# Java Fern babies



## BettaGuy (Apr 22, 2010)

I have 6 java fern youngsters growing from the leaves of the mother plant. Biologically, it makes sense that they would detach on their own, but I was wondering if there was a chance that I am supposed to manually pry them from the mother. Any thoughts?


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## shaobo (Apr 21, 2010)

I would think in the nature, they will easily be detached by the constant river current. But that isn’t the case in every plant tanks, if not, like you suggested, it’s simple enough to just pull them off the mother leaves.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

mine get pretty good size before they detach, I have detached a few myself & they seem to do fine. I'm by far an expert tho lol


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## Atom (Apr 21, 2010)

I have baby Javas growing from mother leaves as well. I never know if I am suppose to remove them after a certain size. Sometimes it just weighs down the plant so I pull them off.

At first I thought Java's reproduced from spores under the leaves. I was surprised when babies started sprouting.


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## plantedinvertz (Apr 21, 2010)

When they grow big enough they will detach themselves because the Mother javafern leaf the baby plant grows from will start to rot and turn black and they will float off.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

You can do either. Or you can even cut off a leaf with a piece of rhizome and attach it elsewhere and keep propagating. I grow hundreds and hundreds of plants from 3 little stems.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Just cut them off, help the process out, you'll be replanting it regardless, might as well do it when it's most convenient for you.

Just cut off below the roots, and make sure you pluck off any leaves up the stem that will br otherwise rooted into the soil and rot away.


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