Platycerium (Staghorn) Ferns As Epiphytes
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Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii
Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii Requires The Same Cultivation As That Of Platycerium Fern Quadridichotomum , But Platy. Quadridichotomum Is Found Living And Surviving On The Island Of Madagascar . Platycerium Fern Wallichii Has A Natural Living And Cultivating Habitat Of Indonesia , Malaysia And Thailand .
The Shield Fronds , Of This Species , Will Begin To Develop In Early Spring And Last Through Late Fall When The Platycerium Fern Enters Into Its Dormancy Period . The Upper Portion Of These Shield Fronds Will Not Store Moisture And Are Paper Thin , Which Will Cause Them To Tear Very Easy . If You Are Planning To Remount The Species , Perform This Task After The First New Shield Frond Has Grown Out About (2) To (3) Inches In Order To Prevent Damage To The Frond . The Lower Portion , Of The Shield Frond , Will Hold Moisture , But Not For Long Periods Of Time And Are A Lot Thicker Than The Upper Portion . After Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii Enters Dormancy And Its Shield Fronds Begin To Die The Shield Fronds Will Look Terrible , At That Time You Can Cut The Top Portion Of The Frond Off Because The Upper Section Has Completed Its Life Cycle , Except For Them Mulching And Feeding The Species .
Platycerium Fern Wallichii Can Be A Very Difficult Species To Cultivate , Because Of Judging The Right Time To Water The Species At Various Times Of The Year . In Late Fall The Species Enters Into Its Dormancy Period Where All Growth Will Stop So The Watering Should Be Drastically Cut Back To Allow The Species To Fully Dry Back And This Type Of Watering , Of The Species , Should Continue Until The Species Begins Producing Its New Fertile Fronds In Late Spring . If Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii Is Not Allowed To Fully Dry Back During Its Dormancy Period And During The Production Of Its Shield Fronds The Root Mass Will Under Go Root Rot And The New Shield Fronds Will Not Develop Correctly Or They Will Die . Remember The Shield Fronds , Of Platy. Fern Wallichii , Will Not Retain Moisture .
Soon After The Shield Fronds , Of Platycerium Fern Wallichii , Have Almost Matured In Late Spring To Early Summer The Species Begins Producing Its Fertile Fronds . After The Fertile Fronds Have Reached A Length Of (2) To (3) Inches , The Watering Of The Species Should Be Reduced To The Point Where The Species Is Kept Somewhat Damp , But Not Wet , But Damp Enough To Keep Moisture In The Fertile Frond . This Can Be Very Tricky , Because To Much Moisture Given To The Species , At This Time , Can Cause The Roots Of The New Fertile Fronds To Rot And (Die) Or To Little Moisture Will Cause The New Fertile Fronds Not To Mature Correctly . At Madagascar Tropicals Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii Is Always Allowed To Dry Back Fully Before Watering Even When The Species Is Producing Fertile Fronds And After The Fertile Fronds Have Matured This Solves The Problem Of Giving The Species To Much Moisture . If The Fertile Fronds Do Not Mature This Season The Nursery Can Wait Until Next Season , Because This Is Better Than Losing The Species Altogether .
The Fertile Fronds , Of Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii , Is Where You Will Find The Spore Patches Which Hold The Species Reproductive Spores . With This Species As With Platycerium Fern Philippine Grande , Holttumii And Wandae There Are Two Spore Patches Per Fertile Frond But With Platycerium Fern Wallichii And Holttumii , Which Produces Their Fertile Fronds In Late Summer To Late Fall The Two Spore Patches Will Begin A Light Green Color And Remain A Light Green Color Until The Patches Turn A Dark Brown Color After The Spores Have Fully Matured A Year Later . Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii Also Reproduces By Producing Pups , From Its Root Mass , Which Is Unlike Platycerium Fern Philippine Grande , Holttumii And Wandae .
There Are Two Instances Where The Fertile Fronds Of Platycerium Fern Wallichii Will Begin To Curl Like A Twisted Rope . This Curling , Of The Fertile Fronds , Will Occur (1) When The Fertile Fronds Are Mature And Lack The Proper Amount Of Moisture In Them To Keep The Fronds Stiff And Full , Because These Fronds Do Retain Moisture And (2) When The Fertile Fronds Have Completed Their Life Cycle Which Is After The Spore Patches Have Matured And Released Their Reproductive Spores . When You See The Fertile Fronds Begin To Curl Do Not Assume That The Species Is Dying And Begin Watering The Species In Order To Save , If The Species Is Already Damp , Because This Can Cause The (Death) Of The Species For Sure .
The Species Receives A Light Amount Of Stellate Hairs On Its Shield Fronds , With A Great Amount Covering The Upper Surface Of Its Fertile Fronds . These Stellate Hairs Act As A Sun Screen For Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii . In Order For Platy. Fern Wallichii To Grow , Live And Survive The Species Requires Filtered Sun Light Of No Less Than 60% , A Temperature Not To Fall Below 65 Degrees With A Humidity That Can Be Maintained At No Less Than 65% And Allowed To Dry Back In Order To Prevent Root Rot , Because Where The Species Is Native To The Species Only Receives Moisture When The Monsoon Rains Arrive .
If Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Wallichii Is Given The Proper Cultivation The Species Will Live , Grow And Survive Within Your Environment And Become An Excellent Addition To Your Collection . Some Years You Will Find Platy. Fern Wallichii Doing Very Well And Others Not So Well , But Do Not Let This Discourage You Just Attempt To Keep The Species Alive And Look Forward To The Years When The Species Is Growing Well . This Also Holds True For All Epiphytic And Prehistoric Platycerium Ferns . Just Keep In Mind That You Are Dealing With Nature And Nature Does Not Always Allow Things To Look Nice .
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