Propogating Java Fern

It is very easy to propagate java ferns and it is almost impossible to keep them from multiplying in an aquarium. They will grow new plants near the top of their leaves and on their roots, and detached leafs floating around in the tank will form new plants and attach themselves to new surfaces. It is also possible to divide a java fern plant into several parts to get more plants.

Propagating java ferns by top shots

New plants will regularly form near the top or on the edge of older leaves. These plants can be separated from the original plant and attached to a new surface as soon as they have a couple of leaves (1 inch long or more). It is possible to replant them earlier, but in that case they will initially grow very slowly. If several plants form on the same leaf you can cut the leaf into several parts to create more plants.

Event if you do nothing, java fern top shots will eventually detach themselves from the original plant to seek out new spots in which to grow. Top shot plants are always clones of the adult plant, and the same is true for all the methods of propagation described below.

Propagating java ferns by root offshoots

Baby plants will not only form on the top of the leafs, but on the roots of the java fern as well. This is considerably more rare than new plants forming on the leaves, but still not that uncommon. The baby plants usually form on the roots a few inches from the original plant. Just like baby plants leaves, these plants can be cut free when they have at least 2-3 leaves. If you do not remove them, the java ferns in your aquarium can create dense carpets of vegetation.

Propagating java ferns using leaves

It is possible to simply cut a few leaves from the java fern and let these float around in the aquarium to get more plants. New baby plants will form on most but not all leaves. They will be more slow growing than baby plants that are allowed to be attached to the original java fern during their early development, but it can still be a good way to create a high number of java fern plants for the aquarium.

Propagating java ferns by dividing a large plant

If you have a large java fern plant, you can divide it into several smaller plants by cutting the root stem. Leave at least a few leaves on each part.

All types and cultivars of java fern can be propagated in the same way.