staghorn fern - Platycerium bifurcatum

[Bonnie Punch]

I just bought a small Platycerium bifurcatum - it is currently in a terracotta pot. Most sites I've looked at indicate that I can leave it to grow in a pot, but that it would be much better if I mounted it on a board. Is it a good idea to do this now, or should I wait untill later in the spring when it is activly growing? The sterile fronds are about

8" in diameter, and it has eight fertile fronds of varying lengths. I'm in zone 4, so it would spend most of the time indoors as a houseplant.

Thanks Bonnie Punch

[Don Fitch]

Yes, boards or baskets provide much better drainage, though pots are okay if you can avoid overwatering. Growing stags in a large greenhouse, I frequently mounted them on boards during the winter when they were dormant and less likely to be damaged, being careful not to pack too much sphagnum around them on the board, and to run them on the dry side until they start to produce new sterile fronds (spraying the foliage, but not the rooting medium, lightly on bright days may be helpful).

Don Fitch, Covina, CA.

[Bonnie Punch]

Thanks for your reply. I shall mount it soon then. Is it likely to have formed a large rootball in the pot? How would you recommend dealing with that when I mount it?

I'll go lightly on the sphagnum as you suggest. I'm in the habit of keeping most things on the dry side during the winter anyhow (fungus gnats can be a problem), so it'll be easy to do it for this too.

Thanks again Bonnie Punch