Staghorn Fern Review | 3 Years Later | Platycerium superbum | is it an easy fern?
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- In this video I continue the plant review series, with the Staghorn Fern specifically the Platycerium superbum .
As with all of these reviews, the review is biased to my experience with the Staghorn Fern in my conditions.
As always I encourage you, if you have this plant too, to add your own review in the comments.
The format is the usual format for these videos:
Some background on my experiences with the Staghorn Fern
Speed of Growth that I have experienced with Staghorn Fern
Ease of Propagation of Staghorn Fern
Common Pests for Staghorn Fern
Availability
Accessories and Growing tips for the Staghorn Fern
My final thoughts and score on the Staghorn Fern
Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:57 Background
06:39 Speed of Growth
09:30 Ease of Propagation
11:15 Availability
14:23 Pests
15:41 Accessories
22:34 Final Thoughts
25:58 B-Roll
Mature Platycerum Superbum image
Tatiana Gerus from Brisbane, Australia, CC BY 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
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Platycerium are my favourite genus of plants and its such a shame they aren't as popular and readily available as they are in asain countries. I currently have around 17 different platycerium in my collection. My experience with P. Superbum is that you want to let it dry out a lot more than you'd think. It's very easy to overwater a staghorn fern but very difficult to under water one (it will have mechanical damage if you don't water it for a extremely long duration of time but it will still bounce back eventually). During late spring and all of summer I like to keep my P. Superbum in a very shady spot on my south facing balcony. People seem to think that Superbum need a high humidity (other platycerium such as ridleyi and grande do) but they can do just fine outside when temps stay above around 10 degrees and below 30. I have never tried propagating Superbum spores but I am currently growing Ridleyi wide form and foong siqi from spores. The process takes an extremely long time so you'll need a lot of patience. it will take at least a year for spores to grow into anything that resembles a baby plant. I would highly recommend Bifurcatum as a beginner staghorn fern as they're easy and very readily available. other species such as Willinckii, hillii and veitchii are very easy to grow inside UK homes without adding any extra humidity in my experience but are a lot rarer to come across in the UK plant market. One universal rule for all platyicerium is that they need a lot more light than most houseplants. If anyone has anyone platycerium related questions or would like to see some pictures of some rare and unusual platycerium I am currently growing - my Instagram is @mt.ridleyi :)
My favorite is Grande, holttumii, ridleyi and coronarium, I have plenty of coronarium are common grow in my country you can take it in jungle and at the palm oil estate, and it cheap compare to holttumi and ridleyi. i have 6 species, coronarium, holttumii, ridleyi, grande, wallichii, elephantotis and bifurcatum. coronarium, bifurcatum i have many of it. Holttumii and grande are huge, Coronarium have the longest horn and have twin around it. now i want to collect wandae and veitchii, i have wandae past 10 years ago but died. superbum i saw common in Australia when i travel to Australia
Just got the Elephant Ear Staghorn. Do you have any suggestions for it's care. I'm in Florida
I live in Pacific Northwest in USA, been finding this one easy. I've had great success, I've not mounted mine. Enjoying their natural look and beauty
Mine is 2 years old and I'm a fern killer. It lives in an orchid pot in sphagnum moss in an east-facing window, normal house humidity, I water once a week in winter, twice in summer. A great plant. Mine is a platicerium bifurcatum, so the more common one. Not particularly fast but still alive, which is a miracle
Yeah that is the good thing with the staghorn ferns they can be so so robust 💚🌿
I've had one for six months. Doing good, putting out new front. Can grow by spores, and division
I live in southeast Spain, now my Superbum is outside, minimum temperature has been 5°C this January and is growing good. I noticed that he likes maximum indirect light you can give him and keep always moist with half dose of usual feeding. It cost me 20 euros, I also have a bifurcatum growing very fast and a Cyathea cooperi a tree fern, I am a fern lover. Best regards
Awww that is so cool, didn't know they could do OK at temps as low as 5c that's really awesome thanks for sharing 💚 🌿
I freaking love Platycerium, I just love the look of them. I first saw them in my local botanic garden, and I just have to have some. I got my first one, Platycerium bifurcatum in October at single digit because my garden center overwatered them. It came with 2 bigger growth and many smaller one. I mounted the 2 bigger growth immediately into an 3D printed mount. Both of them are doing great even in the winter month. The smaller growths are getting their first shield front now, and I have mounted some of the bigger one too. If you are interested I can sent you some picture on Instagram.
My bifurcatum is pretty hardy, and I would say the care it pretty similar care to Phalenopsis orchid. Do let it dry in between watering. The shield front can burn pretty easily from over fertilizing and from overwatering so be a bit careful with it. They can do well in a pot, but I think they much prefer to be mounted.
