Staghorn Elkhorn propagation?
 

Propagation is not my strong area. Help needed please.

Have got a nice lot of Platycerium superbum spore to germinate over the last 12 months. With still more very small plants to come.

Unsure how to harden them off and at what size from being locked up like as in a flask?

We are going into winter here so was thinking it better to wait till spring before planting them out?

Thinking by using a timer misting system to help the small plants to harden off next spring?

Have been hunting down Platycerium spore over the growing season and have 8 different in reasonable amounts. 6 of them can only be reproduce naturally by spore.

Going to make a propagation house under shelving in my tillandsia bush house. Going to use solid shade cloth surrounds with heating mats, timer misting system and try to get the spore to germinate over our winter here. Lowest temp 7c or 45f. Just really trying to speed up the germination time of over 12 months. Do you think this general idea will work out?

I don't know. I've never read about Platycerium sprouting. When do spores in the wild mature, and are released, in relation to when it rains? Are there any Australian fern societies? Would anybody at the Australian native plant society be able to point you in the right direction?

I was growing this on a wall above an indoor display pond before I retired the business, along with several other native plants of Australia gifted to me by a friend.

Below website is specific to your plant, but the main site had a wealth of information for me at the time, which is why I still have it bookmarked. You may already know of it, but if not...

Platycerium superbum - Growing Native Plants

Sadly, I have no space like that now that I've retired. I don't miss the work, but I sure miss the plants. ;)

Thank you both for your replies.

The spore forms late spring here and matures by the end of summer or earlier.

Have spore naturally forming on the shaded side of low down on the trees trunks and timber garden edging. It being the very common P. bifurcatum which I harvest as pups from the mother plants.

The only source of the harder to get plants, are like $100+ mailing for a very small plant which I am not a player at that sort of cost.

Have read that most spore will germinate at a temp of over 21c or 70f. The heating mats will do this I believe over winter here.

Looks like trial and error type of situation. Use some well educated guesses and hope for the best. Will keep my germinated spore until spring before I take them out of their flask like container.

This link has been good to me.

Hobbiist's Guide to Identifying Platyceriums

---------- Post added at 04:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:01 AM ----------

Thought I had the best seller only to find out they are from the US.

Fern Factory - Fern Factory offers a wide variety of ferns and tropical plants

In my experience, the germination of platycerium spores does not require flasking, just a moist substrate in warm conditions! The hundreds I've pulled out of orchid pots in the greenhouse attests to that.

That said, warmth is a major plus, so if your growing conditions are cool, and the little ones can survive in vitro over the winter, it's probably wise to wait.

Thank you for your reply Ray.

You just can not beat that hands on experience. Your comments makes the research I have done make a lot more sense now.

Must admit it is nice doing something new in horticulture.

With germinating spore green slime can grow on the soil surface and stops the spore from growing. So sterilising the container and soil is an important part of it all.

The other moss looking stuff is what the stags are coming from?

This is an image of some of my spore that has just started to look like staghorns.

https://i.imgur.com/J8KHoRI.jpg?2

Hi! Ray
A question please about your area you keep your orchids.

Are your orchids in a higher humidity area?

Have made a spore germinating area. Now just hoping it will work out.

Have got an area in my bush house with heating mats on a very low, bottom shelf with sealed plastic containers holding wet peat moss and spore sprinkled over the top. As per the way I got the P. superbum spore to germinate.

The sealed plastic containers temp is now around 25c or 77f to 30c or 86f. Night temp at present is around 14c or 57f. So should be able to hold this temp with expected night lows of 7c or 44f to come. Temps needed for the spore is a low of 20c or 68f.

The heating mats are on top of a flat type seedling trays turned upside down so as to get the temp down for the spore.

With 4 heating mats I have room for 10 plastic tubs. The size as per the image of the spore germinating.

When I lived in Pennsylvania and had a greenhouse, definitely! Now that I moved to North Carolina, where I have no greenhouse, I grow in windowsills in winter (low-to-moderate humidity), and out on my deck in summer (high).

