How to Germinate Ferns

Ferns are among the most distinctive plants in any garden. Their tapering fronds are easily recognizable and vary from 12-feet long in tree ferns to the tiny fronds of mosquito ferns, only one-sixteenth inch long. Fern spores grow on the underside of the fronds. Each spore grows into a tiny plant that is either male or female and must be fertilized by a plant of the other gender before the fern can grow. For this reason, germinating fern spores is just the first of two steps in growing adult ferns.

Germination mixture
Fern spores
Microwaveable dish or pot
Water
Clear plastic or cling film

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the germination mixture. The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences gets good results from a moistened peat pellet, while the Australian National Botanic Gardens recommends using finely chopped tree fern fiber, or a mixture of peat moss, loam and finely ground terracotta in equal parts spread over a vermiculite base.
- 2
  Place the germination mixture in a small microwaveable pot or dish. Spores will germinate in as little as 1 1/2 inches of the mixture.
- 3
  Heat the dish and its contents in your microwave for three to five minutes, suggests the American Fern Society. This will kill any fungal spores or bacteria in the mixture. If you do not have a microwave, pour some boiling water over the mixture. Let everything cool before proceeding.
- 4
  Scatter a few spores across the germination mixture and add a splash of water to moisten everything.
- 5
  Cover the top of the pot or dish with a piece of clear plastic or cling film. This creates a kind of “mini-greenhouse” effect that will help the spores to germinate.
- 6
  Place the dish or pot in indirect light. Keep the temperature at around 68 degrees Fahrenheit to provide the ideal environment, suggests the Australian National Botanic Gardens. The spores should germinate four to six weeks after planting.

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