Staghorn Fern Summer Update - August 2021
I moved our Staghorn Fern outside recently. I came across it on a lower rack at Home Depot for $10 back in late Winter/early Spring and brought it home. It was potted in a plastic nursery pot and packed in a mix of soil and what seemed like Sphagnum Moss. I looked around the Web and most everybody talks about how you can *mount* these ferns to boards and treat them like air plants. There are a few places that talk about keeping them in containers, but it seems like having them mounted is the pro-move here.
Our fern is happy. Slow-growing, but happy. If you look at the very top of this post, you'll see some of the fronds have grown much longer than they were this Spring AND (this is important), the one droop'ing frond on the left seems to be the first frond with the sort-of antler-looking edges. That's exciting to see.
But, back to mounting....I really don't want to mount it. At least for now. I worry about watering it. Do I take it off the wall every few weeks and soak it in the sink? Where does it dry?
The most important aspect of mounting these ferns is the importance of letting them dry out in between waterings. With ours being in the nursery pot, that means the drainage is out the bottom. That works. Sort of. But, I figured it could be improved.
If you look at other posts on the Web, people talk about planting these in "baskets" of different sorts. That got me wondering: could I modify the current nursery container to better mimic a basket?
A 3/8" drill bit and about five minutes of work yielded this:
These are (sort of) drainage holes, but I'm thinking these are more circulation holes. Along with introducing this Staghorn Fern to the outdoor (front porch, in the shade), I'm hoping these holes will help the fern continue to be happy.
One minor thing that happened recently after the outdoor move: this frond was detatched. Not sure if one of the kids yanked on it or it just fell off? The fronds are attached to the root with a VERY NARROW part of the frond that makes it seem pretty delicate. Also, the color of these fronds is not as dark green as the photos indicate these were back in the Spring.
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