At a garden club raffle, I won a staghorn fern that had lost its mounting board. Really nice plant but definitely bare root. I put it in a pot, but it looked ridiculous. A couple months ago I drew up some plans for a super sturdy mounting board which my SO kindly built, and he even helped me to string the fishing line by holding the fern in place as I wrapped and stapled and stuffed. Now it's looking awesome! It's amazing how dramatic mounted staghorn ferns look, and I was kinda impressed at how quick it was to create the board and mount the fern.
To figure out the design, I measured the base of the fern and added some room to grow which gave me the required surface area. Then I measured the width of the cedar boards we bought and gave 1/2" between the boards. At this point, you might be getting a bit confused, so check out the illustration.
I needed a surface area that was approximately 12" by 17" originally, but when I laid out the design, it was much simpler to make it a little larger so that the numbers were nice and even rather than odd portions of an inch. By increasing the width to 17.5", I could use 9 boards cut to 12" long and spaced 0.5" apart. The runner boards then became 17.5" and run along the back.
Each board got 4 nails into the runner boards (2 at the top and 2 at the bottom), and hangers were screwed into the back and attached to a short length of chain with a couple carabiners. The chain is a bit overkill right now, but these plants get big and heavy.
Then to "attach" the staghorn fern, I stuffed some moistened moss into the gaps between the boards, mounded up some more moss and orchid bark, and laid the fern onto of the heap and continued to stuff around it until it looked smooth and even. Then my SO held it in place as I maneuvered fishing line around the bulk and stapled the line to the board. Once secure, we held it up, and I stuffed some more moss where a few gaps had appeared. Eventually the sterile fronds (the pancake ones at the base) will cover the line, and no one will know it's there except those acquainted with mounted staghorn ferns. Through this process I actually uncovered the original fishing line which was kinda cool.
So if you're ever thinking about buying a mounted staghorn fern (~$45), save yourself some money by buying a potted one (~$8) and mount it to a board that's sure to last a VERY long time!
For those not acquainted with staghorn ferns, they are very easy to care for and put on lots of growth during the warm months. They need minimal fertilizing and can take a good amount of drought - mostly they need humidity. They are also epiphytic and are accustomed to growing on the sides of trees. Some people around here have monster baskets of staghorn weighing 400-600 lbs and are too large to remove from trees, so they get covered hanging in the tree for the winter. My ferns go in the garage and get watered once a month or so. This mounted one will probably hang on my fireplace like a trophy.
To figure out the design, I measured the base of the fern and added some room to grow which gave me the required surface area. Then I measured the width of the cedar boards we bought and gave 1/2" between the boards. At this point, you might be getting a bit confused, so check out the illustration.
I needed a surface area that was approximately 12" by 17" originally, but when I laid out the design, it was much simpler to make it a little larger so that the numbers were nice and even rather than odd portions of an inch. By increasing the width to 17.5", I could use 9 boards cut to 12" long and spaced 0.5" apart. The runner boards then became 17.5" and run along the back.
Each board got 4 nails into the runner boards (2 at the top and 2 at the bottom), and hangers were screwed into the back and attached to a short length of chain with a couple carabiners. The chain is a bit overkill right now, but these plants get big and heavy.
Then to "attach" the staghorn fern, I stuffed some moistened moss into the gaps between the boards, mounded up some more moss and orchid bark, and laid the fern onto of the heap and continued to stuff around it until it looked smooth and even. Then my SO held it in place as I maneuvered fishing line around the bulk and stapled the line to the board. Once secure, we held it up, and I stuffed some more moss where a few gaps had appeared. Eventually the sterile fronds (the pancake ones at the base) will cover the line, and no one will know it's there except those acquainted with mounted staghorn ferns. Through this process I actually uncovered the original fishing line which was kinda cool.
So if you're ever thinking about buying a mounted staghorn fern (~$45), save yourself some money by buying a potted one (~$8) and mount it to a board that's sure to last a VERY long time!
For those not acquainted with staghorn ferns, they are very easy to care for and put on lots of growth during the warm months. They need minimal fertilizing and can take a good amount of drought - mostly they need humidity. They are also epiphytic and are accustomed to growing on the sides of trees. Some people around here have monster baskets of staghorn weighing 400-600 lbs and are too large to remove from trees, so they get covered hanging in the tree for the winter. My ferns go in the garage and get watered once a month or so. This mounted one will probably hang on my fireplace like a trophy.
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Or if you don't want to go through all the effort, you can put it in a coconut lined wire hanging pot. Eventually, the fern will grow through the coconut and completely encase the pot which looks really amazing, so you should select a hanging pot size that's as big as you want the fern to become. Of course, that will take a very long time. I've had one in a wire hanging pot for a few years, and there are pups coming out the bottom and spilling over the top. :)
Mounted in round hangers, they will make 15-30 new pups that can be divided off, mounted, and given away as gifts.
I've seen these ferns grow and grow on small mounts. Sometimes people won't bother to remove the old mount before adding a new one. The roots will dig into the wood and take over.
I believe the chain, carabiners, and hanging mounts are rated for about 70 lbs. Generally, the plant is very light weight when dry, but it can certainly get some heft once soaked. A lot of mounted staghorn ferns I see in retail nurseries use very thin wood. I used sturdy cedar boards.
I can't be certain how much plant this mount will hold and for how long, but I'm guessing it'll be years before I have to replace it. More than likely I'll have to replace it when the sterile fronds grow over the edge and start wrapping around the mount.
I LEAVE MINE OUT ALL WINTER UNDER A FROST-PROOF,PLASTIC COVERED LATH. THEY DON'T LIKE TO BE WET DURING THE COLDER MONTHS, BUT THEY DID MUCH BETTER THAN WHEN I HAD THEN INSIDE A GREENHOUSE WITH INSUFFICIENT CIRCULATION AND EXCESSIVE HUMIDITY THEY HAVE ENDURED TEMPS FROM 27 TO 102 DEGREES.THEY GET NEARLY FUN SUN IN WINTER.FOR THE SUMMER I HANG THEM IN TREES AND WATER WITH A SPRAY HOSE.
I accidentally killed 2 of these when I lived in AZ. I took the mounts outside for watering... and forgot them until it was too late. ;-(
That was years ago... and you've inspired me to try again now that I live in a friendlier forest environment.
5 Stars!!!