Strolling through
Pinterest, I stumble upon this beautiful picture (below) of a collection of
ferns. It was mostly of
Staghorn ferns which by then, I did not know how they were called. I did a little research (because I loved that look) to see how this beauty could survive inside a home. It turns out these are air plants (scientifically called
epiphytes) and they greatly enjoy hanging in places where some air can reach them. They don't like lots of water, but appreciate a sunbath every now and then. As long as they receive indirect lighting and some sprayed water, you have yourself a very happy plant.
So I embarked myself in the conquest of replanting a
Staghorn I bought at
The Home Depot. This plant was already growing beautifully in a piece of bamboo; but I wanted to place it on a round piece of
acacia wood I bought a little while ago at
ZGallerie.
Besides this piece of wood I also needed some cable clips with small nails, some thread and tacks. The first thing I did was removing the plant from its original pot and clean the roots. Since I won't be needing any of the soil, I stayed with some of the
moss it brought to place it on the back of the plant for moisture reserve purposes.
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| Use some invisible thread for holding the plant in its place. I use a strong craft black thread. |
Before placing the plant on the wood and to help it hold its place, I nail the cable clips. This clips will be used to wrap around the thread to hold the
Staghorn. I should have used fishing cable or any other invisible thread, but I did not have any at hand, hence the black craft one. After placing these clips, I put the
moss in between the wood and the plant. Before putting the thread around the
Staghorn, I used the tacks to hold the plant in its position. These tacks should be placed carefully since we don't want to hurt the plant. As you can see by the photo, I put mine mostly on the dry areas. Now I can start to thread the plant in its place, again being careful with its leaves.
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| Remember to be careful not to hurt the plant while placing the tacks. |
To help me out in this task, I use this
Martha Stewart video tutorial. She always has a knack for plants. Thanks to this video and the research, I ended up having a beautiful mount
Staghorn soon to be place on my new painted wall (picture coming soon).
I hope you like this mini-tutorial. If you have any other advice for the care of the
Staghorn (and for this fern-newbie), please share it with us.
