Can a mature - 60+ years - staghorn fern be attached or mounted to a redwood tree? The driftwood that it had been mounted to broke in half during the move to our new house. The shape of the driftwood was perfect because there were two natural holes in it for a heavy chain and the fern has always been hanging in an ideal spot in the few houses it has lived in. Now, hopefully, the new ideal location is on this amazing redwood tree on our property.
The concern is if the Redwood tannins would affect the fern.
The fern "body" is about 3 ft x 3 ft.
Thanks for your help!

Let's see if I can summon some help @drdawg

And fellow Sebastopolian!

Because we have no redwood trees down here, I really don't know the answer to your question, @pablosdiablo. My best guess is "yes". Staghorns don't take nutrients from the trees, only using them for support.

Staghorns grow in all sorts of trees here in SE Florida, but they generally are either put into the "crotch" of a substantial tree (such as a old, large oak tree) or they are hung via cables or chains from stout limbs. A 3'x3' staghorn carries a lot of weight. What do you plan to do to put it on that redwood?

I'm not visualizing any plant staying attached to the bark of a redwood without the use of big screws and that would be sad. As it has a chain, why not just hang it from a substantial branch right up next to the trunk and call it good?

I certainly agree with you, Lucy. Don't drive large nails or screws into the redwood. There are better ways to hang it against the trunk (landscape fabrics) or if you are able, hang it from a limb so that it rests against the trunk (if that's the "look" that you want). Redwood limbs may be far too high to do this though.

Epiphytic plants HATE everything about redwoods. They won't attach to the bark and the needles and debris that fall into the fern slowly kill it.
Do you have any oaks?

There you go. Someone familiar with CA redwoods. Thanks for setting us all straight, @Hortica.

I was hoping it would attach itself like it did with the driftwood. My plan to keep it against the tree was to use nylon webbing to not dig into the plant or the tree.

Hortica said: Epiphytic plants HATE everything about redwoods.

This lady (and several others) disagrees:
https://www.savetheredwoods.or...

Lucy68 said: This lady (and several others) disagrees:
https://www.savetheredwoods.or...

Quite different are the epiphytic plants and other organisms of the redwood forest that evolved with them, and staghorn ferns. I can tell you from long experience here that customers who put their ferns under them regret it. Very few species of plants are able to grow under coast redwoods.

@pablosdiablo, you are free to do whatever you want with your staghorn. You've gotten some strong opinions against mounting it under or against a redwood tree. If this were my staghorn, I would trust those opinions.

I would hate to have a beautiful plant like this covered in litter that redwoods drop, it's a constant mess.

I took exception to Hortica's statement: "Epiphytic plants HATE everything about redwoods."

It was a worrisome blanket statement as there are many epiphytes hanging in redwood trees: ferns, lichens, fungus, even other conifers. I don't think we should lead people astray with something that significant.

I have no idea what a staghorn fern would do although I have seen them mounted on redwood boards.