No but have you been watering the fern? Looks like it might have dried out. You may get new fronds if you can manage water and light requirements. I wouldn't cut any more holes, it's hard on the plant. Where were they originally attached?

They were originally attached on the dark spot to the left of where it is now. The whole thing is so wrapped in base leaves that it's hard to tell when it needs water. I don't want it to rot under there. After the fronds broke off, the base went quite a while without water. I gave it a soak before I made the hole and put the fronds back in.

The place where the fronds used to be is darkened as if rotting, so I wasn't sure what was happening with the roots...

It doesn't look good for re-growth unless you get a new frond, but I'm guessing there's not enough air circulation under the basal fronds and there's rot. I'm wondering how it is attached to the board? (I defied instruction and have mine growing in a non-glazed terra cotta pot ,heavy so it won't tip. I did this because of the worry of not enough air being attached to a board). Can you tell how yours is attached?

I'm not sure, because it had already completely covered it's moss with basal fronds when I got it! However, the other ferns at the shop were attached with fishing line. I too suspected the roots were a little too sealed in to be healthy.

The plant is made up of roots, rhizome, base (or nest) fronds, and fertile fronds, The fronds grow out of the rhizome (the main part of the plant). If the plant had dried out the fertile fronds would have withered and hung on for quite a while. Because they fell off green it suggests they had rotted off. More than likely the rhizome has rotted as well. Why it rotted could have been a number of reasons. Over watering is a definite suspect, especially if it gets too cold. But it could also be the quality of the water. If some of the rhizome is still okay then it could produce more growing points. If rotten it's completely gone. Hard to check on that unless you pull it apart.

The fronds have been falling off for a while now. :( I watered it very sparingly, but I think those base fronds still held in a great deal of moisture. This was the last set of fronds, so I guess it's likely the rhizomes have been rotting for a while now.

This Staghorn was a birthday gift I've been trying to keep alive for several years, but I could never find a spot on the wall that got good (or really any) sun. Do these plants really do all that well hanging on a wall indoors?

I'd like to get another one, though the ones that are the size mine used to be seem expensive. I wouldn't necessarily try to keep it on a wall this time if they struggle to thrive there.

I've only ever had them growing outside on tree trunks/limbs. One small one I gave to my father many years ago he put on a cherry tree. It grew to a massive size, about 2 metres across. Over the years many pieces were taken off and given away. It was always full of water, either from rain or from the garden hose. You could push on the nest fronds and squeeze water out. It was full of all sorts of insects that lived and died in there (to the benefit of the plant). My father used to drop banana skins in it as well and that attracted even more insects. But eventually the cherry tree died, after about 30 years, and began to collapse. My sister broke the plant up and gave away dozens and dozens of pieces. What she kept and tried to grow mostly died (she had never had a 'green thumb', LOL).

So I don't really know why yours would have rotted. I've read about so many people who have lost them from over watering yet my father's stag thrived with over watering. I've seen hundreds of them growing naturally in the wild and many of those have been soggy wet. That's what makes me wonder whether water quality is the real issue, tap water compared to rain water.

Perhaps so... my Dad has also been trying to nurture a couple of wall-mounted staghorns, and when the first one he got seemed to be suffering, the person he purchased it from suggested watering with distilled water instead of tap.

However, it's also had problems with fronds dropping off even after he switched to distilled. His also has many fewer base fronds with sphagnum underneath still showing, as compared to mine, so his would have had much more ventilation under there, although he watered it more frequently than I did.

There's a pretty staghorn with offshoots growing in a conservatory maintained inside a hotel near me... I wonder if they'd just give me one of the babies, haha.

There's a significant difference in growing plants indoors versus growing them outdoors. The main one being that outside plants are regularly bathed in ultraviolet rays every single day. This acts as a natural defense against fungal infections. Plants grown indoors don't get exposed to these UV rays. So you have to take this into account when you water your plants. Staghorn ferns aren't picky about having tap water used on them. Just check your local forecast and you will see what the UV index is for your area on any given day. Here's mine, for example...

I grow mine outdoors for most of the year. It hangs on the front of my house, and the only care it gets from me is the occasional blast from the gardenhose. Not once do I worry about "overwatering" it. Ultraviolet rays from the sun keeps any fungi from gaining a foothold on my plants. If I were to water them like this when it's grown indoors, then it would also be suffering from the same causes that yours is. I run my ceiling fan to help my staghorn dry out afterwards.

Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that your plant isn't getting enough light where you had it hanging on the wall. Indirect sunlight outdoors is significantly brighter than indirect sunlight indoors. When a plant isn't getting sufficient sunlight to photosynthesize the energy it needs to thrive, then you're essentially robbing your plant of its ability to feed itself. This can result in having a a weaker plant that is more prone to fungal infections.

I bought this one and mounted it back in the spring. At the time, it didn't have any basal shields on it, but this past month, it finally started growing several of them going in every direction. For the longest time I didn't think that it ever was going to. Here it is getting some morning sun. It also gets some sun late in the evening, but throughout most of the day, it gets shaded by the overhang from my roof.

Photo- you have two staghorn! And they look very happy to me! Very nice!

Yeah, I think it might actually be three now. When I mounted them, it was two ferns potted together, which I separated. But then I noticed that one of those two had divided into another two. I took this photo shortly after I posted my previous comment. Finally! They're growing some basal shields! HaHa... :)

Thanks Photo, that makes a lot of sense, especially needing the UV light to dry out excess water and stave off fungi. Yours look so happy! I think if I get another, I'll have it outside for most of the year.

If you get another? I think you mean when you get another... lol

Don't ever let the loss of a plant deter you. All of us have killed more than our fair share of plants. This isn't my first staghorn. I tried mounting one a year or two before I did this one, and it was a total failure. Mainly because of the choice of wooden mount I tried using. I just chalked it up as a learning experience and tried again, after I carefully searched out the best materials that I could find to mount them. Many years before these ones, I successfully managed to kill off the staghorn ferns that I first owned. Which were already mounted when I bought them. Not that these plants are difficult. We just have to learn how to adjust our care for them when they're grown indoors. This holds true for all plants, not just staghorns.

It's possible to keep them indoors, just as long as they get plenty of bright indirect sunlight and are allowed to dry out after watering them. Which is why I keep my ceiling fan going. I would say focus more on watering the fertile fronds, rather than trying to water the basal shields. The roots are primarily for attaching the plant to whatever it's mounted to, not for absorbing water. Sure, they can take up water, but it's not a have to thing. The plant will still absorb the water it needs through its leaves when you water those.

the other strange method for increasing humidity near roots is to put the base into a empty small unglazed clay-pot that is positioned on top of 1-2 inches of moist perlite (in another plastic tub). and adding water just onto perlite - the clay will seep it in - and the roots will absorb it from clay. that's how jades are rooted - they produce aerial roots and then could be potted. initially you should soak up the clay pot so it absorbs all the moisture it can.

the only problem is how to stabilize the tall green fronds vertically? as it is better that they don't move around - tie them up to something like a small narrow bottle? and stuff that inside clay pot :))))?? i'm brain-storming here!

there could be some interesting advice in fern forum too.

ok, the last one :)

so i checked the fern (moss, ferns &...) forum - sure enough you can dunk the fronds. and people grow them in all sorts of netted baskets in orchid medium or LF sphag with bark or coco-chips, even in empty coconut shells !

there are some pics there too and many q&a

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1836710/growing-platyceriums-in-other-containers?n=4

Thank you SO much for this advice and links petrushka!!! Will try your suggestions ASAP!

I've peroxided the root stub and wrapped it loosely in damp sphagnum moss. How often should I mist the leaves? Should it remain flat or could it be put vertical (I could use dowels)?

Also, what should I do with the base? Detach it and see what's under there? Possibly reuse it in the future?

u can mist ev day, but make sure you are not misting sphag, unless it needs it .

it would root better if it's stable. so if you somehow rig to hang/stand it vertically, make sure it does not wobble too much. tall narrow netted cup/pot/bag would be best.

you should go into moss/fern forum for more advice - there are many people there growing staghorns. here not so much.

How about this setup?

I've got that forum bookmarked for future questions. I can make a new post for this there if you think I need further help on this. Thank you so much!

nope.

air is very important - this way roots are locked up in glass! a reg clay pot unglazed would be better - it'll wick moisture out of sphag to keep it on the dry side and at least clay breathes and has a hole in the bottom.

something with holes is needed - if you mist a lot the moisture will collect in the bottom and it might be too much.

mesh is best for air - there'll be more around the roots.

in glass u'll need to be very carefull to make sure sphag is not damp - it'll rot whatever is left ...a few styrofoam pellets or large rocks at the bottom for drainage/air is a must. and large styro-pellets will give more air then gravel.