August 1, 2003

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  The Saga of a Stag*

  
  

  *Staghorn Fern (platycerium bifurcatum)

  
  

  

  
  

  Ever since I first encountered them as a botany student in college, I have been fascinated by the Staghorn Fern. I have always wanted to grow one of my own. Ferns were among my favorite plants since childhood. They evoke magical images of the mysterious deep woods, primal prehistoric jungles and lush tropical rainforests. There were probably many ferns in the landscapes of fairy tales, or at least -I- imagined them there.

  
  

  When I worked in a nursery a few years after college, they had huge stags hanging on the wall over the doorway to one of the older greenhouses. These regal ferns were many years old and over a yard wide. Mounted on boards, which hung directly on the walls, we just hosed them down when we watered (and liquid fertilized) the rest of the plants in the greenhouse. Of course, I always wondered what one would do with them in a home…not many of us have walls and floors that can hold up to that sort of houseplant watering method, but I was still determined to one day own one of these fascinating plants.  

  
  

  So what is a Staghorn Fern?

  
  

  Unlike the delicate lacy appearance of many ferns, the Staghorn has thick, lobed fronds, with a waxy appearance, sometimes covered in fine greyish fuzz. They arc proudly and gracefully, with an appearance very much like their namesake. They grow slowly, but can get very large, sometimes six feet or more across in the wild, and often covering an entire host tree. Found in mostly tropical areas, there are about 18 species, mostly in Asia and Australia, with a few native to Africa, and one in South America.

  
  

  Even more interesting (and challenging) than the appearance of the Staghorn Fern is its growth habit. Similar to many members of the orchid family (which I also find fascinating, but do not grow — yet!) It is an epiphyte, a plant that thrives without soil. In the wild, they grow on the branches of trees, and thrive in the dappled shade, absorbing moisture and nutrients from rainwater and debris trapped between their bases and the bark of the host tree.

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  epiphyte

  [ep'ufIt"]

  
  

  
  

  epiphyte or air plant, any plant that does not normally root in the soil but grows upon another living plant while remaining independent of it except for support (thus differing from a parasite). An epiphyte manufactures its own food (see photosynthesis) in the same way that other green plants do, but obtains its moisture from the air or from moisture-laden pockets of the host plant, rather than from the soil. Its nutrients are obtained from rainwater, organic debris such as leaf litter, or from the air. Epiphytes may grow upon the trunk, branches, or leaves of the host plant, sometimes so thickly as to damage the original plant by crowding out its leaves. They are most abundant in the moist tropics.

  
  

  The Staghorn Fern grows on the sides or branches of trees, without its roots in soil, and produces 2 types of fronds.  One type is the branched frond that gives the plant its name. These are fertile fronds, which at maturity produce the spores by which the plant reproduces. These fronds fall off when they get old. The other type of frond is a sterile shield frond, which is generally round and flat, and eventually dries to a brownish papery appearance, and remains on the plant as a collar around the branched fronds. this helps to anchor the plant to its host, and also traps debris and moisture which give the plant the nutrients and water it requires to synthesize its food. This leaf debris gradually decomposes, producing a matted compost which is the perfect medium for the fern’s growth.

  
  

  My Quest for a Stag

  
  

  
  

  As I had mentioned before, this unusual type of growth presents an interesting problem for cultivating the Staghorn Fern as a houseplant. In warmer areas, it can be grown outdoors, and I have discovered it is becoming a very popular specimen plant in places like Florida. However, in more northern states, it must be grown indoors for at least part of the year. This probably accounts for its relative rarity where I live.

  
  

  I had only seen them in a few greenhouses, and was very surprised to find a few Staghorn Ferns for sale at Home Depot last year, among the “tropical foliage – assorted” in 6″ hanging baskets. “Interesting”, I thought, “perhaps they can also be grown in potting medium, like some other epiphytes”, most notably certain bromeliads and zygocactus (the familiar flowering Christmas and Easter Cacti) So I picked out a nice healthy looking little one, took it home, and hung it up with my other plants in the breezeway.

