The growth is one of the staghorn ferns, platycerium, and it is quite an impressive specimen. Usually these ferns are mounted on a wooden board and the board is attached to a wall, or in this case, a tree. It's possible that over time the fern has actually attached itself to the tree, but it's also possible that it can simply be lifted off. It's purely a matter of personal taste, but it does seem a shame to destroy a large healthy fern like this one in a quest for neatness. It certainly is not doing any harm to the magnolia.

It's lovely as it is but I can understand wanting it removed. You can pull it off in as large pieces as you can and sell them for some hefty prices, or you could separate it out and sell lots of little ones. Or advertise it on craigslist as a "you remove" and let someone else pay you for them to do the work. You should have no trouble at all finding a buyer.

Or keep a couple of large chunks for yourself and hang them from the tree- that way it frees up the visual space around the trunk and you still get to keep a huge, magnificent Staghorn. You don't even have to mount them- just wire or chain around them and hang it from the largest limb you can find- the big ones are very heavy. I saw one back when I lived in Florida years ago that I swear looked like a PLANET, it was so huge.

When you remove it some pieces will probably tear and look ragged, but they will fill back in quickly and never miss a beat. In the right climate they are invincible.

I didn't know these were such rare plants. I was afraid that these ferns were somehow hurting/living off the tree and pulling them off could take off the bark of the trunk and kill the tree. I will definitely leave a smaller piece just to remember it but now it looks huge and sort of messy. Should I just cut them off or pry them off with something? They look very strong and attached.

Leave them alone! The ferns are not parasites, but a type of air plant. They live off of the humidity in the air. Where are you? These ferns are amazing! I have only seen them grown in greenhouses here in z7a.

That is a nice magnolia, but it has problems. A tree that size in the American south should be so dense that one cannot see through the canopy. I also notice dead branches throughout the crown, not a good sign. Are you somewhere that experiences a summer dry climate? If so, has the tree received regular irrigation in the past that it is not now receiving?

As for the ferns, what the others said. They only use the tree for support, they won't hurt it.

kentrees is correct, but do not remove the whole tree. If it dies prune the top away and leave the ferns alone. Those are amazing specimens of staghorn fern.

I'm located in California - east of Los Angeles - so it gets pretty hot and dry. I don't think the tree has gotten much irrigation in the past 3-5 years as the house has been vacant. Im trying to do a deep watering once a week to try to help it out and recover from the past few years of neglect. I'll have to start pruning by removing the dead branches. Anything else I should do?

The ferns are very interesting now that I know what they are but they are SO huge at this point i feel trimming or pruning them a little makes the tree less messy.

Don't trim the ferns. I agree with floral, there is lots of other "mess" in the photos. I would remove the dead branches from the tree. If the roots have completely dried out, it is too late. What about that neglected flowerbed in front of the wall? Trim that instead......

If the magnolia grew to that size with regular irrigation and then received only rainfall for the last 3-5 years, that is probably the problem. I believe LA and environs receives 10-15" of rain per year, not enough to sustain a tree that size. With the drought of the past several years, I'd say it's received a lot less than that. Regular irrigation during the growing season is needed, if you are able. Whether it can fully recover is unknown, but they are tough trees.

I would say it's holding up pretty darn well...and should recover with the correct infrequent, deep waterings. I saw many fine old Magnolia grandiflora in LA - there's a movie about them after all. It's even more amazing to me that those ferns survived 3 years w/o watering. Maybe someone was only watering the ferns and hoping the tree got enough run off?

It's your yard, and if the fern looks bad to you, then you should DEFINITELY take action. Thin it out, remove it completely, or do whatever you want. It would be nuts to feel obligated to having it there if you don't like it!

There is nothing wrong with the magnolia trees and there never was. I think maybe some people want to sell you help that isn't needed, well, maybe I am wrong, but, anyway. Don't accept any help that is offered.

Everyone is weighing in. LOL!

I agree with Dave28, that once regular irrigation is continued, hopefully the magnolia will regain its thicker canopy.

As for the staghorn, I would be tempted to remove it for maintenance sake. But5 totally up to you. If you like it, hang a small piece of it from a hanging basket up higher, more out of the way.

I saw some that large in Hawaii, but never in California! Amazing!

Stanley, I'm not at all sure that I could love that fern, either. And it's not rare, just unusual to be allowed to get so large! I think that most property owners would have removed it years ago.

At the Edison grounds in fort Myers, FL are numerous staghorns hanging in large iron cauldrons from trees. Craziest damn thing, these are huge staghorn ferns!

