EASY STEPS TO YOUR STAGHORN REVIVAL

Here’s how

STEP 1 Cut a plywood board large enough for staghorn fern. Apply primer and 2 coats of exterior paint with a roller, leaving to dry after each coat.

STEP 2 Quarter-fill bucket with water; add a generous amount of sphagnum moss. While moss absorbs water, carefully remove original backing material from staghorn fern. If possible to do so without damaging fern, extract any old wire.

STEP 3 Sit backing board on bricks or 50mm timber offcuts. Take handfuls of moss, gently squeeze out excess water and mound in centre of backing board.

STEP 4 Carefully lower staghorn onto mounded moss, ensuring the plant is centred on backing board.

STEP 5 At least 2 strands of wire must be used to hold the fern. The wires need to be just below the centre and towards the bottom of the fern face. Drill 2 holes on either side of fern using a drill bit a little larger than gauge of tie wire. The holes should be as close as practical and no further than 50mm from sides of plant.

STEP 6 Feed lengths of tie wire loosely across fern and through pairs of drilled holes to rear of ply board.

STEP 7 With a helper holding fern in place, tilt backing board upwards to access the rear. Pull wire taut, then tie and twist tails together, and trim with wire cutters. Wire should be tight enough to hold the fern without cutting into it.

STEP 8 The top wire strand can be used to hang the board or you can add an extra wire towards top of backing board. Use a hook suited to wall type and rated to take the weight of the fern board to hang it.

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Mount your staghorn fern on a board painted to match your garage or shed wall.

STEP 4

STEP 5

STEP 2

STEP 7

STEP 6

STEP 3