Statement piece
Staghorn or elkhorn? The lowdown on these easy-care feature plants
So, let’s clear this up. Which is the stag and which is the elk? Well, both are epiphytes, but there are differences. The stag is larger and resembles upturned cabbage leaves. The elk looks like deer antlers hanging down.
Native to Australia and most commonly seen here are Platycerium bifurcatum – an elkhorn fern with a mass of heart-shaped, overlapping, sterile plantlets, from which fertile, multi-branched, foliar fronds hang – and the wonderfully named P. superbum (unfortunately not pronounced the way we’d like for comic effect!), a staghorn fern with an impressive nest of fronds that grow up to 1m wide at the base.
Both staghorns and elkhorns add lush, tropical glamour to the garden. They are true statement plants that make an eye-catching focal point, especially with uplighting at night. They grow slowly, accruing value with size, and can become quite an asset. A well-established plant may be worth hundreds of dollars.
hanging your ferns
These epiphytic plants grow naturally up trees and on rocks, so the best way to grow one in your garden is to mimic nature.
You can attach it to a board, or a tree with coarse bark. Eucalypts that shed bark aren’t suitable, but Alexander palm, poinciana and jacaranda are all good options. (Josh Byrne shows how to mount an elkhorn fern on a board at youtube.com/gardeningaustralia)
Some time ago, I was given a mature elkhorn and a badly neglected 50-year-old staghorn. The latter, which belonged to a friend’s mother, had been blocking the entrance to her house until it fell off the wall because it was so heavy. It had grown more than 2m deep, and half of that was dead material. I took a risk and chopped off the dead half, and hung up the rest. It looks marvellous to this day.
Choosing a spot for my newly acquired ferns was easy, as I wanted them on a tree near the house, where they could be displayed in all their ‘tropicalness’. They are attached to a firewheel tree, with the elkhorn sitting above the staghorn.
Attaching them was tricky because they each weighed 20–30kg. I put sphagnum moss between the fern and the tree to act as a buffer, and to provide moisture, then tried attaching them with old stockings. That lasted about two minutes, then I tried rope. That, too, was a failure, because
the rope rotted before the plant had time to attach itself. When the ferns fell down a third time, I tried using some plastic link chains that wouldn’t cut into the fern, and these have lasted the distance.
care & maintenance
Staghorns and elkhorns perform best in bright light, and tolerate full sun for part of the day. Avoid positioning them in a spot with deep shade.
Hanging your fern on a tree trunk is beneficial for the fern because it derives its nutrients, including potassium and calcium, from decaying leaves that fall into its basket-shaped nest. As the fern’s fronds die off, it’s best to leave them intact, if they’re not looking too unsightly, because they also feed the fern.
Some people recommend placing a whole ripe banana, or just the skin, in the top of the fern, because the fruit contains potassium. And adding a few pellets of organic fertiliser makes up for nutrients not present in banana skin. You could also throw in a handful of dried leaves. During prolonged dry spells, water your fern once a week, especially while it’s young, to prevent it drying up completely. During winter, in colder areas, keep it on the dry side, and provide frost protection by covering it with horticultural fleece or hessian overnight. In the cooler climate zones, overwatering can create brown patches on the shield fronds.
Fern fronds can burn as a result of being exposed to too much sun or frost. If this happens, wait until the heatwave is over, or until the last frost has passed, before you remove the damaged fronds, otherwise the remaining fronds are at risk of the same damage.
Fortunately, staghorns and elkhorns aren’t troubled by too many pests. The most common is probably the staghorn fern beetle – its larvae do damage by tunnelling into the foliage, causing the leaves to blister. The only way to control this pest is to remove it by hand, or cut off the affected parts of the fern.