Detailed Guide to the Division Propagation Method and Steps for Staghorn Fern
Staghorn fern likes warm, humid and sheltered environments. In nature, staghorn fern often grows attached to tree trunks or rocks. Staghorn ferns grown for horticultural use are mostly pendulous in form and are often cultivated as indoor hanging plants, full of tropical flavor and with a distinctive charm of their own.
Staghorn Fern
Staghorn fern is commonly propagated by division, mostly in late spring or early summer. Cut young plantlets from the mature plant and plant them separately. When cutting, be sure to cut off the shield-shaped sterile fronds together with them. Plant them in a medium mixed from osmund fiber, chopped sphagnum moss, crushed charcoal and leaf mold or peat soil, and cultivate them in a shaded, humid environment. After they survive, transplant them into the planting holes of a wall-mounted plant board; for the method, refer to the wall-mounted cultivation method for bird's nest fern.
Division Propagation of Staghorn Fern
Staghorn fern is commonly propagated by division. Division is most suitable in June-July. Select robust staghorn fern offsets from the mother plant, use a sharp knife to gently cut open along the base of the shield-shaped sterile fronds, plant them with their aerial roots into a pot, cover with moss, and spray water to keep moist.Division time:
It is best to do this in early spring (February and March) after the soil thaws. The temperature at this time is relatively suitable for the recovery of the staghorn fern's root system and will not affect its own absorption of nutrients.
Division method:
Take the mother plant out of the flower pot, shake off excess potting soil, separate the roots that are tangled together as much as possible, and cut it open into two or more plants with a sharp knife. Each divided plant must carry a considerable amount of roots. Each of the separated young plants is a new individual.
Disinfection:
Soak the divided young plants in a 1500-fold chlorothalonil solution for five minutes, then take them out, let them dry, and pot them up. Alternatively, immediately after potting, drench the roots with chlorothalonil.
Potting:
When potting young plants, first place coarse-grained substrate or ceramsite 2-2 cm thick at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, sprinkle a layer of fully decomposed organic fertilizer on top as base fertilizer, about 1-2 cm thick, then cover with another layer of substrate about 1-2 cm thick, and then place the plant in so as to separate the fertilizer from the roots and avoid burning the roots. For the potting substrate, one of the following can be used. Vegetable garden soil: cinder = 3:1; or garden soil: medium-coarse river sand: sawdust (mushroom residue) = 4:1:2; or one of paddy soil, pond mud, or leaf mold. Or peat + perlite + ceramsite = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part; vegetable garden soil + cinder = 3 parts + 1 part; peat + cinder + ceramsite = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part; sawdust + vermiculite + medium-coarse river sand = 2 parts + 2 parts + 1 part. After potting, water once thoroughly and keep it in a shaded environment for care.
Care:
After the young plants are potted, drench the roots or water once thoroughly. Because its root system has been greatly damaged and its water absorption capacity is very weak, it takes about 3-4 weeks to recover and sprout new roots. Therefore, within 3-4 weeks after division, watering must be controlled to avoid root rot. However, the transpiration of its leaves is not affected. In order to maintain the water balance of the leaves, it is necessary to spray the leaf surface 1-3 times a day (spray more when the temperature is high, and spray less or not at all when the temperature is low). During this period, do not apply fertilizer either. After division, also be careful of excessively strong sunlight and keep it in a shade shed for care.
How to Grow Staghorn Fern: Propagation Methods for Staghorn Fern
Staghorn fern is also known as elkhorn fern, bat fern, staghorn fern, etc. It is a plant of the genus Platycerium in the family Polypodiaceae. How do you grow staghorn fern? Let's take a look below at the propagation methods for staghorn fern.
How to Grow Staghorn Fern
1. Soil selection in staghorn fern cultivation methods
Staghorn fern is an epiphytic plant, and the loam used for its cultivation is very different from the requirements of other potted plants. Staghorn fern is usually grown with a small amount of fern roots, moss, or leaf mold plus a small amount of decomposed dry cow dung as the growing medium, tied to a section of wood with bark, or planted in a flower pot, wooden frame, or a pot made from a coconut shell, and grown inside.
2. Temperature, humidity and light in staghorn fern cultivation methods
The optimum growth temperature for staghorn fern is 18-30°C. It is averse to cold and frost. The overwintering temperature is best kept above 10°C. When the ambient temperature approaches 0°C, the plant will suffer frost damage and die. Therefore, during cultivation, air circulation should be strengthened in summer so that the heat inside the plant can be dissipated, and misting can be used to lower the temperature. When growing it in winter, attention should be paid to keeping it warm, and the staghorn fern plant can be wrapped with plastic film to get through the winter.
Staghorn fern is afraid of direct sunlight and grows well near a bright indoor window. During cultivation, in summer it should be placed in a semi-shaded spot or have 50%-70% of sunlight shaded out, while in winter shading out about 30% of sunlight or placing it in a bright indoor spot for care is more suitable.
Staghorn fern likes a humid climatic environment. During cultivation, the relative air temperature of the growing environment is required to be 60-75%.
3. Watering and fertilizing in staghorn fern cultivation methods
Staghorn fern has a high demand for fertilizer and water. Applying a small amount of liquid fertilizer during the growing period of staghorn fern can make it grow luxuriantly, but excessive fertilizing is not advisable. Fertilization should follow the principle of light fertilizer applied frequently. Applying concentrated fertilizer and one-sidedly applying nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium fertilizer is most taboo. During the peak growing season, fertilizer can be appropriately increased, while in winter fertilization should be controlled.
Staghorn fern grows very luxuriantly in an environment with relatively high air humidity, and it also needs relatively little watering. Therefore, it is very suitable for greenhouse cultivation. Generally, the simplest watering method for indoor planting is to soak the whole plant in water once a week. On sunny days or in high temperatures, water appropriately more, while on rainy days or during low temperatures, reduce watering. Especially in summer when the temperature is relatively high, watering should be arranged as much as possible in the cooler morning; in addition, the plant should also be misted frequently. In the cold winter season, water less and keep it appropriately dry; the watering time should be arranged as much as possible at noon on sunny days when the temperature is relatively high.
Propagation Methods for Staghorn Fern
The commonly used propagation method for staghorn fern is division propagation, and spore sowing can also be used. Division propagation is best carried out in early spring (February and March) after the soil thaws. The main practice is to cut young plantlets from the mature plant and plant them separately. When cutting, be sure to cut off the shield-shaped sterile fronds together with them. Plant them in a medium mixed from osmund fiber, chopped sphagnum moss, crushed charcoal and leaf mold or peat soil, and cultivate them in a shaded, humid environment. After they survive, transplant them into the planting holes of a wall-mounted plant board; for the method, refer to the wall-mounted cultivation method for bird's nest fern.