Ferns are considered one of the oldest plants known to science on our planet. In total there are about eleven thousand varieties of fern.

Flower growers love the plant for its unusual, beautiful foliage. They are very popular, even though they do not bloom. Subtropical and tropical varieties are usually grown in houses and apartments. Bushes adapted to temperate climate. In this article we will talk about the brief propagation processes of this ancient and already indoor plant.

How is the reproduction process of ferns carried out? There are as many as five ways to propagate ferns, namely:

• Disputes;
• Vegetative propagation;
• Dividing the bush;
• Side shoots;
• Brood buds.

Everyone who is interested in, chooses the method that seems more suitable to him, be it asexual or sexual. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Controversy

Ferns do not have seeds. That is why in nature they reproduce using spores. They are located on the bottom of the leaf. In appearance they look like ordinary, almost invisible dots. They simply fall into the soil and then germinate. Although there are usually many spores, only a few of them grow.

Reproduction by spores consists of three stages:

• Collection of mature spores;
• Storage for full ripening;
• Planting in the soil.

The growth rate of the plant depends on the variety.

Brief process of vegetative propagation

The vegetative method is no less popular. For this purpose, sprouts are used that resemble fluffy and long arrows in appearance. Ferns can reproduce by broods of buds and leaf petioles. This all also applies to the vegetative method. But this happens quite rarely.

The choice of this method will largely depend on personal preferences and on the existing planting material. These methods can be carried out in autumn or spring, in cool weather. This is necessary so that the sprout takes root and begins to develop within a week. It is not recommended to use plants that have only one growing point. After planting, thorough watering is necessary.

Dividing the bush

The third most popular method is dividing the bush. In this case, the bush is divided into several rosettes. If we propagate a long-rhizome bush, we need to separate it along with the roots and buds. Then he will be able to grow much faster.

When dividing a bush, do not forget about matching the growth of fronds and rhizomes. This will have a positive effect on growth.

Side shoots

To be fair, it is worth noting that this is not a separate method, but only a type of vegetative one. It is suitable for all types of fern cultivation (house, field and garden). It is best to breed varieties such as adiantums, pelleys and pteris in this way. This should be done in the spring before the first fronds appear or in the fall.

Brood buds

Some varieties can be propagated using brood buds. They are found on the petioles of leaves. They need to be separated from the main plant, planted and stored in a warm place until they take root.

It’s good if it is possible to grow it in a greenhouse. Among the varieties belonging to the temperate zone, there are very few that could be bred in this way.

Best time to propagate a houseplant?

All fern varieties like dark places and moist soil. If there is a corner where other plants would feel uncomfortable, then the fern will take root there perfectly.

The best time for reproduction is early spring. This especially applies to disputes. If you plant a plant in early spring, then it will definitely take root (provided that it was well looked after).

Ferns are also often planted in the fall. This best time years for planting after early spring. The likelihood that the fern will take root is also quite high.

If it was not possible to plant in spring or autumn, then you can plant at any other time of the year. But the likelihood that new shoots will be able to survive will be less.

The most effective way to propagate ferns

Each of these methods is very popular. However, reproduction by spores can be considered the most effective. This is how ferns are usually bred in the wild. Therefore, this method is most popular.

There are other methods of fern propagation, but they are very rare and apply only to certain varieties of the plant.

It doesn’t matter which variety you grow, in any case the plant requires careful care. It is necessary to water it often, while avoiding excessive moisture. Also, do not forget about feeding.

Ferns belong to the oldest group of plants, which existed long before the appearance of flowering vegetation and have survived to this day. Today, fern is one of the popular plants for decoration. landscape design. In this topic, we will consider the propagation of ferns at home, as well as their varieties and development.

Types and varieties of ferns

There are a huge number of groups and varieties of fern.

Asplenium.

Known for its love of rocky surfaces. Forms a separate family. The description is as follows: round, leathery leaf blades on thin branches. The most famous two types: wall and northern. The first is often found on the walls of old stone buildings. It grows mainly in rock crevices. Northern loves the rocky places of northern Europe and Asia.

Woodsia.

Belongs to the Asplenieceae family. A low-growing fern, characterized by “fluffy” foliage - thin leaves grow from a small root, from which smaller leaves diverge in two directions. It has several varieties (Elbe, multi-row), which differ in the size and density of the leaves.

Kochedyzhnik.

