The Baby Java Fern Thread

[Nells250]

HI all! I did a search here, and noticed a lot of people ask the same question about their Java Ferns:

WHAT ARE THE LITTLE LEAVES GROWING ON MY JAVA FERN?
... or...
WHAT ARE THE SPOTS ON THE BOTTOM OF MY FERN'S LEAVES?

I thought perhaps a catch-all thread about Java reproduction would be helpful (provided members use the "search" function before posting their question in a new thread). Old-hands can teach us newbies, perhaps share their experiences with all those "free plants"!

One of the first things I learned about aquarium plants while teaching myself about the hobby is that these ferns reproduce from spots, or spores, on the leaves. What I personally would like to know more about is:

WHEN IS THE TIME TO REMOVE THE BABY PLANTS FROM THE MATURE LEAVES?
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH THE BABY PLANTS ONCE THEY ARE REMOVED?
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE GROWTH RATE FOR THEM? DOES IT DEPEND ON THE VARIETY OF FERN?

 

[Nells250]

 

[Back in the fold]

I like Java Fern . I grow it in room light only and it thrives . The plants I have are all ten plus years old . I let mine roam free . I tried tying it down to some driftwood once and that didn’t work . Mine is a semi - floating plant .

 

[Nells250]

Woah, 10 YEARS?? I had no idea they were so resilient!!! I learn something new every time I visit this forum!

 

[Back in the fold]

Woah, 10 YEARS?? I had no idea they were so resilient!!! I learn something new every time I visit this forum!

Yes ! Surprises me too . This is the perfect plant for me because I don't really have what you’d call a green thumb . They grow very slowly and mine are finally getting nice and big .

 

[Ichthys]

Attach the leaf so that the ‘baby’ is touching something, and in a few weeks it will have stuck some roots to that thing. Then you can remove the piece of leaf it was attached to, if you want to.

 

[Nells250]

That sounds perfect for tanks larger than mine ;-)

Supposedly you can do that with strawberry plants, and I think roses. Outdoor gardening experience can be a plus!

 

[Nells250]

ACTUALLY, if the "parent leaf" can be sacrificed, how about trimming the area off and glueing it to a rock, etc?

I thought I read once that the baby plants eventually detatch from the parent. That doesn't seem to be true looking at people's photos.

That's why I started this thread!

 

[Ichthys]

The parent leaf dies, but it can take a while.

You can glue it, or tie it, or weigh it down with something… but if you want the little one to grow quickly, remove it with part of the leaf and hold it down so those brown roots are on the substrate. It’s only the green roots that shouldn’t be planted. The brown roots will grow into substrate.

 

[Ichthys]

Supposedly you can do that with strawberry plants, and I think roses. Outdoor gardening experience can be a plus!

Not sure about roses but strawberries yes, and Java Ferns. The parent nourishes the baby until it can nourish itself.

 

[Nells250]

I finally took a chance and ordered some TINY terracotta pots for my baby ferns. Here they are so far (pardon the shmoo in the water... my hand is in a splint so I can't do much that is wet, and there are no fish in there anyway:

Larger pot from Michael's