Australia Ferns

[kg5]

The journey back to horticulture in the last 3 years has been really big thing for me.

Want so much to stay away from the areas that I worked in.

So I started with lotus which is very rare in Australia. Then orchids of course. Tillandsia followed and again these plants are scarce in Australia.

So what was I going to do with all the bush house room that does not suit the plants I am growing and the answer is Ferns and these are very popular in Australia.

Noticed looking through the threads here on ferns that how confused people were about Australia's elkhorn ferns and the staghorn ferns. Elkhorns are weeds and staghorns are not that easy to grow.

So after searching the net I have spent $150 and have 20 large spore raising plastic containers and growing medium. 20 different ferns with 2,000 + spores of each coming. Staghorn ferns, Tree ferns, Birds nest ferns, rock ferns, under canopy ferns and so on. There is also about 12 different ferns that are native to our island to explore as well.

So much looking forward to a new challenge.

[estación seca]

It will be great to watch you learning and teaching us.

I've never read fern forums online, because I'm not that interested in growing them. Most of the commoner house plant ferns are very difficult to keep alive here due to our long spells of very low humidity. But we do have native ferns and mosses here, living under rocks in areas with seasonal seeps.

I've not been able to get much useful growing information from people who have them in their collections. I don't know any fern enthusiasts, so my fern growing friends tend to be people who have a few here and there, and don't understand why their particular ferns do well. So I haven't been able to figure out how to transfer their knowledge to my growing conditions.

From observing ferns in the wild, it's obvious they have a lot of very different habitats and methods of addressing the water issue. I don't know what you mean by the difference between staghorn and elkhorn ferns. Would you care to elaborate? I have read some of these big Australian epiphytes with shield fronds grow in seasonally-dry areas that can get quite cool, and others are moist to wet all year.

I have been able to keep alive a few small volunteers that came along with orchids.

[kg5]

Thank You estación seca.

You have been very good to me and I appreciate that very much.
Many times you have been my only contact on this forum.
I have to put together 2 services today like every Sunday. That is what we do.

Will very happily do some images of the two ferns being stag & the elk when I get some spare time.

You should be able to grow an elkhorn. Quite a quick grower. They produce button type plants and this is the best way to grow them.

[estación seca]

I figured someplace in Oz might be able to inform me further

Platycerium superbum - Growing Native Plants
Platycerium bifurcatum - Growing Native Plants

And if you see them, give the interns my regards. They did a good job.

And I found this!
Moss Gardening - Australian Plant Information

[kg5]

1st incoming spores have come with detail instruction on the how of it all.

It is very close to the way I had researched the method of germination.

So this time next year I should have some plants to grow on that will need total shade.

Slow I am getting together a great collection of different plants to landscape our out doors area.

It is good to grow the stock yourself for this job at hand.

[kg5]

Always enjoy doing something different when it comes to horticulture.

Yesterday used 5L or 1.3Gal plastic containers with lock fast lids for the fern spore germinating to take place.

Used a layer of perlite, then a layer of propagating peat moss. Added 1 large cup of boiling water, then into the microwave until heaps of steam sterilized the growing medium etc.

Let it cool and also got the medium to the right moisture content by using a spray bottle filled with sterilised water.

So the 1st 7 containers done and have got the idea of it all now. Still have 27 containers to go if I need.

Will start a 2nd lot off in about 3 months.

4 lots of spore from 3 sellers were really poor products. Have politely complained and all have been really good about it and are sending replacements.

[Tindomul]

Cool hobby. I have always loved ferns as cultivated plants. I've got three ferns, I've got two whose IDs I don't know, and one whose ID I don't want to know. That one is like a weed that grows in my semi-hydro pots. I keep it only because it produces sori readily so I can show them to my Bio classes.

[Pattywack]

This sounds like fun. I would love to have more ferns around if I had the space. I've certainly had many through the years. I have a very small maiden hair I'm growing, these have always been a favorite of mine as ferns go. I have a crocodile fern that hitchhiked in on an orchid mount and I have a gorgeous kangaroo paw I've been growing for several months. I think the kangaroo paw will be a much easier fern than most as far as growing indoors.