Ferns have been a staple in the houseplant hobby for as long as anyone can remember and their popularity doesn’t show any sign of wavering. In fact, ‘new’ ferns like Phlebodium aureum, proclaimed to be an air-cleaning plant, are only just starting to gain traction. 

When it comes to ferns, though, there are few species quite as wacky as the classic staghorn fern. This epiphyte is just so different from most other houseplants! It can make a fantastic centerpiece and grow very large when grown in favorable conditions. 

Let’s go into staghorn ferns, what they need to thrive and how to display one.

What is a staghorn fern?

Although there are multiple staghorn fern species out there, the one that we generally come across in plant stores and garden centers is Platycerium bifurcatum. This species is naturally found in Australia as well as New Guinea and the Indonesian island of Java. 

In its natural habitat, the staghorn fern grows in rainforests in an epiphytic manner, meaning it clings to trees in a non-parasitic way. It doesn’t need soil around its roots, which only really serve an anchoring purpose: water and nutrients are absorbed mainly through the fronds instead.

Like other ferns, the staghorn fern doesn’t produce seeds. Ferns are among the most ancient plant types out there and they still reproduce the ‘old-fashioned’ way, through spores. These spores are tiny and grow on the edges of the plants’ fronds, looking like little more than a layer of dust. They can be harvested to grow new staghorn ferns or left, which can result in them developing into tiny plantlets that can be replanted.

Platycerium bifurcatum has two types of fronds: shield fronds and bifurcated (forked) fronds. The former are located at the base of the plant and grow flatly, often appearing dried out or dead. The bifurcated fronds are what the plant lent its common name from, as their forked appearance is reminiscent of deer antlers.

 

Staghorn Fern care

Note the large, seemingly dead shield frond.

How to care for staghorn fern

You may have experience with growing herbs indoors and taking care of them, but the staghorn fern is a bit more challenging. Although staghorn care is relatively straightforward once you understand what the plant needs, it might take some adjustment to understand a plant so different from what most of us are used to. If you’ve got experience with air plants from the Tillandsia genus that’s a good start.

Light. Staghorn ferns naturally grow in rainforests, clinging to taller trees. The canopies of these trees block out most direct sunlight, though by no means do they completely darken things. 

In the home your staghorn fern will appreciate something similar: a bright window but not one that gets blasted by the sun all day. Artificial lighting also works.

Water. As mentioned earlier, the staghorn fern doesn’t take up water through its roots, so it’s not really useful to water the traditional way. In fact, you’ll probably soon end up with a rotting plant if you go that route.

For proper staghorn fern watering you’ll have to whip out your plant mister and the showerhead or garden hose. In the home it’s probably a good idea to give your staghorn fern’s fronds a misting daily, especially during summer. 

As for the more thorough waterings, you’ll likely be performing those around once a week during summer and once every two weeks during winter, depending on light and temperature. Soaking is the easiest way to go about this: place the plant in the bathtub or outside and run room temperature water over it. Then, let it drip dry and put it back in its place.

Humidity. The staghorn fern is a typical jungle plant that does appreciate plenty of humidity. If your home has very dry air it might not be happy in there. 

Try placing the plant in one of the more humid areas of the house, like the bathroom, or run a humidifier to keep the moisture levels up. If you don’t know what the humidity levels are in your home, you can measure the humidity level with several ways.

Temperature. Again, you’ll have to think jungle here. The staghorn fern is totally happy indoors at room temperature and although it can take a little bit of cold it’s probably best not to let things drop below 50 °F/10 °C. Keep that in mind if you want to grow it outdoors.

Planting. Because this species is epiphytic, it will not do well at all when planted in the normal planter + soil combo. 

Although small staghorn ferns will often be sold in pots for convenience, the most natural way to grow this plant is to mount it. The section below describes how that works. 

Mounting a staghorn fern

If you bought a staghorn fern that is growing in a normal planter, you may want to think about changing its home base come springtime. These plants have evolved to grow on trees and will certainly thrive best when grown in a similar fashion in the home. And that’s no punishment for us: a mounted staghorn fern makes for a gorgeous room centerpiece.

There are of course lots of ways to go about mounting your staghorn fern. Here’s what you need for a simple but beautiful display:

  • Your staghorn fern
  • Wooden board, as simple or fancy as you’d like
  • Burlap
  • Nails and hammer, or a staple gun
  • Rope or bracket(s) for hanging
Staghorn Fern care

We twisted ceiling hooks into our wooden base plate and tied string to it to allow the display to be hung from a nail in the wall. The base plate was hand-cut from a tree that had to be taken down and sanded.

 

Staghorn Fern care

We removed this soil from the root ball as best as we could; whatever would not come off without damaging the roots was left. We used parts of a vintage burlap sack.

