How to Grow Your Own Fern Garden

They are living fossils that have been growing on this Earth for more than 300 million years and, today, there are about 12,000 different kinds of them. They are ferns, and each one of them have a special kind of gentle beauty that makes them favorites in gardens all over the world.

The old English word for fern is "fearn", which means 'feather' to describe the feather-like appearance of fern leaves or "fronds". Unlike most plants, ferns do not produce flowers, fruits, or seeds. They grow from dust-like "spores" found under mature fronds. Most ferns only grow to a height of a few feet. One special type is known as "tree fern". No, it is not a fern that grows on a tree. It is a fern that looks like a tree. It can have trunks that grow to a height of 6-1/2 to 23 feet (two to seven meters) and a diameter of up to 3-1/3 feet (1 meter). Still, it isn't a real tree, and its trunk is not made of wood. Instead, its trunk is really roots that have grown longer and interwoven together tightly around a thin stem.

Ferns have many uses. Their spongy trunks can absorb a lot of water and are used in growing orchids as an anchor and base for the orchid roots. The trunk can also be sawn as slabs or broken into small pieces, then added to garden soil for pots and plots. A special kind of fern, called "mosquito fern", can turn nitrogen in the air into plant food. It is often placed in rice paddies to make the farm soil richer.

Ferns can also be eaten. The young tender leaves are sometimes eaten fresh as salad ingredients. Ferns called "ostrich ferns" and "bracken" are cooked as vegetables. Some people believe that eating ferns can also improve your health because of some medicinal properties. In some native cultures, the leaves of ferns are boiled and the concoction is drunk to stop the bleeding caused by childbirth. Others say this mixture is good for cough. Some kinds of ferns are used to treat intestinal worms. However, the most common use for ferns is as decorative plants. Fern fanatics especially like the way the fern fronds unroll slowly from a graceful and delicate spiral.

If you want to grow ferns, you can start with planting a whole plant on the soil. However, it is actually very easy to have an abundant and flourishing fern garden because you can start growing them from the spores. Here are the eight simple steps:

1) You will find these spores under the leaves of mature ferns. You can collect the spore-laden frond and keep it between two pieces of paper to keep it from getting damaged.

2) At home, lay the frond in a warm, dry place that is free of wind or draft. Keep it there for one or two weeks.

3) Carefully open the two pieces of paper and you will find the spores and the dried-up leaves sticking to the paper. Tap the paper lightly. The leaves will fall off but the spores will stick to the paper.

4) You need to grow your fern in a clear plastic container, and you should use good, soft soil. Humus is best.

5) Dampen the soil a bit. Then sprinkle the spores on top of the soil. Do not bury the spores under the soil.

6) Place the cup near the window, but not in direct sunlight.

7) Ferns, like mosses, can soak up a lot of water so keep the soil damp - but not too much, as the spores may rot or be washed away.

8) After 6 to 8 weeks (yes, it's a long wait), you may begin to see small, flat, leaf-like plants growing from the soil. This is not yet the fern plant growing, but they will soon be. The true ferns will replace these fern-like plants after another 6 weeks.

During this entire time, make sure the soil is damp and does not dry up. With patience and loving care, you will soon have lots of ferns, enough to fill your own fern garden. [Read the Original Article]