How to Store a Bird Nest Fern's Spores

Fern spores grow on the back side of fern fronds.

Bird's nest fern is an attractive plant commonly grown indoors as a houseplant or outdoors as a shade-loving ornamental. Like most ferns, they reproduce from spores called sori, which are on the underside of the fronds. Spores are arranged in lines along the veins of the frond rib, and depending on the time of year,appear as pale green to black dots or spots. Collecting, harvesting and storing fern spores allows you to grow ferns whenever and wherever you choose. Unripe spores are generally light green in color; for best results look for fronds that have dark green to black spores.

Things You'll Need

• Mature palm fronds
• Garden clippers
• 2 pieces of white paper
• Paper bag
• Paper envelope

Instructions

1. Harvest fern fronds. Clip the frond close to the root ball to avoid ruining the plant's appearance. Look for healthy fronds with a bright color. Inspect the bottom side of the frond to ensure the spores are dark in color. Spores with a papery texture are likely to have already been released.

2. Place each frond on top of a piece of white paper. Cover the frond with a second piece of white paper.

3. Place the sandwiched frond into a paper bag. Place the bag in a warm area free from drafts. Allow the bag to sit, undisturbed, for two days.

4. Remove the fern frond from the paper bag. Take the top piece of paper off and set aside. Pick up the frond and tap gently to release any remaining spores. The spores will appear to be dust on the remaining piece of paper. Discard the frond.

5. Fold the paper containing the spores in half. Open the envelope and gently tap the spores from the paper into the envelope. Seal the envelope. Label the envelope with the date the spores were harvested.

6. Place the envelope in your refrigerator to store until your desired planting date.

Tips & Warnings

• Check the underside of your ferns frequently to determine when the spores are ripe.

• Properly stored spores remain viable for years.

References

• New England Wild: Growing Ferns From Spores; William Cullina
• University of Hawaii at Manoa: Asplenium Nidus

Resources

• University of Florida: Bird's Nest Fern; R.T. Poole, L.S. Osborne and A. R. Chase