Java Fern Propagation For FAST GROWTH! | (Complete Guide!)

Java fern propagation is a really great way to grow more java fern plants! This method can be used on any variety of java fern (Microsorum pteropus) you may have, whether that be windelov java fern, narrow leaf java fern, or trident java fern.
In this complete guide I cover three main ways for how to propagate java fern. By using all three methods you can greatly increase the individual number of java fern plants which can be used in your aquarium to create a beautiful aquascape or you can sell extra plants for profit to help fund the aquarium hobby.
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Instagram: Widquatics / widquatics

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for watching everyone! Be sure to share this video with someone you think might enjoy it and let me know if these tips help you in propagating your java fern plants! 😀👍

[@riverangler298]

I'd just like to complement you on your videos, you do an excellent job of them, very clear and informative. I look forward to seeing your future videos.....well done!

[@Widquatics]

Thank you so much for that Ian! I really appreciate your support! 😀

[@augustvukosovich4683]

Thanks for the tips! I bought java fern for the first time about three weeks ago and it does not like my tank. I think I am seeing the same thing you are talking about. It's in a new environment and it's stressed. I noticed yesterday that there are three little plantlets coming off of one of the leaves. At first I thought this was black beard algae lol! I posted a pic and was told that it's reproducing. Also, when I took the plant out of the tube I found a bare rizome. I didn't feel good about throwing it away so I put it in my aquarium! I'm so glad I did now.

[@mattingspree]

Video starts @4:00

[@vickimartin3008]

I really enjoyed this video and learned a few things. I have a 20G long that I put bits and pieces of low light plants in. After I've divided and reattached the large plants to wood or ornaments, I always have small pieces left over. I can't bring myself to just throw them away, so I drop them in this tank or attach them to some quarter size rocks. I recently redid my Java Fern. I had all these 2-3" pieces of rhizomes left over. I just stuck them through slits of odd pieces of ornaments in the tank. I've never tried the emmersed growing of plants but saw a video of yours about doing it. I don't have time to try it now. But I'm going to tie some of these Java Fern rhizomes to some small pieces of wood and put them in a few of my low light tanks that get low doses of ferts. I'm going to see if they will grow new little leaves. How long do you think it might take to start growing little leaves? A few weeks, months? I know you said you had not gone this route because you use emmersed growth. How long does it take to get growth on the emmersed rhizomes? I really enjoy the way you explain how you do things and why. You make learning about this hobby so much more interesting, easy and fun. Please keep making these great videos. I enjoy learning from you. Thanks again.

[@vickimartin3008]

I mixed up submersed and emmersed growth, backwards. Lol. So sorry about that. Vicki

[@Cory_Dora]

Now that my java ferns have adjusted to my water, I don’t get babies anymore. I miss them actually. Nice videos! I did not know that about the rhizomes without leaves! I will have to try that! Thanks so much!

[@GeekyCheekyPaperCo]

These videos are all so helpful! I live in an area where we don't have much in the way of aquatic plants, so I'm starting a mini, emersed, green house in my fish room!

[@Pray4Mojo1]

I sold all my java fern last year that was attached to a piece of wood. Some roots were left on it and I threw it into my 90 gallon tank with a tiger oscar. A few months later I was cleaning and there was java fern growing off the old roots!!! I couldn't believe it because the piece of wood was dry for about 4 days before I put it in another tank!

[@NetherNinja]

I *LOVE* java fern windelov, it never fails me.

[@NetherNinja]

It's also great for fry

[@Widquatics]

Yeah windelov is a very cool variety! My white cloud fry love hanging out in my java fern, it's a great natural spawning mop! 😀👍

[@YuehAndFriends]

I seem to get lot offshoot from windowlov fern

[@markbiggs7689]

I always appreciate videos from aquarist that actually have credentials. Haha! Thanks for the great videos and tips.

[@Widquatics]

Haha thanks for that Mark! Glad you enjoyed my videos, thanks for watching 😀

[@veneshpillay2988]

Hi , just came accross you videos and I love it. From South Africa.

