Ferns are primitive plants that grow under the shade of large trees. They are so beautiful and elegant that they are often planted in gardens or kept as part of the decoration of homes, such as the one known as Deer antlers.
This curious plant, despite being tropical and therefore very sensitive to cold, can be grown indoors for several years. Do you want to know how to take care of it?
What are staghorn ferns like?
Our protagonist is an epiphytic fern native to Mimosa Rocks National Park, found in southeastern Australia. The curious thing about this species, whose scientific name is Platycerium bifurcatumIs that each leaf we see is actually a little plant that overlaps the others at its base.
But not only that, but they are sterile, which are those that have a rounded shape, measure 12 to 30cm wide and grow downwards, and there are those that are fertile, which measure from 25 to 90cm in length. The spores, which would become the seeds of these plants, are produced on the underside of the leaf segments.
How do you take care of yourself?
If you are going to buy or already have a deer antler, then we explain how to take care of it:
- Location: if you live in one where there is no frost, you can have it outside in a place protected from direct sun; otherwise, the ideal is to have it indoors, in a very bright room.
- Substratum: being epiphytic, it is highly recommended to plant it with peat mixed with 50% perlite.
- Irrigation: By immersion. It is placed in a container with lime-free water and left there for 15 minutes. Repeat after 4-5 days. Do not spray.
- Subscriber: during spring and summer it must be paid with a universal fertilizer, following the indications specified on the package.
- Transplant: every two years, in spring.
- Rusticity: it is very sensitive to cold. Temperatures below 15ºC harm you.
What did you think of this plant?