Staghorn Fern Platycerium

Just to let you know I separated my staghorn, now I have two. They are back on the tree but positioned differently. They look good, thanks for all of your help.

That is great news! You're welcome. Thanks for letting me know. Keep me posted on their progress. Happy gardening!

Staghorn Ferns are tough plants, at least the common ones. Usually there are few problems with them even with minimal care. I could only see the 'spore frond' it looks a little pale, and perhaps dried out (dehydrated). Being dried out could be from overwatering, heat, perhaps a few other things. Staghorns do not like to be keep wet all of the time. You should let them dry a little in-between waterings. What is not shown in the photo is the rest of the plant. If you were to look at the 'shied fronds' (the more flat ones on the back) what do they look like? If they are very dark, like dark chocolate brown, that is a good indication the plant has been kept too wet. (light brown or greenish is best) To check to see if they are too wet, poke your finger in to the dark part on the 'shield frond' (push fairly hard) water will ooze out around your finger. If this happens just stop watering for a while. When I said the 'spore frond looks a little dried out' this could be from over watering as well, the plant is just saturated and the roots are dying, so they can't take up the water the plant needs. Adding more water will not solve the problem, only make it worse. (of course I can't see that part of the plant) So this is my educated guess.
What to do now? Let the plant alone in a shaded area to dry out. It depends on how large the plant is and how wet it is, but this could take a week perhaps a month, maybe longer, if it is a very large plant. Some depends on the weather, too. When it starts to feel dry, then maybe a little water once in 7 to 10 days, by then the temps in S.D. should be cooler. I have personally seen Staghorn Ferns go for a year with no water at all, not even rain water, that is why I said they are "tough plants" in my first sentence. This appears to be a Platycerium bifricatum the most common one in our area. They usually put out more new growth as the weather cools, during heat, they slow down.
The black spot on this leaf could be from an insect, but not a chewing one. I don't see any holes in this leaf/frond. Scale are tiny, sometimes difficult to see, but only one spot on a leaf that size is not going to harm the plant. Yes, it would be good to have no scale, but I would not panic if the other leaves have similar spots. The black spot could have been from physical damage also. If there are lots of black spots or light yellow spots, you should probably spray. I think the best insecticide for these is a product by Bayer. It comes in a ready to use spray labeled for roses and other plants. They do not mention Staghorn ferns, but I use it an it works great. No mixing so no mistakes there. Just spray from the trigger sprayer.
You mention you fed it at some time. No mention on what you used or how much you used, this could be a problem too. Some plant foods work faster than others, the faster acting ones are more apt to burn. They don't need a lot of fertilizer, but adding a little now and then makes larger and deeper green leaves. I prefer to use 'GRO POWER TABLETS', they work great, and you only use them 3 or 4 times per year. Quick and easy. If you fed it in the last two months or so, I would not recommend feeding again, maybe try in November or December, but be careful what you use and how much you use.
If you see holes or chewed areas, it is most often snails or slugs. It could be sow bugs also, but they don't do as much damage as the first two. Bait for those is the easiest way. "Sluggo" is very effective and the safest way to go. Won't hurt animals or children. I hope this helps you and your fern.

wow, thanks so much for all of this info. I have separated the plant into two plants. It looks as though the plant is wilting a little so I watered it. I have been watering the leaves, is this okay. It's cooling down now so I'm going to leave it along. Thanks for all of your advice.

shall I cover my staghorn ferns when it's frost is coming to poway

Hi Susiwinters,

Here's a link to our "Ferns" page, it has a month by month guide by Walter Andersen nursery for your area for Staghorns and a general care sheet. www.themulch.com/care-guides/ferns

The monthly guide suggests you need to protect them from frost in the winter months. I once visited a person in Rancho Bernardo that grew all sorts of staghorn ferns and his plants were really devastated by the hard frost about 5 or six years ago.

I hope that helps.
mitch