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My Love Affair with a Staghorn Fern

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My Love Affair with a Staghorn Fern Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 89:356-357. 1976. MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH A STAGHORN FERN Elaine Spear can reach us on all sides. (Give us morning or late after Interior and Patio Plants noon sun and we respond by growing well and loving you by Michele for it.) Dampen sphagnum moss, sprinkle sheep or cow manure with equal amounts of bone meal onto the moss and we are now ready to be secured to backing with plastic Additional index words. Platycerium bifurcatum., house coated wire. Please do not use copper wire which is toxic to plants. plants. We have so many wonderful qualities, we make great Abstract. My own experience in caring for the 18 species mothers. Most of us have babies continuously, we call them of Platyceriums. A description of each with a guideline for pups and it is a pleasure to watch them grow, and best of fertilization and pest control is also presented. Mounting all they don't talk back. materials and procedures are discussed. There are those species which can only be reproduced by spore culture which is a challenging way to produce Platyceriums. Used as nature's work of art on a living room There she sits in all her glory. She presides over her wall with good air circulation and a plant light we are a special kingdom, looking down, saying to all who will listen piece de resistance. "LOOK AT ME, ADMIRE ME, LOVE ME" Platyceriums are a fun, low maintenance, elegant plant. but don't fuss, worry or overwater me. Do get to know us. Ask Elaine Spear, she knows and truly I am a Liberated Lady and too much tender loving care appreciates us. and concern makes me ill. Andinum (High in the mountains of Bolivia and Peru). I belong to the lively interesting extensive family of Temperatures ranging from a low of 60 degrees to a high of ferns. However, I am also blessed to be free and easy, be 85 to 90. Enjoys high humidity, good ventilation and drying cause I am an epiphyte fern and I live on this God given out between watering. Size: Shield fronds 3 to 3*4 feet high earth with little care. As an epiphyte I need good air circu and 2 feet wide. Fertile fronds: 5 to 6 feet long or more. lation, good light and water. A dash of fertilizer, Peter's Pups profusely. Beautiful white velvet fern that is a pleasure 20-20-20, one teaspoon to the gallon alternating with fish to care for. emulsion once a month during warm weather, will keep Angolense (Africa). Thrives in our warm Miami weather. me healthy and green. Also every four months a half cup of Temperature ranging from 90 degrees to a low of 60. En manure behind the base shield would be appreciated. I joys high humidity and more water than other Platyceriums. respond by growing into a magnificent specimen plant. Will cold burn. Shield fronds: 2 feet high and 20 inches Occasionally, we have problems because of being over- wide. Fertile fronds: 2 feet long and 2 feet wide. Pups pro watered. We develop a polka dot brown fungus which has fusely. Beautiful light green lettuce leaf fronds. A special to be controlled by spraying with a fungicide. One teaspoon fern. Easy to care ior. of Benlate (benomyl), one teaspoon M45, one teaspoon Bifurcatum (New Guinea, Australia). Bifurcatum is the Truban to one gallon of water on a once per month pro most common of all Platycerium ferns. Deep green in color. gram until new growth grows in clean. We very seldom A large specimen ball is truly a magnificent sight to see. have problems wth insects but when we do we would be Pups profusely; hardy; everyone's favorite. very pleased to be sprayed as soon as possible with an in Coronarium (Philippines, Java, Malaya). Temperature secticide. One teaspoon of water soluble Sevin is safe and ranging from high 80 degrees to a low of 60. Enjoys high will destroy mealybugs, hardbrown scales and white snow humidity and controlled watering; sensitive to cold. Shield scales. For spider mites, one teaspoon of Plictran to five fronds: 2 feet high or more and 28 inches wide. Fertile gallons of water will do the job nicely. Please take care to fronds: 5 feet or more in length. Difficult to find; a col spray only when we have a problem. lector's delight to own. My botanical genus name is Platycerium. We have 18 Ellisii (Madagascar). Enjoys high humidity with tem species and hundreds of variants of Bifurcatum varieties. If peratures down to 60 degrees. This is a hardy fern and easy you look closely you will notice our fronds all look different. to take care of. We have thin lacy fronds, thick hairy long velvet fronds, Grande (Philippines). Also called the Green Grande. short curly finger fronds, light green to dark and silver Has 2 spore patches. Enjoys high humidity and controlled fronds. Also, we have very special primadonnas that need watering. Considered a large Platycerium; is a bit smaller controlled conditions to do well. Only people who really than the White Grande. This fern can only be grown by know our family have the tremendous desire to collect spores. Difficult to find. A collector's fern. Platyceriums such as Grande, Ridleyi, Madagascariense, Hillii (Australia, Greenland). Hardy, attractive, easy to Wandae and Quadridichotomum. These are just a few of take care of. Pups well. the species and what a thrill and delight it is to observe Holttumii (Thailand). Temperatures ranging from 80 these magnificent ferns. to 90 degrees high to 60, with high humidity and controlled We come from Australia, Asia, South Africa, the Philip watering. This fern is one of the most beautiful. Shield pines and many other countries from around the world. So fronds: 3 to 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. Fertile fronds: 31^ you see, we have a certain sophistication and we are con to 5 feet long and 3 to 4 feet wide. This fern can only be sidered exotic. We grow on trees, in wire baskets packed grown from spores. A collector's fern. with sphagnum moss, on driftwood, cypress and tree fern. Madagascariense (Madagascar). Temperatures ranging For our special primadonas that do not pup, can only be from 80 to 90 degrees to a low of 60. I have never seen a grown by spores that need controlled conditions, we mature plant. thoroughly enjoy being watered well and left to a drying Quadudichotomum (Madagascar). Temperatures rang out condition. A special way to mount us would be on 1x2 ing from 80 to 90 degrees to a low of 60. I have never seen redwood slats spaced one inch or so apart so that air flow this fern. 356 Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 89: 1976. Ridleyi (Malaya, Borneo, Sumatra). Rapidly becoming Veitchii (Australia). Semi hardy. The fronds have a extinct in Malaya. I now have a mature plant that has whitish gray coloring that is most attractive. Pups well. spores. Likes filtered sun to full sun. Wallichii (Burma, Malaya). Identification is not positive. Stemmaria (Africa). Temperatures ranging up to a high Very rare; dormant; controlled watering. Can only be grown of 80 degrees to not below 50 degrees. Will cold burn. En from spores. A challenge to you. joys high humidity and lots of water. Shield fronds: 24 Wanclae (New Guinea). High of 80 to 90 degrees and inches long and 35 inches wide. Pups profusely. This is a low of 60. One of our largest Platyceriums. Shield fronds: 4 very special fern. There are three different looking Stem- feet in height, 6 to 7 feet wide. Fertile fronds up to 5 feet in marias that I personally know of. Each one more beautiful length. Deep blue green in color. Good air ventilation. Con than the other. trolled watering. Collector's delight. Superbum (Australia, Malasia, Java, Singapore). (Form Willinckii (Java). Semi hardy. A low of 50 degrees. Gray erly known as P. White Grande). This is a hardy fern. En green in color. Beautiful and easy fern to care for. joys a high humidity and controlled watering. Shield fronds: Of the 15 species that I have personally grown, all enjoy 4 to 5 feet wide and 31/2 feet long. Fertile fronds: to 3 feet good air ventilation and should be permitted to dry out be long. Can only be grown from spores. A collector's fern. tween watering. Vassei (Madagascar). Semi hardy. Temperatures ranging Each has a special beauty of their own and I must say, I in the low 60 degrees. This fern has up right fertile fronds love them all. that remind you of deer antlers. Beautiful and easy to grow fern. Pups well. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 89:357-358. 1976. SALT TOLERANT PLANT TEST, PRELIMINARY RESULTS S. A. Rose more than two hundred different kinds of plants were used. Cooperative Extension Service, A number of plants failed to survive, but many thrived and USD A—University of Florida, were recommended for coastal plantings but not direct dune 1125 King St., use. Cocoa, FL 32922 The next portion of the test was to locate some of the plants that survived at Patrick Air Force Base directly to Frank A. Smith dune exposure. Agricultural Technician, Brevard County Procedure Additional index words. Halophytes, beach conservation. In August 1975, an area was selected directly on the dunes at Spessard Holland Park in Melbourne Beach. Abstract. Brevard County has a coast line in excess of 70 Organic matter was added to the sand and spaded to a depth miles.
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