  
  

  It didn’t do well. By the time I moved my hanging plants into the bathroom for the winter, things were looking pretty grim. My poor little Stag was losing fronds at an alarming rate, and although I wasn’t allowing the soil to be soggy, or too dry, they seemed to be rotting off at the base. So I went online and did some research. Interestingly enough, half the websites I found said it was an easy and relatively low-care plant, and the other half said it was rare and difficult to cultivate. Again, this probably had a geographical basis. The bottom line was, I found no references anywhere to the ability to grow them in pots of soil, just instructions for various methods of attaching them to boards, logs, or outdoor trees (in Florida )

  
  

  I had to think of a way that I could simulate a host tree, but still contain the bits of debris and watering run-off that this plant was bound to generate. Sure, I don’t mind some dripping on the breezeway floor, after all, it is a sort of indoor/outdoor room, but in the wintertime when the plants come inside, that’s another story. And even in the breezeway, I am not inclined to turning a hose on my walls. I knew, however, if I just thought about it long enough I could come up with a workable solution and an attractive way to display this plant. Meanwhile, the fronds kept dropping…

  
  

  Then in the spring, a few more Stags showed up mixed in with the other plants at the local Home Depot. By the time I saw them, however, most seemed to be suffering from the same malady as the one I had at home. I did find one nice one and took it home with me. If the first one didn’t survive (which it didn’t), I would at least be able to give this one a chance. Last week it began dropping fronds and I figured it was about time I do something about making a planter for it. Or else I would lose another one, and possibly not have another chance (unless I moved to Florida, or Australia)

  
  

  

  
  

  This is what I came up with…

  
  

  I decided to mount the plant on a board, but put the board in a planter, rather than hanging it on the wall. I got a metal planter box from Wal-Mart, cut a piece of plank, and built a pair of easel-type supports on the back to stand it up in the box. I made a mixture of long fiber sphagnum moss and western fir bark, both used as medium to grow orchids, and soaked it overnight in water. This would simulate the nutrient and moisture-rich leaf mold and debris that gathers behind the shield leaves and around the Staghorn Fern’s rhizome and roots in the wild.

  
  

  I stapled chicken wire onto the plank, to create a sort of pouch, which I stuffed tightly with the bark and moss mixture. Then I removed the Staghorn Fern from its pot, carefully shook and “teased” as much of the potting soil as I could off its fine and delicate root system, which was mostly on the surface of the soil, since the roots are adapted to anchoring the plant, and not reaching deeply into soil for water. Then I used the same green covered “twisty” wires that I use to tie up my roses and tomato plants to “lace” the roots and base of the plant to the chicken wire, where it could then grow into the moss and bark and further attach itself.

  
  

  When I water the root ball of the Stag, the water will flow freely through the bark and moss, and not pool like it does in soil. Hopefully this factor and the air circulation resulting from being fastened upright will prevent the fronds rotting off at the base and dropping. When the water drains down the board, it will be caught by the planter box, which I filled with more bark, mostly for decorative purposes, but also to add a bit of weight to the base. The water evaporating from the box, while not in contact with the plant at all, will be beneficial as it evaporates and creates the humidity this tropical foliage enjoys.

  
  

  Hopefully with regular watering, a bit of diluted liquid fertilizer from time to time, and misting during dry periods, my little stag will grow and flourish. Right now it is in the breezeway, but I hope to find it a winter home in either the corner of my kitchen or the living room.

  
  

  So I finally have my Staghorn Fern. A horticultural challenge I have been dreaming of for more than 20 years. I hope it likes its new home.

  
  

  …now about those orchids…

  
  

  

  
  

  have I captured your interest? for more information on Stags, and great pictures of what they can look like when they are healthy and established, check out these links:

  
  

  Staghorn Ferns of Malaysia – leaf structure

  
  

  the Platycerium site

  
  

  Prehistoric Platycerium Ferns

  • 6:41 pm
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