Ken this should make things clear enough for a beginner!

You make it look so 'easy'!
Well, if you can find the cool wood and the epiphytes...

So, I am dying to know how do you water them if they are mounted and hanging on a wall in your house, for example, which is where I grow my staghorn cuz I live in a cold-winter place with no greenhouse...and what about when they get really big???

The first question is easy. Do what I do. Take them down, bring them to a large sink (I have a utility sink in the laundry room to use in the fall/winter months) and drench them. Drain and then put them back on the wall. During the spring/summer months, take them outside and hose them down. Better yet, IF you have trees, hang the plants under the trees during the warm months, like I do. Easy.

Like any plant, when they get really large, you will have to divide them or re-mount them. I divided mine. I had one that got over 100 lbs.! Heck, I could not begin to lift her. She got divided into six plants, and each was mounted. There is always a solution for every problem.

Thank You Ken!
I'm thinking about it ... kinda scared about it though...
okay--so mounting bigger ones--same principle?

well done article Ken!

Thank you, David Paul.

Yes, Dirt, regardless of the size plant, it will be the same. Sometimes with larger plants I will use both the criss-cross and the straight-across tying together, just to have more "hold". Thus you would have four wires across the plant/root-ball. With tall bromeliads (or any taller plant), I will drill two additional hold further up the mount so that I can loosely support the upper part of the plant. Just use your imagination. The plant won't care if you are not perfect! Go for it, Dirt. No risk-no glory.

Great article Ken! I don't know if you had seen the one that I mounted on the cork that I got from you...Here it is...Growing a new basal frond!


Was easy peasy, Dirt! Go for it!

Tara, that is developing into a very nice staghorn specimen plant. Its even trying to grow a pup! It is always a good sign of great health when they grow "babies". Stags grow so well on cork slabs and yours is a great example of that.

I'm trying to get up the courage...and thinking about what to mount it on and where to put it...kinda have a plant-hoarding space problem ya know
I have a neato hunk of driftwood--but it's too big

right now, it (I think there are three) is in a broken clay pot on top of a book shelf (can't really see the broken part -heh)


I am pondering using a long horn that I have...somehow... and flip-flopping the shelves...
I kinda like the idea of a staghorn on a longhorn
Have you ever grown them on bone?
I think the actual bone of the horn would look pretty cool, with all the little holes for the vasculature...but it would be kinda heavy and I might regret that...the keratin casing is hollow without the bone, would be easy to drill and much lighter, but much less attractive...unless I can figure out how to polish it up or something or accept the weathered look...
or go wood hunting...

I have never used bone. If I had a source, I would certainly see how it worked. Unless the driftwood must remain as-is, you can always cut it to get it to a more manageable size. I cut, shave, and/or sand practically every mount I use. I also like to finish one side of the wood and coat that side with a durable layer of epoxy. I can't do that with some pieces of driftwood though.

Good luck. I am sure you'll come up with something that will look great.

Well, I went and dug the horn out of the snow and I am hatching mad plans for how to drill it and hang it--
I'm sure I'll come up with something that looks weird, anyway
I'm gonna try it on both, the bone and outer shell and see what happens.

Thanks for a great article and all the encouragement!

I could see how using an old cow skull or a shoulder or ham bone would make for a neat epiphyte project. Is this a longhorn horn? You might consider using the open end for a plant, hanging it vertically with more plant attachments down the length.

Isn't imagination a wonderful thing!?

Yeah--I thought about using my buffalo skull for a few seconds, but I do not want it consumed by the fern so I got over that urge real quick!
The horn is just a long, fat horn with a gentle curve, about 28"--it's not a longhorn horn, but it's still cool.

Yes--current thought is the biggest one in the open end and one in the curve and hang it vertically, somehow. I'd like to put a cable down the center and I'm working on that...

Terribly exciting, really

Wow, all these ideas are super cool! Y'all must post pix when you get this done!!!

Okay--I did it
here's the evidence...looks a bit pathetic after the surgery

I had no clue what all the stuff was that seemed to be attached??? it really seemed to be sphagnum moss and sticks and I could not tell what was roots, if anything. I tried to preserve as much of 'whatever' that was but I really had to pare it down to jam it in the top of the horn (couldn't even really come close to getting it in there, so it is mostly mounded on top) and there is a way too big pouch on the side, as far as I'm concerned. I hope that it manages to figure out how to cope.
And if this fails--I may try again with babies...

The yellow wire...left over stuff from the electric fence not attractive but real easy to work with (oh well, I keep telling myself this is an experiment not a show piece ) and a little ghetto action with the temporary rubber band 'til it catches on to the new shape...


cable around the horn, thru brass bearings and up the middle


should really be strong enough to hold more than I can carry to the shower

and the end of the horn--just because it's cool


Thank You Ken for such a great article!!!
and thank you and everyone else for all of the extra help and encouragement too!

That is sooooooooooo cool, Dirt! I think it looks fabulous. You have done something I have never seen done before. You should feel proud of yourself. I think the stag will do well. I am not so sure where it will wrap its basal fronds, but the results will be most interesting.

Thanks Ken!
I appreciate that a lot
Yeah...it will be interesting...I'll share periodic pics of the weirdness
It may try to envelope the cable
I hope it gets snugly by the time I hang it in a tree --we get some wicked winds in these parts