Thanks for all the comments! These staghorns are very interesting and I'm not sure how to deal with them yet.

Here's another issue I've come across - it looks like the staghorns might have fallen or sagged at one time and there was some thick yellow rope added to probably support it. It looks like the rope was there around a branch for a long time and the branch has grown around the rope. Is this hurting the tree and should I try to remove it? It's not the main trunk and just one of the first branches but it's a big one that comes out to at least a 15-20 feet canopy.

See picture

Wow. That all the more reason, in my opinion, to remove those ferns to see what else the very ignorant previous owners have done.

You really can remove the strap at this point; you would do more damage. I would absolutely cut them below that limb.

Looks like the baskets of fern were hung from the tree and the tree grew around the ropes. Not good.

Yes, I would just remove them all. And remove as much rope/hanger as you can.

Tree is not a large example of this very frequently planted species, will be nowhere near 100 years old. In its native area it grows over 140 ft. high and produces trunks 7 ft. in diameter. Numerous other sites in your area will have much bigger examples also, in many neighborhoods there one can probably not turn in a circle without seeing an evergreen magnolia.

Perhaps of the best known of the large evergreen shade trees in Southern
California is Magnolia grandiflora. It can become an immense tree,
growing to 100 feet in its native southeastern United States. It will
probably not reach quite that height here because of the lack of natural
rainfall in the quantities needed and because of low atmospheric
humidity. Still, we can boast some that are at least 70-80 feet.

http://www.arboretum.org/some-outstanding-shade-trees-for-southern-california/

leave the ferns alone! they are not, and will not hurt the tree at anytime. I would remove the hanger that has been encapsulated, the fern is attached.

The LA area got less than 7" of rain this past rainy season. Tree is very, very thirsty.

Logan....his decision.

Who knows what is under all of that fern foliage.....decay, ropes or wires strangling the main trunk, boards nailed into the trunk, etc.

It is the Op's decision. Those specimens are probably worth about $800 (each). I hope the Op makes the correct decision, instead of acting on ignorance (which, is what most would do in this situation).

A Picasso might be worth millions, but if I don't like it, I won't hang it on the wall. Just sayin'. :)

As stated above if the current owner hates it, they will do as they want, but As far as removing things that have grown into the tree's one branch or 2. The tree has dealt with it years ago. Trees have encapsulated bicycles, ropes and who knows what else, the main trunk is most important and they could likely deal with that stuff. If the owner got rid of the trees canopy above and saved the fern, the fern would die without that canopy ( I strongly believe) that the ferns ( because most ferns need shade) would die. If I were the owner I would maybe water deeply infrequently, but, you don't want to change things too drastically. I would've never thought a Southern Mag w/ Staghorn fern would be in a dry area in Cali. That's rare. I saw one large Staghorn fern in my life in Florida. It was in a large container on a tree trunk. It had some sun, but, most ferns, I have about 6-8 and they all want shade, so I would not get rid of that canopy and plan on keeping that Stag, fern. Plus that tree is very nice and rare, but, it's the owners choice overall. There have been pics years ago posted of bikes and other weird things leant against trees and never moved, and the trees just grew around these things. The trees will never be harmed by these objects unless someone tries to take them out. Maybe a rope for a swing only partially grown into the tree then used by a heavy adult would be worrisome. But, well, lets hope that wont happen.

They have some really large (and beautiful) staghorn ferns at Biltmore estate. They hang them from the ceiling of the greenhouse in full sun. I will be there tomorrow and will definitely post some pictures on here.

Logan, you're nuts ($800.00). Staghorns are not rare, unusual, or expensive. Granted, the ones pictured here are large, but most would consider them a liability.

>Plus that tree is very nice and rare<

No it isn't. It is a small, slender trunked, distressed (very thin) example of a species that is extremely common wherever it can be grown at all well. From my post above:

Perhaps of the best known of the large evergreen shade trees in Southern
California is Magnolia grandiflora....we can boast some that are at least 70-80 feet.

Even up here - where the tree is "abundant" (Jacobson, 2006, Trees of Seattle - Second Edition) - there were multiple Magnolia grandiflora 46 or more ft. high as of 10 or more years ago (same). The ferns are the interesting thing in this instance, not the magnolia. If they do not appeal to the OP they should be passed on to somebody who would like to have them.

If I could pay the shipping, I would ask you to remove them and send them to me. Hang them from the living room ceiling LOL.

Emboth, I figured the tree is rare where it is, it doesn't look that horrible to me. The S. Mags I've seen in the south were the skinny or conicle BBB S Mags. I didn't see one full size southern magnolia in Florida