Image of the different spore that has been incoming over our summer/ autumn. Only Platycerium Mt.Kitshakood to come.

All from Thailand. Now 18 months to find out if the spore is what it is said to be.....

https://i.imgur.com/02n13sn.jpg?1

With a closer look at the different spore they are all different colours and the same spore from two different sellers are the same colours as well.

Now that is a great discovery that points in the direction that I will get the staghorns & elkhorns as per label.

More detail of the Platycerium spore that have been purchased for germination.

Platycerium coronarium (thin form)

Platycerium dawboy ( Madagascar x vassei)

Platycerium elephantotis

Platycerium grande

Platycerium holttumii

Platycerium madagascar

Platycerium Mt.Kitshakood

Platycerium superbum

Platycerium ridleyi

Have growing P. superbum , P. compactor , P. bifurcatum

This is a gift plant to me from a very special person.......

Beleive it is Platycerium veitchii cv lemonei. An elkcorn so it will pup or produce grow buttons. Have harvested a very healthy amount of spore from this plant as well.

Platycerium Veitchii cv Lemonei

https://i.imgur.com/wAqF2O3.jpg?1

Platycerium compacta or netherlands.

Still has some growing to do. Am useing an orchid pot that has the air holes in the side. Looking for a plant in pot that looks good indoors or outdoors.

https://i.imgur.com/xHBJn9E.jpg?1


https://i.imgur.com/nF2tmk5.jpg?1

My experience is from growing them in mesh baskets of sphagnum - as the roots penetrate the moss and become exposed to the air, a "shield frond" will start to grow, soon followed by fertilize fronds, and the container will quickly become completely enveloped.

The lemoinei comes from desert areas and grows in a surprising amount of sun. With proper sun it looks like no other staghorn. Look up some habitat photos.

Thanks Ray.

With the P. superbum plantlets have mounted them on a board with spagmum moss behind the plantlet. They will receive no more spagmum moss etc growing this way.

With growing P. compacta am trying to grow them in a pot. The 1st growing medium they were in from the nursey, is like a true potting mix and have repotted them the same. Have only had these plants since mid Jan 18 as very small plants.

Was going to fill around the inside of the outer pot with spagmim moss but am try to see if it will work out OK with nothing assuming the sheild front will bridge that gap.

My biggest enemy is with growing staghorns & elkhorns is getting them too wet. They hate wet and cold weather.The air holes from my reading are the most important feature for growing them as indoor plant in a pot.

Thanks estación seca

Have had my eye on Platycerium lemonei for some time now. Those silver blue thin fronds look spectaular. They also like a lot of air and do not like to be over watered. But can tolerate very cold conditions like no other I have found. Just can not find any spore or plants I can purchase. But they are on my list. Last one at present that I am looking for.

The heating matts seem to be working OK for the spore containers for keeping them warm through our winter here. It is about as cold as get here now. Have 12 different Platycerium spores germinating. It will be interesting to see how many will grow and how long it takes for them to get to the stage of being potted out.

You have the desert staghorn. It's P. veitchii. The variety lemoinei is supposed to have greener fronds in cultivation.

Hi estación seca

Maybe it is because this plant has not been looked after that the fronds look the way they do but could not get it to fit the visual image of Platycerium veitchii or Platycerium lemonei but it did an image of P. veitchii cv lemonei.

But it would be more likely to be Platycerium veitchii as you say and be very happy it was.

Original plant image.

https://i.imgur.com/wAqF2O3.jpg?1

link to Platycerium veitchii

Platycerium Veitchii

Link to P. veitchii cv lemonei

Google Image Result for https://i.pinimg.com/originals/75/fe/a1/75fea1c69c8c02f7c1f866147f0adf04.jpg

Am reading that like no other group of plants are the Platycerium in them being given the wrong ID names.

Want very much to make sure that I do not call an elkhorn or staghorn by the wrong name. It is not a nice feeling when you buy a plant and find out that it has the wrong name and could be any number of names.

Flowers usually tell a great deal about a plants name. But with Platycerium's it seems to be all about the fronds shape size colour and where the grow plantlets or not.

