Platycerium spp.
Relatively easy to grow, the Stag Horn (Platycerium superbum) and Elk Horn (Platycerium bifurcatumis) make fantastic feature plants for the small courtyard garden or for a sheltered area in the backyard.
Filtered Sun
Keep Crown & Leaves Moist in Dry Weather
Use Compost Attached to a Backing Board
Suitable for Temperate & Tropical Climates
Ensure that the plant is not allowed to dry out and keep moist, especially in warmer weather.
Keep protected from frosts and strong winds.
Brown fatty patches can develop beneath the fronds. These are spores that represent the reproductive stage of the plant.
Scale is another sap-sucking insect that can damage the leaf. The best time to spray for this pest is in summer when the scale is young and easier to kill. To treat, spray with Yates Nature's Way Citrus & Ornamental Spray.
Yates 750ml Ready To Use Nature's Way Citrus And Ornamental Spray
Mites, an extremely tiny insect that you can't see without the aid of a magnifying glass, is a sap-sucking insect that causes damage to the leaf. This insect can be controlled by spraying Yates Nature's Way Vegie & Herb Spray Concentrate.
Yates 750ml Nature's Way Vegie And Herb Pest Spray
Yates 200ml Nature's Way Vegie And Herb Concentrate
This beetle lays its eggs near the tips of the fronds. The larvae then tunnels inside the foliage causing the leaf to blister and dry out. From the photo you sent, it could well be the insect that is causing the damage to your elks. There isn't an insecticide that will control this pest. The best way to control this beetle is early detection. In the morning, check your plants for this beetle. Remove them by hand and destroy them. If you notice the tips of the fronds have been damaged, cut off the damaged parts so the larvae aren't able to do further damage.
Keep Stag Horns and Elk Horns drier in winter and cool weather. Otherwise, they tend to rot. Move to a brighter position where possible.
Stag Horns and Elk Horns grow best in warm and humid environments. In dry and warm weather keep plants regularly water including wetting their leaves.
Stag Horns and Elk Horns can be mounted onto trees, fences, large pieces of timber, and also into hanging baskets.
Decide where you want to position your Stag Horn or Elk Horn on the backing, then draw a circle where it is to be placed.
Hammer in about six nails space even on the perimeter of your newly drawn circle, hammering each nail in halfway.
Position your Stag Horn or Elk Horn in the centre of the circle.
Cover the roots with sphagnum moss, or similar, so that none of the roots or soil is exposed.
Using a biodegradable line (e.g., string) suspend the end to one of the nails, then run the line across the moss until the plant is woven to the board.
Take the plant outside, then water it. Feed with Yates Dynamic Lifter Liquid Concentrate - this will also help to reduce transplant shock.