Also belongs to the Asplenium family. This variety has about 200 varieties. Of these, the most famous are female, Chinese-reddish (with red veins). Description: tall shrub with delicate, light leaf feathers.

Multi-row.

Like previous groups, it is part of the Asplenium family. It differs from the previous ones in the width of its leafy branches and its love for the dense shade of wooded areas. The following varieties are known: Brown's multirow, tripartite, and bristle.

Bracken.

Belongs to the Cyathea family. Popular for its unpretentiousness - varieties of this group are found on all continents of our planet: tundra, wasteland, wooded thickets. It is not found except in the desert and steppes. It differs from other varieties in the huge size of its leaf branches - up to one and a half meters.

Osmunda.

Forms his own family. One of the most ancient types of ferns. In ancient times they grew on all continents, but today they are found only in the Caucasus, in the forests of East Asia and North America. The following varieties are known: Asian, Clayton, royal. Loves a little shade and marshy areas.

They are located on ordinary leaves (fronds), mainly on the reverse side, in others - on special spore-bearing fronds that differ in structure.

When to sow fern spores

If the sori darken, it means the spores are ripe. Pick the frond and place it in a paper bag. After a while, the bag will contain a dried fern leaf and a bunch of spore powder. For most ferns, it doesn't matter when you sow them. Although there are exceptions: disputes Osmund sprout only when sown freshly harvested. It’s also better not to delay sowing the rest: the germination rate, although slowly, drops, and the germination of stale spores is delayed. Fresh spores germinate in about a week or two. Taking into account the fact that it takes up to two months for the formation of shoots, then the same amount for the development of roots, many authors advise sowing in the fall or early winter, and then by the end of winter or beginning of spring, fern seedlings will develop.

Preparing for sowing fern spores

Learn more about how to grow plants from seeds. . Please also pay attention to the information block to the left of the text. The links in it lead to articles on related topics.

If you want to turn your home into a cozy green oasis, but don't want to bother with flowers, plant a fern. This beautiful plant With feathery leaves of bright colors and lush forms, it does not require special care. Humid air, diffused lighting, frequent spraying and moderate watering - that's all it needs. In such conditions, the bush grows quickly, and you can make yourself a whole greenhouse. As you know, ferns bloom only in folk legends and fairy tales. However, this fact does not prevent them from having offspring. How ferns reproduce is worth knowing for flower growers who have these plants in their flower farms.

Methods of propagation of ferns

There are several methods by which you can obtain new plant specimens, namely:

• dividing the bush;
• disputes;
• side shoots;
• brood (lateral) buds.

Which one to use depends on the type of fern.

How and when to divide a bush?

Dividing a bush is one of effective ways, allowing you to get a full-fledged plant. It is worth considering that it is not suitable for all ferns. Only those that develop several growth points (adiantum, pteris) can be divided. In this case, each division must have its own roots.

Ferns tolerate spring division better and easier. You can also replant and propagate plants at the end of August.

How do ferns reproduce by spores?

Fern spores serve as a kind of seed substitute. They are formed on back side leaves. On the underside of the frond there are small sacs called sori, which contain sporangia with spores. When they are ripe, the sori must be cut off with a particle of the frond. They are stored in tightly closed paper bags until sowing. Fern spores are very small, similar to powder. They easily fly apart from the slightest breath of wind and even breathing.

You can determine whether the “seeds” are ripe by the color of the sori - they turn brown.

Sow the spores in a shallow container with a thin layer of soil (up to 5 cm thick). It is better to use a sand-peat soil mixture or substrate for violets. Spores must be sown directly from above on moist soil and not sprinkled. Cover the container with glass. When green moss appears on the surface of the soil, these will be sprouted spores. They do not yet have roots, and the seedlings receive nutrition through rhizoids (hairs with which the spores have sprouted). About two months after sowing, roots and leaves begin to form. It is better to grow seedlings in an aquarium, where high level humidity. Over time, it is picked into pots.

How to root side shoots?

Most varieties of ferns produce shoots. They grow on leaves and look like a long green arrow. To get a bush from a shoot, it needs to be rooted. To do this, place a container with nutritious soil and record the escape in it.

Within 1-2 months the arrow will grow its roots. Then it can be cut off from the mother bush.

How to propagate a fern using brood buds?

Some ferns have the property of forming lateral buds on the petioles of their leaves. This is how the bulbous bladder reproduces. Over time, the bud grows roots. Then it is removed and placed in a glass container with a lid. It should be warm and humid there. When leaves appear on the bud, you can plant it in the ground.

