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Dicussion Questions Where have you seen ferns growing? (in landscapes, the woods, indoors) Have you ever seen a flower, fruit, or cone on a fern? How do you think fern plants reproduce? Activity 1. Introduce ferns based on this month's background information. Although most ferns reproduce vegetatively by growing from underground stems called rhizomes, they can also reproduce via single cells called spores. 2. Collect spores. Fern spores are located on sporangia (clusters of round bumps) on the underside of fern fronds. Sporangia most likely appear on outdoor ferns from spring through summer (houseplant ferns may develop sporangia at different times). Mature spores are dark colored, look firm and slightly fuzzy, and rub off easily onto your fingers. If you don't have ferns in your schoolyard, check in local parks or woodlands, or ask a local garden center if you can collect spores from their hoseplant ferns. Snip a few fronds with ripe spores and wrap them in a folded paper towel. Store in a dry location for 1 to 2 weeks. 3. Soak pellets. After the 1- to 2-week wait for the spores, soak peat pellets in warm distilled water, cut the top netting and place the expanded pellets in foil cupcake liners or Petri dishes. Place on plastic trays. Remove the fronds from the paper towel and gently tap some of the spores into each peat pellet (a cotton swab is a useful tool for this). Keep the growing medium, containers, and other materials extremely clean to avoid contamination from fungi and other life forms that also thrive in these conditions. 4. Cover and maintain moisture. Cover each peat pellet with an 8-ounce clear plastic cup to create a humid environment. Keep the tray in a warm spot with indirect light. Moisten the pellet if necessary by adding water to the dish or liner where the pellets soak it up from the bottom. Avoid watering from the top to prevent disruption or movement of the spores. 5. Thin young sprouts. In 2 to 4 weeks you should see small moss-like growths on the peat pellets (though spores of some fern species can take as long as a couple of months to sprout). This is the first stage of fern growth. Have your eagle-eyed classroom observers watch carefully, since what they see first may look more like a coat of slime than any familiar plant! As mentioned in the background information, this generation of fern growth is represented by translucent, heart-shaped plants called prothalli. Thin to 2 or 3 ferns. These remaining prothalli will produce male and female structures that will unite in the film of water (make sure your little fern "greenhouse" has plenty of moisture available) to produce additional spores which will grow into the more familiar fern plant. 6.
Transplant. In another 6 to 8 weeks the true fern fronds
will appear. Once the true fronds are about an inch tall,
transplant them into pots filled with moistened potting
soil. Keep them moist
and place
them in a room with bright light. To avoid the buildup
of dissolved minerals and chemicals harmful to spore growth,
water young ferns with distilled water. Extension Science: Investigate other living things that reproduce through spores, such as mushrooms, mosses, and lichens. To facilitate classroom observations, make a terrarium using woodland plants. Botany: Study different types of common fern leaves using houseplant and/or outdoor ferns. Identify each plant and make notes on characteristics such as color, habitat, size, shape, and so on. Collect and press leaves for your herbarium. Art: In addition to the herbarium, use your pressed ferns to create artwork such as note cards, bookmarks, and hanging ornaments. (And since they are Mesozoic plants, they may want to include dinosaurs in their art, too!)
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