Hanging Staghorn Fern: The Unique Way To Add Vibrancy

Hanging staghorn ferns are an excellent idea for those looking to add something to their plants. Staghorn ferns are known for their unique ability to grow without needing any soil at all.

In fact, to be able to grow a staghorn to its full potential, all you need to do is give it some stable support and let it absorb needed nutrients from the air. So, if you want to learn how you can hang this air plant, keep reading!

How To Hang a Staghorn Fern in the Right Way?

To hang a staghorn fern the right way, you should first determine the location, and hammer the nails on the surface. You must then open the rooting ball, position it at the top of the board and place some moss over the roots. Secure and attack the hook by tying.

Depending on its size, a mounted staghorn fern can be hung in a range of different ways. Twine, rope, or sturdy string can be used to hang smaller specimens from a nail. Larger ones, however, should be hung on firm support using a chain or some other kind of strong material because they are much heavier.

1. Determine the Location

Choose an area on the board for your staghorn fern mount, then draw a circle there.

The diameter of your circle should be around twice that of the root ball or frond, whether it is the shield or through the pad division, but it need not be exact.

2. Hammer The Nails on The Surface

Placing the board on a solid, flat surface after driving the nails in. After doing so you must now begin at the top and evenly space the six finishing nails across the circle’s circumference, with the right staghorn fern mounting kit.

There will be enough height to tie and wrap multiple strands of fishing line if you only drive the nails in approximately halfway. They should be tightly fixed so that they don’t move. Even when you lightly wiggle them, they don’t move. This is the key determining factor that will show you that the task you accomplished was successful.

3. Open The Rooting Ball

To mount a potted staghorn, take it out of the pot, turn it upside down, then flatten the rootball by peeling open the bottom. When you open it, it should be done with care and gentleness.

The best advice for having lovely hanging fern baskets that will last all season is to follow this. While everyone wants the large, gorgeous hanging ferns they see in publications, it is not always ideal for caring for them, especially beginners.

4. Position The Rooting Ball At The Top of The Board

Turn the plant back over and spread the opening portion of the rootball flat against the top of the board, putting it in the center of your circle. Now, it should be placed at the top, as this factor is the key aspect that will show you the right stance and how it will look like.

5. Put Some Moss Over the Roots

Cover the soil and roots entirely at the plant’s base by packing moistened sphagnum moss or sheet moss over the top of the rootball. The moss is there to keep the humidity and the firm stance of the plant because the hanging plant should be a guarantee that it wouldn’t fall apart.

Be careful not to bury any fronds, leaves, or finishing nails. This is why first, you should place some of the premoistened moss in the circle’s center for a bare root plant, followed by the pad or shield. Lay the frond on top of the moss without burying any of it, and it will be good to go.

Note that working with the moss can be a little messy. Hence, if you prefer the look of burlap, you might also cover it with that. In either case, leave a small hole or flat surface on the surface of the medium so that water can be drawn in and absorbed there.

6. Attach the Fishing Line As a Hook

The first step is to knot the fishing line around one of the nails carefully. Note that in this step you started with the bottom one, so that the stance would be strong enough to stay firm. On another note, also consider how the fishing line should next be threaded through the middle of the leaves, over the top of the moss, and then wrapped around a nail on the opposite side.

7. Attach Everything to the Board Securely

Wrap the fishing line around one of the opposing nails as you weave it through the moss, the plant, and the basal fronds. Keep weaving between nails until your elkhorn fern is completely fastened to the mounting support, this support needs to be strong enough to let the plant fall from a simple breeze of wind.

It should be wrapped tightly enough to the board so that it won’t move when you hold it up and lightly shake it. Every now and again, test it, and if there is any movement, keep wrapping it for further security reasons.

8. Tie off and Clip the Line’s End

Tie a tight knot in the fishing line and fasten it to one of the nails. Because it’s simpler to conceal the location where you tied it off, actually, it is preferred to use the bottom nail. After that, simply use scissors to trim the extra line.

How To Care For Hanging Staghorn Ferns?

To care for hanging staghorn ferns, you should try to avoid harsh winds, and make sure to keep the level of moisture high. You must also place it in a location that will give indirect light, and remember to water it well. Lastly, prune it when you see it necessary.

A staghorn fern should be hung in a location that will provide them with lots of brilliant light, humidity, and moisture while shielding them from the sweltering afternoon sun. These ferns grow rapidly with the right conditions, so for plant care, you should hang them someplace bright.

The stag horn fern comes in 18 different varieties of species, and each one of these fern species require varying amounts of maintenance; you can have the ones such as the platycerium Bifurcating, Hillii Platycerium, or even the Vetchii Platycerium. As a result, you must know the right requirement, even though most of them would require their general necessities.

– Avoid Harsh Winds

Hanging fern baskets are severely harmed by strong winds. The value of moisture has already been covered. Strong wind speeds up the drying process for hanging baskets and whips the fronds about, creating damage that is difficult to repair.

Make sure that it is not located in an area where any harshness is going to come, which is why you must be careful because it would damage the plant if it falls. In addition, your hard work would be damaged.

– High Levels of Moisture

The main challenge you’ll face is providing your mounted fern with enough humidity and moisture if you don’t live in an optimum climate. Therefore, make sure to put it somewhere extremely humid where it will experience outdoor rain.

It can be placed indoors in the kitchen or bathroom, or a humidifier can be used nearby. Frequent spraying also aids in increasing the humidity in the air, because this will ensure that the leaves would stay vibrant and waxy as they should be when kept healthy.

Install a humidifier close to the fern to increase humidity and improve the growing environment. Doubling the fern’s pot size is an additional method of boosting humidity. A thin layer of pea gravel spreads at the bottom of the outer hanging container, and it will preserve the right amount of moisture.

On top of the pea gravel, plant the fern in a slightly smaller container. Just enough water should be added to the outside pot to keep the pea gravel damp and increase the humidity level close to the plant. To raise the humidity, you can also weekly mist the fern with water.

– Keep The Lights Indirect

Keep it out of the direct sun for optimum results outside, especially if you live somewhere hot. But ensure it receives plenty of strong, indirect/filtered light indoors; otherwise, it may struggle and even begin to become leggy.

– Water it Well

Watering a mounted staghorn fern can be difficult, especially if it’s indoors or hanging high up, and outside is simple. You can give it a light spritz from the hose if it hasn’t rained in a while, as the carbonation will give the elkhorn ferns growth.

The shelf you made when you mounted it is where you should aim the spray, and you will have the facility to do so. On the other hand, if the root ball has dried out indoors, you can put it in a pail of water for a nice soak or take it to the sink or shower once a week.

– Prune When Necessary

Even with the utmost care, some discolored and ugly stems will inevitably persist. Just above the soil line, clip them close to the base. This will give the plant more space for proper circulation and prevent it from using energy on the browned branches.

The texture of all Platycerium plant species is slightly waxy. The coating on your Staghorn Fern is a natural barrier of protection that your plant requires, so don’t try to scrub it off!

Conclusion

There you have it, a complete guide on how you can begin hanging your staghorn plants. To recap, check below the sum-up that we covered:

• Because staghorn loves humidity, you must use the weather to your advantage.
• If the climate where you live is not accommodating, you can try lightly misting the plants from time to time or invest in a humidifier.
• These ferns always appreciate Indirect bright light, so make sure to give loads to them.
• Lastly, don’t forget to trim off any dead parts of the plant like browning leaves or old stems; this could easily spread to the rest of your plant and cause more damage.

Staghorn ferns don’t have to be mounted, though. But, it is a much cooler way to show them and a more natural method to develop them. So, are you ready to hang your ferns?