My Baby Stagferns

Platycerium - Staghorn Fern: "PROPAGATION: All kinds, except P. grande, produce small rooted Ferns from their bases. These may be detached and planted in a pan of sifted soil compost. They are held in place by pegging them down with pieces of wire bent to hairpin shape or with wooden pegs. The soil is kept moist and when they're large enough, they're fixed to their permanent spots as previously described. These Ferns may also be raised from spores, but this method is rarely used (except for P. grande, the kind that doesn't produce small plants), because it is a much slower process. The spores must be fully ripe. To test them for ripeness, a frond is gathered when the spores are brown and placed in a paper bag. This is hung in a position with good ventilation for a few days. The spores that are found at the bottom of the bag are ripe enough to plant. A deep pan or pot is almost filled up with crocks over which a layer of rough peat or moss is placed. The rest of the space is filled with peat moss and finely chopped sphagnum moss. The spores are sprinkled on top of the soil and are kept moist by setting the pot in a saucer of water. Growth is very slow, but when they're large enough to handle, they are lifted carefully and placed 2 inches apart in deep pans filled with similar compost, where they are kept moist until they're large enough to fix to their permanent positions."