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.