Fern Sporangia

Ferns are not the most popular plants, which is quite unusual given the fact that they all have attractive leaves in a wide array of shapes, sizes, and colors. I have been fascinated by ferns since I was small but it was not until I was grown up that I learned ferns produce spores, more often on its underside, which are the closest it produces as plants bear seeds to propagate itself. These usually appear in the mature fronds, and will eventually scatter when the frond dries up after it wilts.

Now, the spores scattered by the wind will hopefully find a damp spot for it to "germinate," fair enough. But if you have a garden devoted to ferns where we perpetually add varieties that we sometimes have difficulty distinguishing one full-grown variety from another, try to imagine how baffling it is to identify sporelings!


So we have started culturing spores which, now that I write it, I realize how intimidating (and geeky) it sounds. With practice, we should have a good success rate in propagating Maidenhairs, Oak-Leafs, Staghorns, and Bird's Nests. Wish us luck!

Propagating Ti Plants

Every so often, some Ti Plants grow too tall and scrawny that trimming is the only way to go. Now it would be a waste to throw away the cuttings; what you can do is just put them together in a jar half-filled with water, mix some flowers or bracts (right, in this case, anthuriums) and display it somewhere in the house. It makes a very inexpensive arrangement that will last for even a couple of weeks.


Of course, the older leaves will dry out in time and you'll need to change the water every couple of days. But it will last longer than flowers and the colors are far more unique than typical greens. It also helps to put it in a clear vase as not only does it make it look more botanical, you can also clearly see if it's time to change the water.


What's remarkable is after some days, the Ti Plant cuttings will produce new roots and on the first couple of days, it looks so curiously interesting! The first time I was confronted with this was in a B&B in the Batanes Islands, where I saw this clear bottle with ti cuttings (below) and promptly picked up the practice. When I tried it back home, it took maybe a week to ten days before the sticks started to break and white coralline-looking rosettes started to appear! You'll enjoy this for some days; soon it will start producing regular hair-like roots. By then, you should be able to plant the cuttings onto a potting mixture already.