Ah Jen, my darlin' little fountain of good information, lol, I knew I could count on you! Thanks so much for a beautiful explanation, I'd love to know not only where you find the time to learn this stuff but also how you find the time to maintain that fabulous collection, be so generous here and still have anything like a real life. It could be staghorn gametophytes(gotta use this somewhere, use it or lose it, you know, lol), but who knows? My cinnamon ferns and royal ferns don't seem very aggressive(I've heard that they can be but never seen them reproduce even one new plant), the only "wild" fern that spreads around close by has gametophytes(see? I really do need to use these words or I'll never remember them, that's the kind of girl I am) that are very different looking, deep dark green and kind of "carpet-like", I'll post a couple of pictures, one of the fronds and one of the gametophytes(!) and see if you know what it is. There aren't any live oaks nearby with the resurrection ferns in them so I don't think it's that. I guess I won't ask for any cultural tips, this old monster is almost too big to move around much anymore and it has a white butterfly ginger growing out the side that's been there for a couple of years, poor thing, I thought I liberated it last spring but it's ba-a-a-a-ack! Thanks again, Jen, you're a Minnesota peach.

Hey pirate_girl, Yeah, I know that these specimens are rather difficult to locate and acquire, but I thought that I would give the forum a chance in the hopes that a few may be available. Every once and a while one gets lucky! Haha. Thank you for the tips on where I might find them when relocated. Things will be quite hectic when I finally make it to LA for the first month or so, that is why I am attempting to establish plants before they make the move so that they will be more durable. I will most likely wait for most of them though, but seedlings and seeds are always welcome as they are so small and easily maneuverable. Ooh, the C. sandersonii would be quite a treat. You can check out my swap list and perhaps there may be other plants that you would like to have. I do have access to four different species of Hoya (H. australis, H. compacta, H. lanceolata and I forgot the fourth).

P. coronarium is much easier to grow than ridleyi, but both prefer tropical climates where humidity and sunlight is sufficient and ample the year around. P. coronarium also gets rather huge. P. ridleyi needs growing in a well ventilated area in high light. This accounts for its thinner narrow fertile fronds and upright growth habit. In strong winds this plant can with stand strong gusts of wind and thrive in dappled to full sunlight as in nature of their small leafy trees which they inhabit. I must stress that growing any platycerium that you must be able to supply your plants with adequate moisture at its roots then near dryness in between watering. The major problems for loss is due to overwatering and fungal issues. Allow moss to dry out between waterings and after they have dried out thoroughly allow a rewetting process in the early morning to allow rapid and even drying out by nightfall. I have used old nylon stockings filled with small amounts of MagAmp and Osmocote to hasten rooting and growth. Place these nylon stocking balls at the top of the mount to allow frequent fertilizing at each watering. Plants have adapted and grown much faster with this method of fertilizing. I also use soluble fertilizers such as liquid seaweed extract and even Peter's soluble plant fertilizers too!

has it grown much? yes, it puts out new basal fronds every few months and each frond gets bigger and bigger than the previous. The problem I think with ridleyi is that we feed it too much and water it too much. It will be fine just growing as an air plant, like how we grow tillandsias. Water does get channeled to the roots eventually. I do like growing these in baskets because they are easy to maintain. While this mounted specimen is established on the cork, I have several that are just sitting in a redwood baskets. I will be transplanting a few ridley's soon and will photograph what I do. Once they are set up in the greenhouse its difficult to photograph. I like the nylon stocking method of fertilizing and find that this species respond best to small doses of fertilizers than a heavy dose. A weak constant feed works best for this species and of course good air circulation/lighting. Insect problems? No ants and no sucking pests. I use a systemic granule mixed with osmocote or magamp in a nylon stocking. These get watered regularly and fert/insect-dosed when I get at it with the hose. Otherwise a drip/mist catches this on a timer and is regulated by weather conditions. I grow mine is Hawai'i so we have favorable weather the year around. The greenhouse that I keep ridleyi's in are without side enclosures and without a shade or protective roofing. The roof is basically a metal cage type used for hanging and I also have rare tillandsias hanging among the ridelyi's. I also have a more shadier house with similar roof with my madagascariense mixed with the younger ridleyi's growing out until they need to be replanted. I am in the process if getting some ridleyi's out into full sun. I believe these will be the best looking ridleyi's once acclimated.