I also got some spores from Thailand, they are sowed about 2 month a go, they are all growing happily in deli container. Their reproduction cycle is very different than other plants. The spores grow into a tiny plant that produce the male and female gametes and then the embryo get fertilized to develop the full plant, so you can create crosses by simply mix two kinds of spores.
I bought my staghorn fern in a big box store here in the northeast USA, about 1 1/2 years ago. They pop up in big box stores fairly frequently. It’s in soil and receives northeast light. It’s a fairly fast grower. I give it water every 3-4 days. I haven’t mounted mine yet but I’m researching my options for a springtime redo!! I definitely would buy it again!! Thanks for featuring this very cool plant.
Ohhh no problem Debra, fully agree very cool plants and so awesome to hear they crop up there in big box stores every so often 😊💚🌿
the fuzzy stuff on the platycerium is called trichomes and for echeveria its called farina, that plant needs this so dont wipe it down yall!
Definately always good to keep the farina on 👍👍👍👌💚🌿
I bought a Staghorn fern last April, a baby plant in a 6cm pot for a fiver. Just 5 or 6 small lance shaped leaves and nothing else. I moved it into a10cm pot a month later and it sat happily all summer in a bright window-well that gets direct sunlight for about 2 hours every day, South UK. By the end of the summer the leaves had doubled in length and it had it's first shield leaf that almost covered the pot. It is still in that window that remains bright on a sunny day but won't get any more direct light until about April, when it will slowly start to creep onto the big windowsill once more. The room is warm, humidity around 40° which is the lowest I ever allow it to go for all my plants' sakes. It is watered very sparingly but it hasn't been dormant. It has given a few new leaves, still young as none have started to biforcate yet and it's at its 4th shield leaf. Its beginning to look like it is 2 plants in one pot, as it has another growth point and overlapping shield leaves from another part of the pot. Come spring, I have to decide whether to repot it as is, or risk mounting it, but as an under-waterer, I'm thinking the pot maybe best, as it's clearly happy. As you say, if it ain't broken....😁
Thanks for all the info @Houseplantygoodness ! I currently have two staghurn ferns. At first I was worried about how to make them survive the winter here in Florence but amazingly I am succeeding they are growing super fast in winter season using growth lights . Here my care routine ☺:
1. They are mounted on a piece of wood using chicken wire and moss.
2. Inside the whole structure I put a little of granulate fertilizer in a folded napkin
3. I used a panty house to make a little bag to put the roots with orquid mix.
4. Growth lights not focused directly at more than 100 cm distance (Having white walls helps a lot to reflect the indirect light) .
5. Now in winter I water them every 2.5 - 3 weeks (given them a deep shower, without getting the leaves wet ) when I see that they are drying out I mist them in between . I never let them get DRY OUT BADLY.
Cheers !
Hello from Melbourne Australia. I grew P. Superbum from spore in a homemade grow chamber that maintains constant humidity, light and airflow. Compared to the other variants i tried (Coronarium, ridleyi, Bifurcatum) the Superbum spores took the longest to germinate, between 2 - 3 months. Strangely, considering how delicate Ridleyi are, i had them germinate the fastest at 3 weeks!
Once the Superbum sporophytes have formed plantlets they are hardier due to the tougher shied fronds.
As far as growth rates go its all about the climate you provide for them. If you have ideal light, humidity, moisture and nutrients they grow pretty easy. As with any Platycerium, be very mindful of overwatering.
I’m in the U.K. I’ve had this Staghorn for a year whilst also having a couple of Ridleyi plants and a Veitchi. It came in a pot which I immediately mounted. As you have seen on yours it can get very top heavy and the top drops over. It was recommended to me to cut or fold, I know! The frond vertically so you can full the fronds back to a more vertical position and then I used clingfilm in a band to hold this area more back against the board. The new growth then can grow UP. It’s worked. I water infrequently as these do sulk with too much water. I have a humidifier and I spray mist daily. I feed a seaweed tonic occasionally. I live in the midlands and this is my experience.
To add mine has grown quite quickly with the addition of grow lights
I love platycerium, but I’m nor sure they love me. We are slowly figuring each other out, so fingers crossed. Janky support plank for the win!
As an Australian these are VERY popular ferns. The only reason I don't have one myself is my property has nowhere shady enough for it. My Nana and Grandpa had MANY of them outside and they were stunning. (We live in Victoria and our winters are simmilar to England in places and yeah, these plants LOVE being outside.)
I watch some home design videos, most of which happen to be from Australia. I was shocked with how often I saw platycerium just thriving in the rockscapes of your native environment.
I have 2 growing under a tree on a wooden board In protected in south Australia,need lots of misting during summer!
