Fern Spores...

[Olive Cook]

Has anyone else grown ferns from spores and had success? I'm only curious because I didn't realize what I bought for my shade garden was in spore form, and are 3-4 months away from being plantable outdoors
I've followed the directions, in the "Jiffy" starter greenhouse... I guess we'll see how it goes

[kmarch]

Not intentionally. I've had tiny baby ferns pop up in orchid pots and I took them out and grew them on for a while. But I have never attempted to sow them myself.

[delphiguy]

same as kevin, they usually show up in my orchids and non orchids pots.... depends on
my mood... sometimes i pluck them out but most of the time i leave them be as long as
they aren't harming the plants.

[Olive Cook]

yeah, I have to start them in the mini greenhouse thing, leave them in the shade, then in a month it said they will start to turn green... then 2-3 months after that they will start to look like tiny ferns and I can move them to the "sun" and slowly get them into the ground... which means I'll be planting them right before Fall. I guess I could keep them as house plants until next Spring, ugg!

[lmartiny]

I've wondered the same thing about a birds nest fern. Don't know the first thing about it. But I'm curious.

[plucker]

Unintentionally I managed to grow elks on the mango tree.

The spores must have blown over from the neighbour and landed below where I have a few orchids mounted.
The daily water helped them progress.
Originally there was 4. They did not change size for about 8 months, then whammo things happened.

Yep 3 died and one took off. It was an adult in no time. I could nearly watch it grow, and it still remains there today, 5 years or so on - albeit with no water now.

[Olive Cook]

I'm glad the seller sent instructions, otherwise I would have just gone ahead and put them in the ground with the other seeds, LIKE other seeds...haha