Ferns from Spores

I've been collecting spores from ferns for years, and trying to grow new ones. I've had mixed success. I can get to the green carpet look, but rarely did I get ferns out of that. I was suddenly interested in the little trays of green carpet again when the leather wood one started growing ferns all over the place.

I had been concentrating on cinnamon fern spores, and only recently did I check the book I was basing this idea on (Native Ferns, Mosses & Grasses by William Cullina) and note that if they aren't sprouting ferns you should refrigerate them for a few weeks and see if that jump starts them. I stuck the ones I've been growing for over a year in the fridge. A few weeks later out they came and I now have three or four ferns sprouting.

Now it's time to pull out the leather wood ferns and re pot them. I haven't figured out exactly what I'm going to re pot them in yet, but I'm just happy they sprouted.

Heavily simplified directions for sprouting fern spores:

1. Collect spores: Dependent on species spores can be collected across the growing season. Starting with cinnamon ferns and the like in the Spring
2. Sterilize soil: I microwave mine in take out containers. Add enough water to get the soil moist, heat the soil to 160 ° - 200 °. If it isn't sterile the ferns will be out competed by algae and fungus, which can be found in most soils.
3. Plant Spores very thinly on Soil Surface: You want to very lightly dust the surface. If you sow too heavily they smother each other.
4. Keep Sealed in medium light: I grow mine under lights, 6 - 12 in away.
5. Wait: first you get a green scum that looks like algae, then you get little single leaves, If you get stuck on leaves for a while you can try spritzing them with water to encourage fertilization. Eventually you get little ferns.

Easter Cactus Fruit

One of the other fruits on my easter cactus is just about ready with seeds. the other ones I planted a few months ago looks almost exactly the same as when they were planted. These guys are not fast from seed, but it is kind of neat growing them that way.

Tiny Spider

It's getting nippy out there, but the ridiculous numbers of spiders in the yard are hanging on. This tiny one was hanging out in the long yellowed lily stalks.

End of Rain

The colchicium bulbs from last year came up again, of course it rained on them for 4 or 5 days, so they're a little flat, but the sun was out today, and they survived the summer so I'm happy. They're going to be in the pot for at least another winter just so I can keep track. Since we're probably getting the big trees on the south side of the yard removed this fall, so I'll probably be moving plenty of plants again.

Phlox subulata Propagation

The hard part about this post is I'm not exactly sure why this time I succeeded while my other attempts with this plant have always failed. I didn't even keep notes of how I did it. I know I took the cuttings after flowering, dipped them in rooting hormone and potted them all together in a deep pot full of very sandy soil. I put it in a bag, stuck it on my plant table under lights and ignored it for a while. Months later the cuttings are sprouting and quite happy.

The cuttings are from the candy stripe variety, as that's my favorite type, though I very rarely like striped flowers.

Link to previous attempts at propagation

Back from Break

I took a little break for my birthday and to tidy up the house and yard. All the tomato plants in the yard are out as blight finally took hold. The soaker hoses have been pulled, and I emptied all the water barrels yesterday. I re potted all my African violets and ended up with 10 extra plants. I have to try a third time for cuttings of most of the coleus, but a few have prospered. I re potted plenty of outside plants as well, and figured out what would spend the winter where. I've shuffled a few reptiles around, and started buying more fish for my one fish tank. I'm building up the groups again of the single fish I have left, some are 5 or 6 years old now.