One thing which is super common (at least in Australia) is to feed them with banana peels. No idea if it works, but the high potassium is meant to be great for them. Mine moved from a very shady spot to full sun around 6 months ago, and has loved a daily banana peel and is adding at least one new leaf per month in our summer
It recently become more available here in Asia due to TC imports from China, pretty soon it will be common also on big box stores on your side, saw the tc alocasias (melo, silver dragon, cupre) turning up there and they are shipped in the same batches from China.
This is one I don’t have, but like it. Thanks for sharing!
No problem 😊 glad you enjoyed 💚🌿
Love mine
Your videos always bring a smile - enjoy them - learned a lot
Thanks ❤
Aw I am glad you are enjoying and it brings you a smile ☺ 💚🌿
I love the shield part of these plants. I have the common form in the US available at big box stores but I’m not sure the ID prob not superbum. Seeing yours makes me want to find it, I love the texture of the shields. I mounted mine and it is thriving but showing my watering mistakes with crispy shield fronds! Your tips are spot on, mine wants bright direct dappled light. It really thrives outdoors in my climate. I see huuuuuge ones hanging from chains under southern oaks in my neighborhood in coastal Florida. Such a beauty when mounted. I wish it would thrive indoor on a wall but sadly I think my house conditions are not bright enough. I hope to find more types! Thank you for sharing everyone!
Congratulations on reaching 12k 🎉
Awwww thanks Kathy 😁😁😁😁💚🌿🌿 super happy about it, one of my goals for 2023 is to grow this channel more 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
@@Houseplantygoodness I’m sure you will your channel is awesome 😉❤
For these to thrive, a grow light is needed. All of mine are mounted on chopped thick branches or driftwood. I have several kinds, 3 of which are rare. For me, they grow very fast with the grow lights and heated fish pond water. They also love to be lightly fertilized once a week for fat foliage and that bushier look. In my experience, they don’t do well in pots.
This is perfect timing! My staghorn fern has been mounted with moss on a piece of cork bark for a few months now. And it's going downhill🤣
I do not have the time or patience to water that contraption and make sure it's soaked all the way, let it drain and THEN hang it back after. 😅
my very dehydrated fern is soaking in water right now and about to be potted back in a plastic nursery pot. 😅
Super sad the mounting didn't work out for me
Ohhh no I am sorry to hear that, do you have the superbum one too, mine can really take drying quite a bit 😳
I believe it is? I am not sure however. I do not remember what it was labeled as exactly when I bought it. 🤔 I could send you a picture on ig?
It is now back in an airy soil mix with lots of spag moss. I'm curious to see how it does from here😁
I just got this last May. They're pretty expensive where I am in one of the southern states of Australia, about $60-$80 for a very flat 20cm shield, and not easily available in nurseries and garden centres. However, since they're native to the tropical areas of northern Australia, I managed to nab one for $20 for a 25cm shield when I was holidaying there.
Unfortunately when I got it home, it was just the start of winter, my apartment temperature averages around 14°C in the winter, it did absolutely nothing for 6 months. It's only at the start of this year (the middle of the Australian summer, but it's actually been cold, wet and raining) that I'm starting to get new growth, though I'm not sure if it's because of summer or because I stuffed sphagnum moss behind the shield because it was becoming brown and crispy...I thought it was as good as dead for the six months even though I kept soaking it whenever the fronds started to get floppy.
It's located right in front of my south east facing apartment window...the equivalent of north-east light levels in the northern hemisphere...so medium to low light. Average ambient humidity in my apartment is usually around 60%-70%. Because of the new growth, I've started adding a couple of drops of fish emulsion in it's soaking water. But in truth I have no idea what I'm doing with this plant, purely winging it, but I love them.
The superbum in this video does not have any fertile fronds on it yet. Those are sterile fronds on top which make up the crown. It will eventually grow fertile fronds but they will be hanging downwards from the growth bud.
I just bought three young superbums about the size of the one in this video for $40 in US. Me and two friends split the cost and each got one for about $13.
Superbum seem to do very well where I live in the Smoky Mtns. My friend has a magnificent one she puts in her barn for the winter. She has to get a cherry picker truck to move it and hang it on the SE side of her house every Spring. It’s at least 20’ tall.
I’ve one that’s a growing manic😮! Had it two years. Division must happen, the larger th plant.I was lucky and had a fairly nice piece of an old sausage box . Needs to be kept moist.
Mine's a temperamental bastard that's barely clinging on to life after getting caught outside in one of the many random frosts we got in the UK this year.
Ternyata nok negoro lio podo wae ono ya modyel wong ngene iki haha
They do grow slowly. You don't seem to know much about this plant or maybe it's that you don't care. I got uninterested in the video half way through. Missing the passion , too influencery . Cringe