Aaron -- Thank you for the response, and I apologize for my delay in sending this.... The link was very helpful and set my mind at ease about the mushrooms. I have had a few more crop up since this post, and I am really enjoying them. They are rather pretty!

I know that this is late, but I made a way to lower mine into a wheelbarrow (actually it's more ON the wheelbarrow as it won't fit into it) for hurricanes. I almost lost my big staghorn to Charlie...It got nearly beaten to death and all new growth stopped for almost 2 years. I use the same chain method (no pipe through, just criss crossed stainless 2" links) but at the top, I have a tow strap that I threw over a MUCH higher branch and tied off on a lower one. It takes my husband to pull and me to get under the thing and push to take it higher into the tree, or him holding and me getting smushed under it to lower it. On the other hand, it hasn't gotten beaten up by any more high winds!

I don’t know where your idea comes from; we spray plants with oils all the time with no ill effects. Neem oil, horticultural oil, and various vegetable and herb oils are routinely used on all types of houseplants. Cooking oils and other natural fats would not be very different. If someone were sugesting a heavy lubrication oil like 10-40 that would be a different question. Is that what you cook with Gardengal?

I have never worked with staghorns before and now I need to save one. I have been checking youtube videos but figured asking active gardeners for advice could only help. I have seen them dividing the fern and then mounting it on wood. I am wondering how farfetched the idea is to use a chain saw and try to carve out a hunk of the oak with the fern? It has been mounted to this tree for awhile. The local tree guy had explained there was a prior lightening strike on this property years ago that took out a huge oak and some palms, this oak was adjacent and injured. It bloomed every year and appeared to be healing over but the wood peckers recently started pecking at the dead bottom and it just blew over today in minor wind. I wonder if I should just cut off the fern or attempt hacking at tree. I guess oak is a hard wood? I could probably ask the tree guy. such a bummer You can see the bark was trying to heal. Edited to say, never mind my question. Cutting oak was never going to happen. LOL But I did get some babies. There were some little white bugs that I will have to deal with. Fingers crossed that I can de-bug them and mount them somehow. At least they were saved from the tree guy and his chipper. I left two babies underneath the tree. My better angels told me not to go under there for some reason.