First Class Staghorn Fern Basket

For this project youll need sphagnum moss and a surface to mount the plant on.

Staghorn fern basket. In time a happy staghorn fern plant will produce pups that may cover the whole basket structure. The staghorn fern is a tropical epiphyte that can be grown attached to a tree piece of wood or a basket of moss. When I lived in Missouri I wanted one for a while but I had never seen them for sale.

Staghorn ferns are native to eastern Australia. Leathery gray-green fronds grow outward from the crown. Soil is not needed as the fern absorbs nutrients from the air and decomposing plant matter in.

I bought a staghorn fern when I moved to Colorado. Most staghorn ferns are grown on a plank of wood and even hung from walls as a bit of plant art or you can grow them in a basket with moss peat or other organic material as the growing medium. If you have visited our hothouse in the cool season or the pavilion in the warm season you might have noticed a huge Staghorn fern hanging around.

Sphagnum moss is placed in the basket and no soil or potting medium is used. Also known as antelope ear or elks horn fern Staghorn fern Platycerium is an unusual specimen with large antler-shaped leaves. Youll also need some old stockings or tights.

To grow staghorn ferns in baskets begin by lining the basket with at least an inch 25 cm of moistened sphagnum moss then fill the basket with a very well drained potting mix such as one containing a mixture of equal parts bark chips sphagnum moss and regular potting mix. We used both an old piece of untreated wood and a hanging basket. Great for indoor baskets or containers.

They enjoy bright indirect light and absorb water through their fronds as well as their roots so they love humid places or a good misting. Also referred to as Elkhorn fern. If you want one of those huge staghorn fern balls then it all starts with a small.