brown tips on Staghorn Fern
Quick answer
If your Staghorn Fern has brown tips, the most likely cause is: Staghorn fern (Platycerium bifurcatum) frond tips brown and the antler fronds wilt when the plant is not receiving enough water through its roots and fronds; epiphytic mounts and indoor air dry the thin apical tissue fastest, so the symptom appears first at the leaf margins and tips before the rest of the frond loses turgor.
Start here:
- 1. Water the plant more often, soaking a mounted plaque upside-down in tepid water for 20 minutes or running it under tepid tap water until the moss is saturated, then let it drip-dry before rehanging.
- 2. Increase humidity by misting the fronds regularly with tepid water and standing the plant on a tray of damp pebbles so the air around the antler fronds stays humid enough to recover.
Why Staghorn Fern gets brown tips
Staghorn Fern
Staghorn fern (Platycerium bifurcatum) frond tips brown and the antler fronds wilt when the plant is not receiving enough water through its roots and fronds; epiphytic mounts and indoor air dry the thin apical tissue fastest, so the symptom appears first at the leaf margins and tips before the rest of the frond loses turgor.
How to reverse brown tips on Staghorn Fern
- 1
Water the plant more often, soaking a mounted plaque upside-down in tepid water for 20 minutes or running it under tepid tap water until the moss is saturated, then let it drip-dry before rehanging.
- 2
Increase humidity by misting the fronds regularly with tepid water and standing the plant on a tray of damp pebbles so the air around the antler fronds stays humid enough to recover.
Keep brown tips off this Staghorn Fern
Keep the sphagnum moss or compost lightly moist at all times, water weekly in a hot dry room and every 2-3 weeks in a cool or humid room, and mist the fronds regularly with tepid water so frond tips never desiccate.