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for checking out the channel! Would love to visit South Africa one day, seems like a beautiful place! Greetings from Canada!😀

[@JCAquatics]

Another great video from a great KZbinr. Keep up the great work man I love java ferns.

[@Widquatics]

Thanks man! I've got to catch up on your vids 😀👍

[@ya.ghostie]

I accidentally grew some? My two biggest ferns had a whole bunch of roots growing from it’s leaves, I didn’t know what they were. And they would fall off if I moved the plant in the slightest. I’ve been throwing them away... Yesterday however I planted some of them (after I found out what they were) and I love how my tank looks! Will definitely keep my eye on them. Looking forward to raising many more for my other tanks 🤗

[@--Paws--]

3:56 In the orchid hobby it is called a 'keiki' (cake+e) but baby fern is fine. Keikis are off-shoots of the mother plant that are miniature versions of the main plant. In orchids (specific to phalaenopsis), when the plant has become too comfortable they would rather grow keikis rather than to flower.

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for the info, I had never heard about that terminology before (I'm a total orchid noob!) haha much appreciated! 😀👍

[@Beansie]

Wow that's EXCELLENT to know! I've read and been told that it shoots baby's off when it's unhappy and doesn't like it's conditions!! Mine are always making keiki's and I was chasing the water conditions around like a sorority girl at a kegger looking for the bathroom. Lost a few shrimp in the process as well! you brightened my day with this statement!

[@--Paws--]

@@victoriasparkle yep that's where the term got it from

[@louiecornago6433]

Yo bro. My lanceolata finally grew a leaf 😁 My java fern also had something growing on its leaf. Hopefully thats a plantlet. First tome having a plantlet on one of my java fern. Your vids truly helped alot 👍🏻

[@davidsfishtanks9347]

Its a great plant for sure fish don't eat it works with low light thanks for sharing !

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for watching David! 😀

[@pekka9150]

Great video! When you said emersed, do you mean in normal soil? Without heater or something? Or lol am confused man

[@LordPingu]

Oh your channel is awesome! So excited to try this out myself! :D Quick question, I have been told to never have the rhizome completely covered by the substrate in my aquarium. Is that something I need to be careful about when planting anubias or java ferns emersed?

[@madfishdiva]

Good info. One of my favorite beginner plants.

[@Widquatics]

Thanks, I couldn't agree more! Java fern and anubias are probably one of the best beginner plants in my opinion! 😊

[@raisinggoldfishonabudget7058]

@@Widquatics do they need ferts of any kind?

[@BIGRENZO]

Look bro....I'm not just saying this I mean every word when I tell you I wasn't in to plants at all not even a little bit you change that over these last couple weeks for me now I'm all about making my plant game strong as well💪💪💪💪🔥💯

[@Widquatics]

Thanks man! That seriously means a lot! Listen, if you ever run into problems you reach out and I'll do my best to help you out with your plant game! 👊👌

[@roxielewis5656]

Learn something new every day

[@taborcutt7351]

Very Good job! And thanks for everything.

[@Widquatics]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching! 😀

[@aaqilian5.085]

Awesome stuff. Thanks for the knowledge mate

[@newmexicoaquatics282]

Great info. Thank you for sharing!

[@JaceJacobs]

✋🏼👊🏼😀❤️ Hey Brother! Thank you for the lesson. I know nothing about this topic and it’s great to learn. Namaste 🙏 ☮️

[@Widquatics]

Hey thanks for the positivity and for watching! Do you have any aquariums? If not you should look into it, they are super rewarding! 😀👍

[@louiecornago6433]

Hello again bro. One of my java fern leaves grew 3 little plants. How would i know when to remove those small baby plants? Planning to replants them unto the driftwood but not sure if they're ready to be replanted. Thanks!

[@yiacrazy]

Nice video. I've subscribed. Question about my Java fern. It produced about 10 baby plants after I had some tank issues. Although they are small, you can see roots, but they have brown fuzz on them. Is this a type of alge? I've never seen it before with my plant, but have never had so many at once. Thanks

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for supporting the channel! I know exactly what you are talking about and it is completely normal. Sometimes java fern roots grow those tiny little hairs that resemble a fuzz. It could be to increase the surface area for nutrient absorption but I'm not 100% sure, either way it isn't anything to worry about. That is one of the reasons why I love java fern roots for spawning fish, they love swimming through that stuff. 😀

[@yiacrazy]

@@Widquatics thanks!!!!

