Staghorn ferns are classified as an epiphytic plant, this means that the plant grows on another plant - but are not parasitic.
Staghorn Ferns absorb water and nutrients through fronds.
The staghorn ferns anatomy composition is as follows
1. Fertile or folliar fronds - large green fronds, that as a juvenile looks as pictured, and as the plant matures the fronds become bifurated (meaning forked). The fertile fronds are the reasoning behind the naming of the plant; as the plant becomes mature and the fronds become more bifurated, they resemble antlers.
- fertile fronds are fuzzy, giving the fronds a velvet like appearance. The hairs are important for many reasons, it allows for the plant to conserve moisture, giving the plant more time to absorb it, and it serves as protection against harsh summer sunlight.
- fertile fronds are the reasoning behind the plant not needing to be potted conventionally. In nature, a lot of the nutrients and water are absorbed through the fronds.
- Spores look like brown velvet and are on the back of the fertile fronds, these should also not be removed.
2. Shield Frond - undoubtedly the most important part of the plant. The shield helps protect the root ball, absorbs water, and nutrients. The shield frond goes through a beautiful lifecycle, all of which is very important to the plants wellbeing. During the infancy of the shields growth, it is a small circular frond that grows to encompass the area over the roots. As the shield ages, it turns brown, during or soon after another infant shield will emerge overtop the decomposing brown one. As it decomposes, it provides the plant with nutrients.
NOTE: it is very important to not remove the shield frond when it turns brown, it is still protecting the plant and absorbing essential water and nutrients.
Pictured above is a representation of a shield frond (left) starting to turn brown, overtop (slightly right) a new frond emerged.
3. Root ball : since staghorn ferns are epiphytic plants, the root system is minimal in comparison to plants that gain nutrients and water through roots in soil. Because of this be mindful of the susceptibility of root rot.
to combat root rot, you can place your plant in a space with higher humidity and or mist the fronds.
Care:
Preferred habitat: to see the best results with a staghorn fern, mounting the plant is highly recommended. Though they can live in nursery pots, they thrive in hanging baskets or mounted. A LINK TO HOW TO MOUNT A PLANT
Light: bright indirect light. The best for bright indirect light are eastern facing windows. They allow for the benefits of the morning sunshine without the harsh direct afternoon sun.
Water: to water my mounted staghorn fern I first feel the moss, and once it is nearly dry, pop it in the shower. I run room tempurature water for 5 minutes, allowing for the rootball to be completely saturated and the fronds nice and wet. Allow the board to dry before placing it back on the wall.
I have my staghorn fern in my bathroom, the bathroom has an eastern facing window.