 

Staghorn Fern care

We ‘cupped’ the burlap very lightly over the root ball and stapled it to the board to keep it in place. Voilà! A finished staghorn mount ready to hang by a bathroom window.

 

Tip: Don’t like the burlap look? You can also gently wrap the root ball in moss. Hammer two nails into the board on either side of where the fern is going to be. Place the moss-covered root ball in between these nails and then use fishing line to secure it. 

Loop the line around a nail, cross it over the root ball, loop it over the other nail and go back and forth until the fern can’t escape.

About the author

Mari, Houseplant Central

Mari is the author behind Houseplant Central, a website centered around indoor gardening and keeping your plants happy and healthy. 

Originally from The Netherlands, she now lives in Spain, where she spends her days writing articles about houseplants in the company of her large collection of greenery and two parakeets.

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Comments
  • Sarabeth

    Hi, thanks for post, great information! I got a really small staghorn fern in a 2” pot recently. It doesn’t have any shield fronds that I can see yet, should I still try to mount it? I did move it to a bigger pot a few weeks after I got it.

    July 20, 2020
  • Louisa

    I have a staghorn which is medium and to me it doesn’t seem to be growing a lot. Should I report it in spaghum. I have it in the bathroom because I hear they love humidity.,

    April 6, 2021
  • It’s so relaxing when you are in the ground for warm up. thanks for the post

    April 18, 2021
  • Jessica Guanzon

    Very informative since we have Staghorn at home.

    June 8, 2021
  • Melchor Loret de Mola

    Hi. I have a staghorn fern that is 6 feet wide by 5 feet high and it used to hang from a tree but that tree died and it fell. What do you suggest as to how to change it again. I have no other trees but enough to hang it from it myst weigh about 300 pounds or more. Thanks.

    June 28, 2021
  • Gehm Jessica

    My stag hangs from a large oak tree in favorable southern Florida conditions. It is sporing and growing new shields like crazy.

    June 29, 2021
  • Thanks for sharing. You very clearly caught the point of this article.

    July 16, 2021
  • Julie Isabella

    We moved to house with a staghorn fern. It looked like it had been moved, and not doing to well when we acquired it. It’s is hanging from four poles cemented in the ground but I think it’s getting to much Florida sun What kind of attractive covering can we use/put over the top to protect from sun. We have banana fertilizer we can use. Can you please help us we would love to help it grow. Thank you

    July 23, 2021
  • Jamie

    Anyone who says they have a staghorn fern that is “6 feet wide by 5 feet high” is hallucinating. “…and it used to hang from a tree but that tree died and it fell” is suspicious. The statement “hang it from it myst weigh about 300 pounds or more” needs psychological testing and typing lessons.

    October 18, 2021
      • sharon yaffe

        OMG! I just brought home a 2 year old one. The mother plant was just as big or bigger! It was stunning! You guessed…it’s
        in FL! LOL

        January 3, 2022
      • Melanie Banton

        I’m from Florida, I have a (roughly) 20 year old staghorn hanging from a Live Oak in my front yard. It’s about 6ft in diameter. The weight broke the chain it was hanging from last year. My husband had to hoist it back up by tying it to a rope and pulling it with our four wheeler to get it on the new chain. Sadly…after the freeze this week, most of the fronds died. There are still some living, so hopefully it bounces back.

        January 31, 2022
  • It’s really appreciable message for everybody thanks for sharing this information.

    November 14, 2021
  • Rhonda M Runkles

    They totally get that big. I have one. Wish I could share a picture.

    December 2, 2021
  • I am in Guatemala and have two to keep company with me. It is pretty dry here in my region so they get morning sun and are in the little pots they came in. have used banana water on them, and now taking them in in the week to the shower not realizing they need water on leaves. thanks for your tips and suggestions. now to figure out how to care for them when I am not here. without this writing my poor little stags would be suffering a ignorant owner.

    April 5, 2022
  • Pennee B Wilson

    Just got my first Staghorn. It seems small and is mounted on a natural piece on wood which is now hanging in a tree. The seller said to watch it, chains would be needed as it grows. I live in the Panhandle of Florida, and I am excited for the new addition to my plant kingdom (as small as it is).

    July 17, 2022
  • I have just brought home a small staghorn fern and mistakenly washed the leaves (with a natural homemade leaf shine solution) with a soft cloth. I’ve just discovered too late this was a huge mistake. Do you think it will recover? Any suggestions?

    July 29, 2022
  • Debra Meadows

    Please help. Hurricanes are not friends with our huge staghorn. It broke the tree & then broke the staghorn about 400 lbs worth chained up there…now there is a huge hole under the fern & lots broke off…I sent 8 leaves to my mom who grows tillisandas in AZ in a room full of aquariums. No roots apparent. We don’t know what we are doing.
    Ft. Meyers area. We have pictures. Can we start from leaf cuttings??

    February 8, 2023

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