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Re: Java fern



On 13 Aug 1996, Dan Simon wrote:

> I have a small strand of Java fern attached to bog wood in a 10
> gallon tank with DIY c02 injection.  The fern has minature spore
> plants on all the leaves.  Some have more than 10/ea. per leaf.
> What is the best way to grow these out?  Do I leave them on the
> parent or pinch them off and attach them to the wood too?

What are you asking for specifically?  Do you want to try your hand at
growing fern from spores or do you just want more java ferns by what
ever means?

The fastest way to get more plants is to hack up the rhizome, leaving
a few fronds per segment.  Rubber band to rocks or logs until they
attach themselves.  Also, microsorum is one of those ferns which puts
out new plantlets on the tips of already mature, large fronds.  If you
wait a while you can get large numbers of pups from a plant this way.
I've had clumps in which half the plant mass was pups growing on the
tips of fronds.

If you want a real challenge and have years to wait for grow out you
can try germinating the spores.  This is not something to be
undertaken lightly.  If you want an idea of what's involved, pick up a
copy of Encyclopedia of Ferns, by David Jones.  It has a chapter or
two on raising ferns from spores.

Keith Rogers
krogers at es_com