Video about propagation of nephrolepis fern by dividing the bush and offspring

Ferns are truly one of the most mysterious representatives flora. Beautiful stories and legends are associated with them. In our article we will look at the development cycle of ferns, the life period diagram and the characteristics of these plants.

Characteristic features of the department

Representatives of ferns are represented by two life forms. They grow in temperate forests perennial herbs. Their aboveground part consists only of leaves. And it itself is in the rhizome and is located underground. Bunches extend from it. Tree ferns are found in the tropical rainforest zone. Their stem can be curly or erect. In any case, in these species it reaches several tens of meters.

Ferns belong to the group of higher spore plants, the representatives of which were the first to land. In the process of evolution, they formed real tissues and organs. This is what allowed these plants to master a new habitat. The name of this systematic group is also due to the fact that ferns form spores, which are cells of asexual reproduction.

Fern development cycle: description diagram

All ferns have a life cycle. This is the name of the period between two identical stages of generational development. Typical of these plants is the development cycle of the bracken fern. It can be represented in the form of stages presented in the table.

Asexual generation plant

We will begin our acquaintance with the development cycle of a fern, the diagram of which is presented below, with the sporophyte. This is the name of an adult leafy plant that forms large thickets in temperate forests. On the surface we can only see fern leaves. They come in two types. Young leaves are spirally twisted and are called fronds. They grow at their tip and reach significant sizes. This is how lush and spreading leaves of adult plants appear.

The sporophyte is the predominant generation of these plants. This is a significant difference in the development cycles of mosses and ferns. In the former, the main generation is the gametophyte. It has the appearance of a green leafy carpet and reproduces with the help of reproductive cells.

Where are the sporangia located?

The next stage of the fern development cycle is the maturation of the organs of asexual reproduction. They are called sporangia. These structures look like small brown tubercles located on the underside of the leaves. From above they are additionally protected by filmy “covers”. Sporangia of ferns are collected in groups called sori.

At the end of summer these structures darken. This means that the sporangia are ripe. Then they open, and thousands of small cells spill into the ground. This is what controversy is about. If there is enough moisture, they immediately begin to germinate.

What is a prothallus

The result of spore development is a prothallus. This is the individual of the sexual generation, which is the next link in the development cycle of the fern. For a long time, scientists did not even know about its existence. The thing is that the growth is very small in size - only up to a centimeter in diameter. Externally, it is a green, heart-shaped plate. The shoot develops on the soil, to which it is attached with the help of rhizoids.

As the gametophyte develops, sexual reproductive organs are formed on its lower side. Two types of sex cells mature in them: eggs and sperm.

Fertilization conditions in the development cycle of bracken fern

The haploid set of chromosomes that gametophyte sex cells have changes to double during the process of their fusion. Fertilization in ferns has its own characteristics. Firstly, male and female reproductive cells on the same germ mature in different time. Therefore, gamete fusion is possible only between different plants. This type of fertilization is called cross-fertilization.

The second feature of this process in ferns is the obligatory presence of water. The fact is that the reproductive cells of spore plants cannot move independently. Therefore, the sperm can reach the egg only with the help of water. Thus, although ferns belong to the group of the first land plants, they have not lost contact with their former habitat.

Lifespan

How long can the fern development cycle repeat? It depends on the specific type of plant and where it grows. Thus, in herbaceous forms of temperate latitudes, the leaves die off every season, but in the tropics they grow for several years. But thanks to the presence underground modification shoot, which is called a rhizome, the plant itself remains viable regardless of the time of year and climatic conditions. In many ways, it was this structural feature that preserved these ancient plants until modern stage development of the organic world.

The roots of ferns perform their functions for an average of about four years, after which they are replaced by new ones. But the shoot can remain viable for up to 100 years.

So, we examined the features of the development of one of the divisions of higher spore plants - Ferns. These plants are characterized by the following characteristics:

• The appearance of real tissues (mechanical, conductive, integumentary) and vegetative organs(leaves, adventitious roots, modified underground shoots).
• Asexual reproduction is carried out with the help of specialized cells - spores.
• The sporophyte predominates in the fern development cycle. This is an asexual generation with a leaf-stem structure.
• The gametophyte of a fern is called a prothallus. It is a green plate with a diameter of up to 1 cm. The prothallus develops separately from the sporophyte and is not anatomically connected with it.
• IN life cycle There is a consistent alternation of generations - sexual and asexual.