New Platycerium's spore germinating area. It is the bottom shelf in the bush house. Plastic containers on top of heating matts. It has been a very cheap way to germinate spore.

https://i.imgur.com/1cX8Syy.jpg?1

This image shows extra propagation tray on top of heating matts because for some reason these 2 matts are very hot ones. Timber & bricks are to keep the containers lids tightly sealed.

https://i.imgur.com/qEWMMUs.jpg?2

Container on normally hot heating matts. Humidty moisture hanging from the top of the lids.

https://i.imgur.com/xmex7zt.jpg?2

An electric cut off safety switch box that stops an electric currant fault killing a person or animal.

https://i.imgur.com/FSer2c0.jpg?1

Simple plastic container to keep the safety switch box dry.

https://i.imgur.com/IkJTh2F.jpg?1

Have been looking for P. Dwaf superbum spore which is another protected plant in Australia. Have been looking for some time now with no luck. It is still just so rare. But have been able to find and have purchased 7 plants that are just large enough to produce spore. Will mount 2 on trees on my block of land here as a source for spore as they only grow from spore and grow on the other as plant stock. Really think this is something.

Common name Dwarf Cabbage Staghorn.

1st plant

Image of Dwarf Platycerium Superbum.

https://i.imgur.com/HteMnZi.jpg?1

2nd plant

https://i.imgur.com/SzJUoON.jpg?1

Just had to share the definition of the common names to Staghorns & Elkhorns that has come to me!

Staghorns can not have little ones.

Elkhorns can have pup or grow buttons.

After years of searching have just found the best Platycerium grower with many different types that also have other Platycerium contacts. Can now get the Elkhorns to grow on as mother plants at last with Staghorns for spore harvest as well. Plus they live not that far from me here. How great is that!

It makes sense that a nursery grown Platycerium would be a hybrid or non Australia Platycerium as all Native Australia Platycerium's are protected plants so hybrid spore would be a better growing option than growing the lic number needing types.

Platycerium compacta still growing very nicely over the colder months.

https://i.imgur.com/Y6tEI5O.jpg?2

Does everybody in Australia need a license to grow any native plant?

All Australian plants in the wild are protected. The Australia epiphytes are very much so protected because they are so easy to harvest from the wild and sell.

All Australia native orchids and Platyceriums sales are monitored especially from collectors that are environmentally switched on. Selling wild harvest plants is not a good idea in Australia.

Many plants are crossed so as to not have to go through getting a lic # to grow the native plant.

Another point of interest is I can not sell plants to Western Australia, Tasmania or the Northern Territory. I can get the paper work to be approved to treat plants so that they can be sent to these states and Territory but it is a something to be done still. If it is not a nightmare.

I either disagree or totally misunderstand what you're saying here.

My staghorn - Platycerium bifurcatum - produced plenty of pups. It started out as a single growth in a coco-lined basket, and every time the roots reached the surface opposite the plant, new shield fronds would form, ultimately growing the fertile fronds. Ultimately, by overgrowing itself, it became a "ball" about 4 meters in diameter.

Thank you for your question Ray.

Will try and be a bit more clearer. As an Australian we speak a little differently which does cause some issues with sentence structure.

An elkhorn naturally grows other elkhorns that I call pups or grow buttons. They can also grow from spore. A Platycerium bifurcatum is an elkhorn as it grows other plants from itself. Elkhorn grow into mass of individual plants.

A staghorn can only be reproduced naturally by growing from spore. It can not grow plants or pups or grow buttons. Like P. superbum or P. grande. Only one single plant grows into a large plant.

Well... I apparently understood you correctly, so that suggests that we are simply referring to the plants differently.

I have always heard of Platycerium bifurcatum referred-to as a "staghorn fern", but by that definition, it's an elkhorn.

Stags and elks have always been interchangeable "common name" terms.

And people have a right to call all Platyceriums stags or elks as they are just common names.

If buyers do a search for Platyceriums they are far more likely to search for stags or elks.

