My friend has an enormous staghorn, and she was wanting to cut the plant and make it into 4. When is the correct time to do this? And is it possible without killing the plant? Thank you for your time.

Hi BA. To answer your question the best way to reduce the size of your friend's staghorn is by removing (or transplanting) the pups that grow from its base. If this hasn't been done before there may be a few pups which are now the size of the plant and are hard to distinguish.

Find these and remove them bring the fern back to a more manageable size.

If you want to propagate the pups then make sure you retain a ball of sphagnum moss behind each one and follow the mounting directions already mentioned.

The best time would be in spring or autumn to split these however if you have really cold winters you may want to wait until spring.

I recently cut off the dead portion of the prothallium on my staghorn fern. will new ones grow back? Will the plant survive? It is a small plant about 4 to 6 inches on the frond (leaves).

April - if it's only the dead portion of the prothallium that you've removed then I think you shouldn't have any problems with your plant surviving. However, I would recommend in future that you leave this in place as it protects the rhizoids and sperm cells for future production.

Your staghorn will naturally discard any dead parts over time so unless they look really unsightly I would leave them alone.

My staghorn is 26years old and I recently moved I have it out side on an upside down flower pot, It started getting black spots on the fronds I think between the rain and the sprinkler system it is too wet. I have just moved it into my porch and have it sitting across a wagon (the only way I can move it)allowing air to get under it. I will be sick if it dies is there anything else I can do or is this a sign of another problem besides too wet? I have cut off all of the fronds with black on them.
Thank you Kathy

should the hard wood for placing staghorn ferns on be a finished piece or raw wood or kiln dried? I want to place mine but confused about this.

Sharon, it all comes down to how often you want to be replacing the mounting board. IMHO I think the best option is an oiled hardwood. Varnished or synthetically sealed boards can break down over time and may be detrimental to you fern so it's best to keep away from these.

Using raw wood has the limitations of splitting and warping that could bring forward the need to remount earlier than expected.

What do you feed a staghorn fern to keep it green?

Hi, I just recently acquired a staghorn from work. It was a part of a much larger plant, which was going to be discarded and I just ripped off a large section that had fronds that are just over a foot long. It has quite a few layers of the dead material and some roots. I have attached it to a piece of wood with spagnum and green wire. I soaked the spagnum before attaching the plant in a nutrient rich solution. It has taken a few days for the spagnum to dry and now there are what look like some blackish blemishes on the plant. Additionally the leaves themselves seem very dry and are beggining to crinkle up. Could it possible be a magnesium defficiency, or simply a watering problem? I have been spraying the plant with water every day or two . Shes not in real good shape, any advice would be great. Thanks

Ryan, it sounds like your staghorn may have contracted Rhizoctonia a fungus that some ferns are susceptible to. This is usually caused by too much water and too much humidity. Reduce, or at least stop for awhile, and try and find an airy spot to hang it. It may not survive but doing this will give it a pretty good chance.

I have a very large staghorn that stared in a basket connected to a hanging hook by 3 metal wires. Today 2 of the wires rusted through and I now have to figure out how to re-hang the fern. Help..it is round in shape, so putting it on a board will not work, also, I like the size, so I don't want to take the pups off. Is there a way of rehanging by placing "straps" around the fern? Thanks..

I have a problem simular to Susan G. My plant is about 3-4 feet in diameter and has fallen for the third time, wires rusted. What would be the best way to rehang it?

I have a staghorn fern and i moved about 10 months ago, it use to do really well but lately it is doing so poorly. it is in a metal basket and the basket might be geting too tight it is growing around the metal. the fronds are very thin and withered. i love it so much and i am so afraid i am killing it please advise

Just a comment. Usually Staghorn fern refers to Platycerium superbum, which has only a single growing point and never forms pups. The fern which grows into clumps and forms pups, and is pictured above, is probably Platycerium bifurcatum, and is known as the Elkhorn fern. I grow most of my elkhorns on a hessian bag of old cow manure suspended by a piece of very solid galvanised chain. The oldest of these ferns is nearly thirty years old, and needed a block and tackle to move recently. They just love old bananas. And this is in southern Victoria.

The center of my fern turns brown, while more green leaves sprout around the brown.It is also sprouting babies around the coconut lined basket.I am constantly cutting out the brown or dead sections and the leaves and babies keep coming. Am I doing something wrong? also we are placing banana peals around the plant. Please any advise or comments would be most appreciated, I have had my fern three years.

My fren was in a wooden basket which is now gone,
and the fern is very securely attached to a tree. I would like to move it. but am concerned that it will damage the root ball since it is so firmly in the v of the branches.
shall i give in and leave it where it is or take the
"fern" by the horns and go for it. Thanks for your help Donna

I have a staghorn originally purchased 25 years ago. The birdsnest was in the wire baket and the staghorn on the outside. Over 25 yrs it has grown dramatically. So much so that is no longer able to be supported in the tree, and is sitting on the ground. It would be at least 2 metres in diameter, still has the birds nest, and is growing new plants on the one side. Any suggestions on how to dissect this plant?

I'm going to transplant a large staghorn? elkhorn fern it isnow in a wash tub around 18" diameter ther are a bunch of ferns i hope i don' screw it up.
let you know

To Phil:

"I grow most of my elkhorns on a hessian bag of old cow manure"

"They just love old bananas. And this is in southern Victoria."

Many thanks in advance...

Oh, dear! I don't think my complete post went through.. Phil, I have some questions for you regarding elkhorn ferns. Could you elaborate on hessian bag? How aged is the manure you use and how do you prepare the bananas for the ferns? Blended & diluted with water?