Recycled Fan "Cage" for Baby Staghorn Fern

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Posted by @klc on
I reused an old broken fan to make a sturdy, stylish mounting for my new staghorn simply by removing the motor, separating the halves, and filling with sphagnum and potting soil mix.

I had a staghorn fern when I lived in FL that was quite large and heavy, so I was trying to think of a way to mount my new "baby" fern in such a way that it would be secure, could be hung, and could grow as naturally as possible.

My new "baby" staghorn fern:

Thumb of 2014-08-23/klc/5db6a4

I was in my basement and spotted an old fan that didn't work when the proverbial "light bulb" went on! I took the fan, removed its motor, and opened the fan up into 2 halves.

Thumb of 2014-08-23/klc/024385

I lined the bottom half (the front of the fan) with moist sphagnum moss and mounded a mixture of potting soil and perlite with a little Osmocote time-released fertilizer in the middle. Then I covered that with another layer of sphagnum moss and reattached the top half of the cage (the side with the hole for the motor).

Thumb of 2014-08-23/klc/c113e7 Thumb of 2014-08-23/klc/a1f357

I placed the fern into the potting soil through the hole in the cage, secured it firmly with heavy fishing line, and attached the plant name tag.

Thumb of 2014-08-23/klc/7ca54e

The cage is very sturdy and will allow the fern to grow around it as time goes on. I plan to leave it flat until enough base fronds grow to attach it onto the cage, and then I will hang it by chains, etc.

I think it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself!! :D











 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
Clever Idea by NJBob Sep 21, 2014 3:20 PM 7
Untitled by portiabarb Sep 20, 2014 9:57 AM 0
Nice job of re-cycling by drdawg Sep 15, 2014 6:51 PM 1
i love it!!! by crittergarden Sep 14, 2014 6:41 PM 1

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