DrFunk

for the past 5 months i've been throwing my excess seeds in my staghorn fern (for those who dont know its a big tropical plant that hangs by ropes) about 3 monthst ago **** started sprouting like crazy at one point i had between 50-100 plants but after due process i weeded out the weak an i now only have three healthy ones... i've been feeding them botanicare accelerated vegetative formula once a week up until about 3 weeks ago an switched to the botanicare fruit and flower formula... the 2 plants have green pistils coming out from everywhere but my one plants has white ones and a **** load of them.. i live on a tropical island on the gulf of mexico so it is always warm an sunny... if i could get any advice from experienced growers or anyone who has grown from a staghorn before...is there anything i should do to the plant to get better healthier buds... this is my first time growing but i've read a lot... thanks

the dr

aleph

proper light + good grow medium + nutes + air circulation = healthy buds

can you post a picture? sounds very cool.

so, staghorns, they don't really grow in soil, no? is your hanging system some sort of peat moss setup? when i've had staghorn ferns they've been living on bark, or the side of a tree, a board, etc. and they don't like to be too wet. my only concern with trying to grow cannabis in this way is that there may not be enough structure to support the root system, and it may get too dry during veg.

the other problem is that staghorn ferns only want nutrients like once every six months, so you'll have to foliar feed the weed and try not to get the fern. i'm surprised your fern hasn't reacted to all the nutes and water it sounds like you've put in...

but! it is totally on the line and well worth trying (sounds likes it's working, you may just have really small buds). there may be some sort of cool symbiosis with them you discover.

DrFunk

i may be able to post pictures later

i let my staghorns grow around spagnum moss then i tie them up an over the years they have grown around the rope,
maybe the not liking to be to wet factor doesn't matter in the climate i live in cause i've noticed if they dont stay wet an they start to get dry the leaves turn yellow
also its huge so i dont see any rooting problem
it actually grew into a Y shape so my plants are in the middle with protection on either side and airation in front an back
their only about a foot high with about 6 inches of bushiness on top an 6 inches for good circulation under the plants
the stag actually works to my advantage cause the leaves hold my plants up an my plants have grown around the leaves so it all fits perfect
i've kept them trimmed so they got bushy an not tall
and the fern has reacted very well with all the nutes
i've never seen them this green and with so many new shoots this time of year

my only real concern right now is that 2 of my plants are a little slow at budding.... they have the green pistils but i dont see much change in them an they also keep growing taller an sprouting new nodes so i've had to keep manicuring them
on the other hand my one plant has ceased to keep growing and had just been budding with more white hairs everyday.. there kinda starting to get a hint of red in the white
i just wanna be able to tell if my other plants are males so i dont get hermies

also after i pick the buds are my plants gonna die or can i put them back into vegetative stage?

ommamedmar

I wanna see this

OMM

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aleph

this is so cool, i want to do this now. i've seen staghorn ferns get to be 5 and 6 foot monsters.

sounds like you are relying on outdoor lighting, if they are slow to bud it is because they are reverting back to the veg phase. there is enough dark right now in the northern hemisphere to put them into flower, but not enough to finish them. if you want to finish them you have to control the light. maybe cover it?

the days are getting longer in the n. hemisphere so they'll move out of their bud phase (theres enough dark right now for them to flower) and back into the veg phase. as the days get longer.

so if you want to go with the natural light, you should flush the medium with water and then start giving them nutes high in nitrogen. forgive me if you know all this already...

also, while in flower, it has been my unfortunate experience that it shocks the plant if you cut at the stalks or stems frequently, reducing the yield.

if it were me i'd put them back in veg and let them go for the season, harvesting in the early fall. if you can't wait, and who could blame you, figure out a way to regulate that light.

please post pics if you can! what a good idea you've had. i swear to god, with all the good experiments on this board some one is going to find a cure for something, other than boredom of course

DrFunk

i have some pics i took today but i don't have a server to upload them to
i can email them to someone if they'd like to post them for me

also i heard that coffee beans are high in nitrogen if so can i sprinkle ground up beans around my plants an water them to get the nutes?

aleph

hey drfunk

to upload your pics, when you post a message, there is a section that says "attach file" it will upload the image to this site and link it with your message. viola, no web space necessary.

here is an organic nutrients chart . never used grounds myself. using that info you should be able to mix yourself up a nice organic tea and water your plants. if they don't hold the water for long, you can foliar feed by spraying the leaves with your nutrient solution. too much, too often, it can burn the foliage and gum up the leaves. alternate with water now and then. when you flower, i wouldn't foliar feed when the buds are out.

DrFunk

heres pics

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DrFunk

pics

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DrFunk

pics

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