Elkhorn Fern
4.4 out of 5 (33 experiences)
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
Also known as
Staghorn Fern
Taxonomy
Platycerium bifurcatum
Platycerium
Polypodiaceae
Polypodiales
How to care for Elkhorn Fern
How often to water your Elkhorn Fern
every 9
Elkhorn Fern needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for Elkhorn Fern in your home
a window
Elkhorn Fern may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.
Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Elkhorn Fern in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Elkhorn Fern
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Elkhorn Fern after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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I recently purchased this Elkhart fern and I want to repot it into a bigger pot Do I just go up one pot size and what type of pot would be best Also, what is the best soil and how deeply do I plant it ? Thanks #ElkhornFern
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One new shield fully grown out with another on the way. Plus a new leaf and even a whole other plant growing out the bottom. So proud of this one. #StaghornFern #ElkhornFern
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Shield almost fully grown out and the next one is on the way. Plus a new leaf is coming also. She just had her shower yesterday. 😊 #HappyPlants #ElkhornFern
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New shields coming in nicely. #ElkhornFern
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#what’s going on with my stag horn fern? I’ve had it for about three months. It drops leaves every time I handle it,it’s very limp and has not put out a new leaf yet. #PetsAndPlants
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Wish this guy luck. He fell off when I was cleaning the leaves so I repotted. Sending out the good vibes prayers because I love so much and want it to survive. I don’t have the motivation to move onto wood and so I hope my potting into soil will catch!
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Do I have to wait for a shield before mounting my stag horn fern? #
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When do you repot? #ElkhornFern
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Help! Rescue plant. #ElkhornFern I got this plant as a rescue for free and wanted some guidance on how to bring it back to life! I've ensured it doesn't have root rot and mixed coco coir with it to give it good water retention, we had some guard frongs which unfortunately didn't make it. Been misting regularly as it feels crispy. Any other help would be amazing
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What is wrong with my plant? #ElkhornFern
Care Summary for Elkhorn Fern
Elkhorn Fern
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 9 days
Placement
< 3ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Large, lush leaves 17
Survivor 9
Browns easily 6
Fast grower 4
12/21/2021
So far so good with this one. I love the cork mount as it really adds some flair and makes it look like I brought a piece of nature inside. I’ve only had it a few weeks, so time will tell, but this has become a favorite. I make sure to mist the undersides of the leaves daily. It seems to love humidity.
Large, lush leaves
03/19/2021
I always marvel at the massive staghorns you’ll find at City Park’s Botanical Garden in NOLA and my grandmother had one on the shady end of her pool that was the size of a basketball. She started hers in a wire hanging basket and the shield leaves wrapped around the whole thing. They will also attach to pieces of wood for a nice wall hanging. That’s what I plan to do with one that I have an indoor spot to try.
Large, lush leaves