growth is most rapid when your fern is exposed to indirect sunlight, such as under a shady tree or potted indoors near a north-facing window. Radiant sunlight allows the fern to maximize its photosynthesis processes without heat stress or sunscald.
How do you care for a staghorn fern outside?
Optimal staghorn fern outdoor conditions are a part shade to shady location with plenty of humidity and temperatures that stay between 60-80 degrees F. (16-27 C.). Although young staghorn ferns may be sold in pots with soil, they cannot survive very long like this, as their roots will quickly rot.
What kind of soil do staghorn ferns need?
Fill the basket (or a regular pot) about half-full with a loose, well-drained, porous potting mixture: preferably something like shredded pine bark, sphagnum moss or a similar medium. You can use up to one-third regular potting mix, but never use garden soil.
How do I know if my staghorn fern is dying?
How to Save a Dying Staghorn Fern? Pale leaves. Spots or patches on its leaves. Browning on the edges of the fronds. Poor development of fronds. Signs of pest infestation. Collapsing.
Why is my staghorn drooping?
Your Staghorn Fern likes to be kept consistently moist, so be sure that it’s getting enough water. Keep a consistent watering schedule, when the top 2”-3” of the soil are dry. If you accidentally let your fern’s soil dry out completely, you may see leaves go limp, droop, and possibly start to wrinkle and brown.
Why are the leaves of my staghorn fern turning brown?
If staghorn fern receives insufficient humidity, its frond tips and margins will turn brown and crispy. If your fern is in a dry location, particularly if it’s indoors, misting the fronds daily increases the humidity and helps keep plants from turning brown.
Can staghorn ferns grow in pots?
Can Staghorn Ferns Be Potted? This is a good question since staghorns generally don’t naturally grow in soil. The key to growing staghorn ferns in baskets or pots is to replicate their natural environment as closely as possible. But, yes, they can grow in pots.
Do Staghorns need soil?
Staghorn ferns can grow in pots, but they should not be planted in mineral soil. Instead, use a well-draining planting medium made primarily of organic matter. A 50/50 mixture of orchid bark and cactus potting mix is appropriate.
Do you feed staghorn ferns bananas?
Using banana fertilizer for staghorn ferns is an easy way to maintain your plant’s health while reducing kitchen waste. Depending on the size of your fern, feed it with up to four banana peels a month to provide potassium plus smaller amounts of phosphorus and micronutrients.
How cold can staghorn ferns tolerate?
Most staghorn ferns are considered tender or semi-tender to cold and will not tolerate cold temperatures. There are exceptions, such as P. bifurcatum and P. veitchii, which can withstand temperatures as low as 30°F (–1.1°C).
Can a staghorn fern live indoors?
Growing staghorn ferns is easy. If they get low to medium light and moderate moisture, they will thrive. In fact, whether grown indoors or outside, provide moderate moisture and a humus-rich medium when growing staghorn ferns. Staghorn ferns are usually grown mounted on a piece of wood or in a basket.
How do you plant a staghorn fern in a hanging basket?
Hanging in a Wire Basket Add enough sphagnum moss so that your staghorn will sit near the top of the basket. Cutting away part of the coir liner allows the staghorn to grow through freely. Place your plant in the basket and gently bring the leaves of your plant through the edges of the basket.
How much light does a staghorn fern need?
Light: This fern likes bright indirect light, as it’s used to having sun filtered through tree canopies. Use a sheer curtain or blinds to keep the direct sunbeams from damaging its fronds, allowing it to get 4-7 hours of light.
