Platycerium (Staghorn) Ferns As Epiphytes
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Shield Frond Fertile Frond Growing Bud Spore Patch Platycerium Fern Rear View
Prehistoric Platycerium Fern , Rhizome
The Rhizome , Of A Prehistoric Platycerium Fern , Along With The Growing Bud Are The Life Givers Of The Species . This Portion Produces The The Growing Bud , For The Species .
The Spores , Of Platycerium Ferns , Contain A Baby Rhizome , Which Is In Minute Form . When These Spores Are Released And A Rhizome Is Able To Settle Upon A Host Plant The Growth Process Can Begin And The Rhizome Will Start Producing Its Growing Roots . As These Roots Are Being Produced , The Rhizome Becomes Longer And Stronger And After The Rhizome Has Reached A Certain Size It Will Start Producing Shield Fronds , From Its Growing Bud , Which Is Located At The Front Of The Rhizome . When The First Shield Frond Is Produced You Are Be Able To See The First Signs Of A Real Platycerium Fern , But It Will Take A Little More Growing Time Before The Rhizome Will Allow The Growing Bud To Produce A Fertile Frond , But The Fertile Frond Production Will Occur If The Rhizome And Root System Are Able To Continue Receiving Their Proper Cultivation .
When The Rhizome Is In Its Young Growing Stages It Will Only Allow The Growing Bud To Produce Growing Roots And Shield Fronds From The Growing Bud . For Each Shield Frond Produced A Set Of Growing Roots Will Also Be Produced , For That Shield Frond . This Also Happens When The Rhizome Begins Producing Fertile Fronds . This Growth Process Is Repeated Over And Over Throughout The Platycerium Ferns Life Span .
As Time Moves On The Rhizome Ages And About (2) To (3) Inches Or More Behind The Growing Bud Will Remain Fully Alive , Tender And Healthy And Have The New Young And Tender Growing Roots Sprouting From It . The Rest , Of The Rhizome , Will Also Be Alive But Much Stronger And Harder And Having A Woody Makeup To Its Self Like A Tree Branch . If The Short Amount Of Rhizome Just Behind The Growing Bud Is Damaged Or Broken You Will Be Unable To Save The Life , Of The Platy. Fern , Because The Species Will (Die) . As For The Rest Of The Rhizome , Breaking Or Damaging This Portion Will Not Cause The Species To Die , Because This Portion Does Not Contain Any New Growth , Just Old Growth . When Mounting Or Remounting A Platycerium Fern This Is The Portion , Of The Rhizome , That Can Safely Be Cut .
With One Platycerium Fern , Platy. Ellisii , The Fertile Fronds Will Become To Large And Heavy For The Rhizome To Safely Handle The Weight , When It Grows Out And Away From The Root Mass . At That Point You Will Need To Tie The Fertile Fronds At The Rhizome And Then To The Mounting In Order To Keep The Fertile Fronds Weight , From Breaking The Rhizome .
With A Little Care And Observation , When Cultivating Your Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Collection , You Should Have Very Few Problems With The Rhizome Of The Species .
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