Mounting Staghorn Ferns on Wood Plaques

In building our outdoor wood deck panel, I wanted to keep it very boho and natural feeling. I decided to make a few fun projects that would fit into that theme. One of them is mounting Staghorn Ferns on wood plaques to hang.

I had read other blogger’s posts and knew I wanted to give it a try, so I ordered a  5 count Staghorn Fern pack off of Amazon (supply resource link below). I knew they were little when I ordered them, but they were just the cutest little baby Staghorns ever!  I had a few craft rounds in my supply stash that were the perfect size for the baby Staghorns. Once they get bigger, at some point, I’ll have to remount them on larger rounds. I’m not sure how fast they are going to grow, so it could be sooner rather than later.

I watched several Youtube videos and checked out a few blog posts for techniques in mounting them. Along with a wood base to mount the ferns on, you’ll need fishing line or clear jewelry thread, dirt, sheet moss and nails or screws. You can find supplies here.

Start by nailing several anchor points into your wood base. I put mine in a half circle pattern.

Add moist dirt to the board and place the root area of the fern on top. If there is a little bit of brown papery-like leaf at the base of the fern, leave it. It’s actually protective for the fern roots.

Lay moss over the top of the root ball and use the fishing line to weave around the nails, securing in place.  These are going to be hanging upright, so wrap A LOT of fishing line, using the moss to encapsulate the dirt and roots.

Once your moss and fern are secured, when mounting  Staghorn ferns on a wood plaque, do a test run of it being upright over a sink to make sure it stays on and the dirt stays inside.

Soak your board, plant and all until it is completely saturated. and let it drip dry before hanging. It’s also good to mist your fern once a week as well too.

If you want to see how other bloggers have mounted and displayed their Staghorn Ferns, check out Michael’s post for another mounting option,  and Mandy’s post also has feeding care for your Staghorn Fern.

 

If you liked this post you might also like How to create a DIY moss ball, and a moss path.