Greetings! I live in Mississippi and I have two very large Stag Horn Ferns Clusters/baskets I hang outside during the summer months. Durng the winter, I have to bring ihem into a protected space to weather the cold. My question is this: I originally potted several small stags into a wire framed hanging basket several years ago; now these baskets are rusted through (more or less) and one side of each of the ferns are hanging WAY below the original baskets' level. I want to repot these "fallen" ones, however the base of the ferns (the brown/green cabbage type leaves are all over= grown, over and through the one side. What can be safely removed or cut off these mamoth plants (off of these cabbage leaves to repot the entire individual plants? I've never delt with OLD, BIG, Established staghorn ferns for potting and REpotting. Does anyone have any experienc with these lovely ferns? The "horns" on the ones I need to repot and re-establish are two feet long... Thank you!!!!!karlaweiss100@yahoo.com

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kat100,

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You need to dig out the flat leaves, leaving the brown airy roots attached. The flat sauccer-like leaf and the ones that stick out of it are called "pups" --be sure you get a lot of the fuzzy brown stuff under the flat leaf...you can put this on a bed of moss, or if you want to start a new wire basket, line the sides with moss and attach the pup so it is pressed up against the moss with some kind of flexible wire, etc. and keep it damp.