[Midnight Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by DAVES

Like most things you will find information readily available on the internet. I make it a habit of finding several sources to see what agrees what doesn't and perhaps a solution to the problem that others would not have thought of.

First of all there are several different varieties. The roots as you have noticed unfortunately are minimal and can be caused to rot. What I read says you should not run nails through the plant to secure it.

Seems you need to build a wooden frame and nail the frame to the tree. I would use stainless steel nails as brass will surely kill the tree and plain steel nails will quickly rust out. For the frame, I would use cedar rather than pressure treat.

The plant may have fallen due to root rot or simply an impact when you had work done on the tree.

GOOD LUCK WITH IT.

Regardless of the variety of staghorn (Platycerium) you have, and there are far more varieties than just a few, and they are all propagated and "planted" the same way. In nature, you will mostly see them growing attached directly to a tree.

They do not necessarily have to be attached to a board. You can attach the plant directly to the tree itself. Between the tree and the plant, you should use peat or sphagnum moss to help keep the plant moist and over time, that will help the plant attach more quickly.

You need to tie the plant securely to the tree to hold it, but do not use string or anything that will cut into the plant. You can even use strips cut from a plastic bag or the green stretchable tape-type roll you can find in garden centers. Just make sure the plant is well secured to the tree and check it often.

If you choose to plant in a basket, buy a basket with a coconut coir liner. Fill the basket with sphagnum moss, place the plant on top and it will pretty much take care of itself.