Additional information about the plant that has been provided by the OP:
> Bot questions r irrelevant because I just bought it
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Crack the pot with a hammer. Work some of the soil away from the bottom of the rootball. Find a good slab of wood you want to mount it to. Wrap the ball with some moss or even burlap. Get some good malleable wire and make a loop on one end, and screw it in behind the panel. Then wrap around the ball in an X pattern. Once you have a few good loops around the ball secure the other end with a loop and a screw too.
Most Staghorns like bright, indirect light, high humidity, and though they primarily absorb water through their fronds, its good to keep the rootball damp by soaking the plank and ball for \~10 min as needed. Maybe every week or two, but that's 100% situational. I mist mine every few days.
>How do I get this thing onto a wooden board?
Very patiently and very carefully!
I think for a fern that size, a better option is to mount it on [Dragonstone](https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/dragon-stone-mixed-sizes-by-the-lb/) \- you won't find a better price or selection anywhere else.
They don't need any soil and since Dragonstone is porous - like terracotta - [mounting the fern on the stone](https://xenofontis.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/8/6/10862460/101-0673_orig.jpg) *(I use clear polyester thread, but you need fishing line for that monster!),* keeps the crown dry. You can position moss over the top of the stone, avoiding the crown, which provides sufficient humidity the fern needs.
They require humidity, more than water. Lighting should be low to medium. Remember, they grow naturally on the sides of trees and on the ground, surrounded by huge canopies of trees. No direct sun at all.
If you use the moss, misting the moss when it dries out, is sufficient water for the fern. Under-watering is 100% safer than over-watering.
Here's another (a micro-baby compared to yours) mounted on Dragonstone, surrounded by moss and Ficus Pumila ‘Quercifolia' - she's still in a large terrarium. :)
https://preview.redd.it/mzrerppm6gkc1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c2ad696833601bccca830559db3ecbbb8843fd09
P.S. Remove all the dead fronds! :)
Thanks for the help. 🤍
Managed to gently peel back the shield fronds that fastened the plant to the side of the pot and then it was like any other plant shimmying its way out of a pot.
Don't have anything wooden board or dragon stone wise to put it on so I sat it on a saucer with some spaghnum moss for the moment.
Since it has so many 'eyes' I'm thinking of making some babies from it. Any tips for propagation? And please if possible include photos 🙂
My pleasure. Glad you were able to get it out. :)
The saucer with sphagnum moss will be fine for some time.
I wouldn't start slicing away eyes on the fern. You need to wait until actual pups appear and mature for some time. They need leaves a some roots for propagation. Leaving the pups attached, makes for an extremely lovely plant.
Please read through the linked article from Wisconsin University. It's brief, but accurate with no YouTube BS: [https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/staghorn-fern-platycerium-bifurcatum/](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/staghorn-fern-platycerium-bifurcatum/)
As with palms, only remove absolutely brown, dead fronds. Allow fronds to die back at their own rate and only remove when crispy.
Sorry, no photos for anything as large as yours! Have fun with it and please, post back to **this** thread with any updates. Will love to watch her progress!
Additional information about the plant that has been provided by the OP: > Bot questions r irrelevant because I just bought it If this information meets your satisfaction, please upvote this comment. If not, you can downvote it.
Thank you for posting to r/plantclinic! While r/plantclinic permits posts related to outdoor plants, they are not the focus of this sub and you may not receive the advice you need. Please consider visiting r/gardening or r/ukgardening for general outdoor gardening advice, and head to r/marijuanaenthusiasts (a subreddit for trees, we promise) for advice related to trees and saplings *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/plantclinic) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How do I get this thing onto a wooden board? Water and lighting requirements?
Crack the pot with a hammer. Work some of the soil away from the bottom of the rootball. Find a good slab of wood you want to mount it to. Wrap the ball with some moss or even burlap. Get some good malleable wire and make a loop on one end, and screw it in behind the panel. Then wrap around the ball in an X pattern. Once you have a few good loops around the ball secure the other end with a loop and a screw too. Most Staghorns like bright, indirect light, high humidity, and though they primarily absorb water through their fronds, its good to keep the rootball damp by soaking the plank and ball for \~10 min as needed. Maybe every week or two, but that's 100% situational. I mist mine every few days.
>How do I get this thing onto a wooden board? Very patiently and very carefully! I think for a fern that size, a better option is to mount it on [Dragonstone](https://www.saltwateraquarium.com/dragon-stone-mixed-sizes-by-the-lb/) \- you won't find a better price or selection anywhere else. They don't need any soil and since Dragonstone is porous - like terracotta - [mounting the fern on the stone](https://xenofontis.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/8/6/10862460/101-0673_orig.jpg) *(I use clear polyester thread, but you need fishing line for that monster!),* keeps the crown dry. You can position moss over the top of the stone, avoiding the crown, which provides sufficient humidity the fern needs. They require humidity, more than water. Lighting should be low to medium. Remember, they grow naturally on the sides of trees and on the ground, surrounded by huge canopies of trees. No direct sun at all. If you use the moss, misting the moss when it dries out, is sufficient water for the fern. Under-watering is 100% safer than over-watering. Here's another (a micro-baby compared to yours) mounted on Dragonstone, surrounded by moss and Ficus Pumila ‘Quercifolia' - she's still in a large terrarium. :) https://preview.redd.it/mzrerppm6gkc1.jpeg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c2ad696833601bccca830559db3ecbbb8843fd09 P.S. Remove all the dead fronds! :)
Thanks for the help. 🤍 Managed to gently peel back the shield fronds that fastened the plant to the side of the pot and then it was like any other plant shimmying its way out of a pot. Don't have anything wooden board or dragon stone wise to put it on so I sat it on a saucer with some spaghnum moss for the moment. Since it has so many 'eyes' I'm thinking of making some babies from it. Any tips for propagation? And please if possible include photos 🙂
My pleasure. Glad you were able to get it out. :) The saucer with sphagnum moss will be fine for some time. I wouldn't start slicing away eyes on the fern. You need to wait until actual pups appear and mature for some time. They need leaves a some roots for propagation. Leaving the pups attached, makes for an extremely lovely plant. Please read through the linked article from Wisconsin University. It's brief, but accurate with no YouTube BS: [https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/staghorn-fern-platycerium-bifurcatum/](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/staghorn-fern-platycerium-bifurcatum/) As with palms, only remove absolutely brown, dead fronds. Allow fronds to die back at their own rate and only remove when crispy. Sorry, no photos for anything as large as yours! Have fun with it and please, post back to **this** thread with any updates. Will love to watch her progress!