Antlered Staghorn Ferns Are Hardy Indoors and Out
Picture felty green antlers growing out of a spherical, brown chunk of material resembling a coconut. And where the antlers grow out, flat green pads press back flat against the sphere. This thing is a plant named staghorn fern.
The brown chunk is not part of the plant but a piece of tree-fern bark. Tree fern is large, tropical fern, and staghorn fern likes to grow in its porous bark, which is available in stores. Just gouge out a hole in the bark large enough to accommodate a small potted staghorn fern. Slide the plant out of its pot into the waiting hole, then keep it in place with a few wraps of fishing line.
Staghorn ferns’ two kinds of leaves each serve a different purpose. Those that look like stag horns are fertile leaves, so called because they can bear spores. The flat pads are sterile leaves, which help the plant clasp to support and also keep the roots moist. Old fertile leaves brown and fall, but the sterile leaves keep piling up, layer upon layer.
Little offshoots occasionally poke out between old sterile leaves. Offshoots can be pulled off to make new plants, or left in place to help the plant cover its tree-fern mounting.
What staghorn fern may lack in sheer beauty, it makes up for by being easy to grow. A dunking in water every two or three weeks is sufficient in winter. In summer, hang the fern outside in the shade, and occasionally water and fertilize. Staghorn ferns enjoy acidic soils, so they grow best when fertilized with acidic fertilizers and watered with acidic water. (A half-teaspoon of vinegar will sufficiently acidify a quart of alkaline water.)
Most species of staghorn fern are native to lush, tropical jungles. The common staghorn fern tolerates indoor conditions and cool temperatures better than the other species. Elk’s-horn fern is good for growing in pots because its fronds remain upright.
The largest species of staghorn fern grows fertile fronds as large as 6 feet long. Just picture this plant growing in some tropical jungle in the fork of a tree, bathing in a steamy tropical mist and nestled among lush greenery. Staghorn ferns have been described as “noble, antlered plants,” and some truly live up to this description.
Indoors, staghorn fern will never achieve such majestic proportions. Still, it can become increasingly noble as it grows new offshoots and envelops its tree-fern mount.