As I am looking at them to grow in numbers and many different. Platyceriums seem to be a male type and a female type. Stagshorns can not have babies and elkhorns can have babies.

Am looking at doing these plants seriously naming becomes very important to me. So I have put a definition to these common name terms that sound like their original intent. Anyway for me it just puts things into an orderly manner.

This info in posted elsewhere but a copy of mounting stags & elks needs to be here as well. With image that started the question.

https://i.imgur.com/eCtLxCL.jpg?3

The stags are mounted on hardwood bracing x 3 ply that measures 450mm x 450mm x 4mm thick or 17 1/2" x 17 1/2" x 1/8.

The ply can be cut by 5mm or 3/16 in 2 or 3 vertical lines so as to mount a larger stag to a tree.

The other reason for the ply is it is very light for when it comes to mailing.

It has really turned into a very good backing for my stags and elks. Stays in shape, reasonable cost and the warmth of the sun from the back seems to be helping the stags to grow.

Have been potting up some Platycerium's in sphagnum moss and using aluminium wire to hold the potted plants tight to the surface to keep the root system smothered in moist sphagnum moss.

P. superbum x P. grande pups

https://i.imgur.com/WT7AoY9.jpg?2

P. bifurcatum

https://i.imgur.com/jqcgzDC.jpg?2

More P. bifurcatum harvested from our own stock plants.

https://i.imgur.com/uqXoPX0.jpg?2

https://i.imgur.com/obj1DvQ.jpg?2

P. compacta are really growing at a very fast rate now we are in the last month of spring. 20% are nearly ready to mount. But they are not showing up in this image.

https://i.imgur.com/Ek7NVVV.jpg?2

One of our very good looking P. superbum 400mm wide or 16"

https://i.imgur.com/v2JEIRm.jpg?2

Have harder to get Platycerium's just about ready to mount. Will get some images of and post them when I can.

This Platycerium incoming had no name to it. Have posted it on this thread some time ago but we had very little info to help us name this plant back then.

Some months ago have broken it down and mounted 4 reasonable size plants with very thick backing to them from many , many dead frond shields to a tree trunk. Was able to collect spore off this plant before breaking it down.
The new growth has frond shields that are kidney shaped and the spore colour also matches P. hillii. I believe this is the name of this plant.

P. hillii

https://i.imgur.com/wAqF2O3.jpg?1

Have been reading information about P. superbum in Australia and it appears that P. superbum and P. grande have been called the same plant variety up until about 1970. It is still believed that these two Platycerium's are still being confused by the trade even up to today.

Have received two incoming Platycerium that look like P. superbum but they are a much darker shade of green. They have given me totally new shield fronds in the same area as my lighter shade of green P. superbum's.

Any comments on why these two Platycerium's are different colours?

https://i.imgur.com/0qIygbw.jpg?2

---------- Post added at 02:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:27 AM ----------

Have purchased 3 x P. ripples but can not find any Platycerium by this name. The seller sell many of the harder to get Platycerium and is very experienced grower in this area. He will not answer my question asked here.

Can anyone help me with info on P. ripples? They are an Elkhorn.

P. ripples

https://i.imgur.com/rQ96UTQ.jpg?1

---------- Post added at 02:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:32 AM ----------

Two examples of P. grande. Very domed shape at present.

https://i.imgur.com/tp5wUYt.jpg?1

What is P. ripples?

Answer: Hey Mate

It’s a USA Bifurcatum cultivar. It gets a ripple effect on its horns. It’s pretty cool!

P. superbum spore sown on the 1st Oct 2016 is progressing nicely but is still to small in my opinion to prick out into trays with a timed misting system in place to help them survive.

So 2 years and counting for these little guys. Maybe another 12 months.

https://i.imgur.com/nwE2zGA.jpg?4

The information that P. superbum (Australian Native Protected Plant) and P. grande ( native to Papua & New Guinea) have been confused by Australian nurseries for decades.

Believe I have found the way to tell them apart. P. superbum is a lighter green & P. grande is a darker green.

Other than the colour difference they look exactly the same. No wonder many very experienced nursery people have got these 2 Platycerium confused.