[@chunkymonkey4life791]

Could I place the baby plants in a clear Rubbermaid tub just in water by a window to grow or do they need to be attached to wood or planted like you showed

[@aeneas1677]

hey, very nice and informative vid. but I was wondering, what do you do with all the baby java ferns? I've got loads of them attached to my motherplants and I do not know what to do with them or make them grow more

[@Widquatics]

Hey thanks for watching! I like to separate the babies and either float them in my aquariums by gluing them to pieces of styrofoam or I move them to an emersed setup to grow them out faster. Either way it takes a little time for them to get bigger but I find that's the fastest way to grow them to larger plants

[@dbachelorsplantedaquarium4711]

Beautiful piece

[@Widquatics]

Thank you! 😀

[@Grand-Massive]

Why does nobody explain how to remove the baby plantlets? I've watched like 4 videos and still don't have an answer. They never say if you just wait for them to fall off, or if you just rip them off and not worry about the damage, or if you cut the parent leaf. It produces baby plants and you can glue them to whatever. Great but how am I supposed to actually get them off the parent plant?

[@bailzsz2]

Just pull it off that’s it

[@user-su9xc2ff4o]

Going to try this tomorrow i will let you know what happens with further updates thanks

[@Widquatics]

Good luck! Hope everything works out for you!

[@jyajaquaroom8039]

If I plant Java Fern in a emerse setup do I bury the root only ?

[@870deans]

Don't bury the roots at all . I'm sure you found your info after 3 months but to clarify the rizome gets it nutrients straigh from the water column . Tie it to wood or pot it up .

[@petistry3361]

@@870deans so how do you grow it emersed

[@tongvang9851]

I find that if i have any dying leaves, i would cut them and leave then in the tank. About 3 or 4 days later babies would be on then growing

[@Widquatics]

That's very interesting!! I'm going to have to try that because it could be a good way to get lots of baby plants! Thanks for the tip Tong! 😀

[@HolysMoly]

@@Widquatics Try tearing just a leaf off ,and putting it in an emmersed setup,buddy of mine did that anytime one of his leaves fell off and he had more java fern babies then he knew what to do with :D

[@markknudsen1755]

How would you trim the baby plants from the leaves of the mother plant?

[@Widquatics]

Usually when they get a little bigger (probably when they have a few small leaves growing) they are fairly easy to pull off of the mother plant's leaf with your hand or with aquascaping tweezers if you have them. Hope that helps!

[@monapaler5056]

👍good Video

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for watching Mona!

[@ritesha8050]

hello, just bought some java ferns and I want to grow them emersed, the leaves are only around 3 to 5 cm long. I mixed some rocksand, soil, and water as substrate. I have planted 2 adult plants and it's been a week now, they are both still alive but I do not see new root formation or new lead formation. some local people are saying that I am doing it wrong but I've done it the same way I've seen other people do it online. I have 4 more plantlets and I want to try to make another culture. I'm confused about how to go about doing it, is there any way I can reach out to you to show you my setups. Thanks in advance.

[@amirullaahad955]

can i grow it on regular aquarium sand??

[@richardportelli1983]

I am trying your immersed method with some trident java babies to see how fast I can grow them. I also took my mother plant on driftwood and randomly cut the rhizomes still on the wood in several places to help thicken the plant immensely!

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for watching Richard! Keep me updated with how the java fern babies do, I love the trident variety! That's a good idea for thickening up the plant, I've never thought about doing that, How did it work out? 😀

[@richardportelli1983]

@@Widquatics Here is an update for you, immersed meh not so good growth really minimal for 3 months. Cutting the rhizomes I think did increase growth of mother plant quite a bit that I could trim some rhizomes last week to give to someone. Funnily enough I attached some baby plants to wood in another tank and they are starting to really take off! I think if plants are growing in a healthy environment then they will grow fastest in that same environment without having to transition. But I do use co2 and ferts so I guess my plants are getting the best chance to grow healthy.

