GROWING FERNS INDOORS
Follow this procedure: Collect ferns from a moist wooded area. Uproot
them as you did mosses, keepingintactsomeofthe soilaroundtheir roots.
Be careful, and dig deeply; the fern's stem sometimes grows as deep as six
inchesunderthe surfaceofthe soil. Wrapeach fern with itsattachedsoil in
moistnewspaper, waxpaperor a plastic bag.
Transplantthe ferns with theirattachedsoil in yourterrariumor in clay
flower pots. Ifyou use pots,preparethem first by covering thebottomswith
one inchofcoarse gravel and thenaddingan inchofgardenloam, humus or
leafmould. Planteach fern on topofthis and fill the restofthepotwith a
mixture consistingofequal partsofsand and garden loam.
Keep the plants and soil moist, but not wet. Ferns should be kept in
partiallight, not in direct sunlight. Commonferns will grow wellunderthese
conditions.
You will observe:Small dots, sometimes the shadeofrust, willappearon
the backsofthe fern leaves, which are also called"fronds." The presenceof
these dots indicates thata leafis fertile, and if you examine them undera
microscope,you will seeseparatespores.
Ferns areamongthe oldest typesofplants toappearon our earth. They
donotproducetrue flowers. The dots on the backs ofsome fern leaves are
sari (plural ofsorus)and theycontain spores. Each spore will grow into a
new fernplantif it falls on moist, rich soil.
About300 million years ago giant fern plants (fern trees) lived on the