Propagating Broad-Leaf Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus 'Latifolia')

How to propagate broad-leaf Java fern (Microsorum pteropus) by rhizome division and adventitious plantlets on leaf tips, then tie or glue it to hardscape.

Overview

Broad-leaf Java fern is a cultivar of Microsorum pteropus (Leptochilus pteropus), an epiphytic fern that grows from a creeping rhizome. In nature it attaches to riparian roots and rocks rather than rooting in soil, and in the aquarium it is tied or glued to wood and stone. It is undemanding and notably more resistant to snails than many aquatic plants.

The species is highly variable and propagates asexually by two routes that hobbyists use directly: dividing the rhizome and harvesting the plantlets that form on mature leaf tips and margins.

Propagation Method

There are two methods. Rhizome division: cut the rhizome into sections, each bearing at least one leaf and some roots, and attach each section to its own surface. Adventitious plantlets: tiny ferns develop on leaf tips and margins of mature foliage, grow their own roots, and can be detached once large enough to attach to a new surface or drift independently.

Step-by-Step

Choose a healthy plant with a firm rhizome and several leaves.
For division, cut the rhizome with clean scissors into sections, each keeping a leaf and roots.
For plantlets, wait until leaf-tip plantlets have their own roots and small leaves, then gently detach them.
Tie each section or plantlet to rock or wood with thread, or fix the rhizome with a dab of cyanoacrylate gel — keeping the rhizome on top, never buried.
Leave it in place until the roots grip the surface, then remove any non-dissolving thread.

Conditions for Healthy Growth

Java fern grows in ordinary tap water without special conditions, tolerates dim or bright light, and needs no added CO2. It can grow fully or partially submerged as long as the roots and rhizome stay wet, and it often performs better in tanks with a higher fish load that supplies nutrients.

Maintenance

Maintenance is minimal: remove old or damaged leaves at the rhizome and let plantlets mature on the foliage. Harvesting those plantlets and dividing an overgrown rhizome are the same actions used for propagation.

Common Challenges

Burying the rhizome in substrate causes rot — keep it exposed and attached.
Detaching plantlets too early, before they have roots and leaves, lowers their survival.
Growth is slow, so be patient between divisions; rushing harms the parent plant.