[@fatjohny1009]

Thank you

[@--Paws--]

Many say they are slow but they actually grow fast. Although they stay small after being cut up, the leaves and roots grow fast within a couple of weeks. I grow mine as floating plants along with trimmings on the water surface on one of my tanks.

[@Widquatics]

I agree, I float mine on the surface and once the first leaf starts to grow they start to grow pretty quickly!😀

[@Beansie]

Do the leaves grow all wonky? Do you plant them eventually or just leave them always as floaters? I dig floating plants and I dig java fern so this is lovely to hear!

[@--Paws--]

@@Beansie I now have them wedge between some stones. However, if they are too small or young I let them float so they can get more light. Since the baby ferns can grow directly on the leaves of the main plant, their leaves may get holes from the babies growing off them. You can either cut them or ignore the holes, since it's just cosmetic. The babies will grow to be miniature versions whether floating or attached to something. I noticed that one of my java ferns, just java ferns, became one of those antler looking varieties. The ferns I have are all the same; all from the same plant, I just cut them up. It's weird that one became a different shape.

[@lil_sushie8411]

My Java Fern is growing on length, but not height. Any ideas why it doesn't grow tall, but it spreads out in length. I keep propogating and still the same results.

[@Widquatics]

Hmm, that's interesting! Sometimes plants grow smaller leaves in high light aquariums but it could also be you just need to let them grow a bit more after you propagate them, they will start growing gradually larger leaves the more mature the pants gets. Hope that helps!

[@Beansie]

@@Widquatics So high light makes the leaves shorter and squattier? What IS high light exactly? Is it the length of time [hood] light is on or is it in relation to the strength of lighting? I use the basic LED light in the hood of my tanks and was leaving them on for 8-10 hours a day as everyone told me the light was weak. I've now gone to about 4-6 hours a day to see if it helps the subwassertang I'm trying to grow.

[@richardportelli1983]

@@Beansie High light is a measure of PAR (photosynthetic active radiation). It is basically the intensity that the light fixture puts out. Usually more expensive lights have a much higher par rating. Subwassertang will grow in almost no light at all. With your light in your hood you should be ok with between 6 to 8 hours of light per day (no sunlight though) and that will be fine.

[@arthurlenko1960]

Can you cut the leaf in half and hve a another plant?

[@Widquatics]

No, unfortunately the leaf will eventually die. Only by cutting the rhizome will you get another plant. Thanks for watching Arthur! 😀

[@arthurlenko1960]

@@Widquatics Thanks for the info.

[@richardportelli1983]

if you cut a whole leaf from the plant and let in float in your tank it will soon grow babies from that leaf.

[@ob1kenobi832]

So much talk and so little real info or examples :(

[@goodrobby]

Agreed...

[@harenthiran]

Just keep the finger on the video to play 2x>> When you hear something useful let it play normally then repeat. Save time, learn more

[@Asapfishing1]

Awesome tank and channel you have!!! I just subbed and rang your bell!! Come by and hit me back!! Also check out my new video!!! Thanks so much man🐟💥 keep at it👊🏻

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for the support! I love fishing so I'll definitely head over to your channel! 👍

[@DebTim]

Hi Jordan... I'm not very good with plants. I got an email from a subscriber who is creating his dream tank. Some of his questions are above my knowledge. Can I forward the email to you. I am sure he would appreciate your knowledge!! 💗🌿💦😁

[@Widquatics]

Hey Deb! Yes you absolutely can forward me the email I would love to help out as much as I can! Please send it my way at [e-mail] 😊👍

[@23KCOutdoors]

New supporter here from live stream hit me back thank ya n look forward to seeing more from you

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for checking my channel out! Heading over to yours now! 👌

[@SlimeSlayOutdoors]

Cool video and good info. I subscribed come ho=it me back

[@Widquatics]

Thanks for the support, I'll check you out!

[@skittydaffDeFreitas]

You talking too much and repeating the same info over and over

[@sasindu1986]

You are just not giving any info. Just talk talk and talk....

[@Yk-xw8lm]

Why don't you do a video?

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Thank you