Pyrosia longifolia - 'cresata'

[shawnintland]

 I'm wondering if anyone has experience growing Pyrosia longifolia - 'cresata' from spores? I have a number of sporeling boxes going of these but have no experience in growing them on. The only plants I have were purchased as larger baskets of established plants. I'd be interested to learn any 'tips' from someone with more experience, particularly at what stage to move them up and media mixes.







Any help would be appreciated!

Shawn

PS I found 2 websites with beautiful plants and perhaps (?) some hints but I can't read the Thai script!
http://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=papiranya&month=03-2008&date=12&group=2&gblog=1
and this one, but about 2/3 of the way down the page;
http://www.fernsiam.com/FernWorld/Taxonomy/Polypodiaceae/Pyrrosia/index.html#longifolia

[rainy days]

Hi Shawn,

That Papiranya's blog is mine. ^ ^
You can leave your comment there.

Sorry that I may not be very good talking in English
,and may not be very helpful on your Q here too.

All those Pyrrosias shown on my blog were definitely grown from spores as you can see their varieties, but totally not by me.
I knew just how to grow them well, but never raised them up from spores.

I used to raised up only the sporelings of Asplenium nidus and some Maidenhair ferns.
I don't think that it would be much harder doing this on this kind of Pyrrosia.
 
I've heard from some Thai fern sellers that they successfully grow them from spores on clay.
When they grow up into the stage of small sporelings with only 1-2 fronds, move into peat moss or cocopeat. 
 
For me, it's really hard using clay, like most people here I've done all the spore culture on peat moss from the very beginning and re-subculture clumps of prothalli on peat moss.
'til I get a number of small sporelings that I move them into basket filled with chopped coconut husk covered with clear plastic bag.

In any steps of moving sporelings, before growing in new media, dipped them in fungicide solution ,juz small amount could do fine.

Some fern guru says they raise up sporelings in a growing chamber simply made from bricks covered with clear slate roof.
When they reached the size that fit 1" pot that they move them into the pots with new growing media, going on culturing in the chamber until they are small plants that they slowly acclimatise the plants.

Like most tropical epiphytic ferns, Pyrrosia longifolia loves high/constant humidity, air movement (good ventilation to avoid overheat condition), growing in well-drained coase mixture (I use only cocohusk) in hanging clay pot. And for me, they love bright light all day long but not direct sunlight (some say they love low light) and foliar orchid fertiliser one-fourth strength solution once a week.   

I think that yours are going out great. Maybe you have to increase a bit more humidity.
Welcome here+++
And thanks for visiting the blog.     

Yo

[wanna]

I've never had the experience growing Pyrosia from spores but I saw one of my friend ,he is the good grower about this fern,uses peatmoss and when fern in the prothalli stage have real leave he transplants its by using coconut peat without peatmoss. but I forget to ask him the reason.

[shawnintland]

 Wow, fantastic feedback Yo and Wanna. That blog of yours looks great Yo, wish I could read Thai! That's both of you now that have given me a great reason to start trying harder! I told wanna I have a real hard time because there are a number of species that I like to follow in forums (Hoyas, Nepenthes, palms and ferns) but which are pretty much all in Thai and I hate bothering people to translate! But you can be sure I'll be lurking in the shadows of both of your forums!

 I'll let you know how things progress. I started some spores on chopped sphagnum but the majority on peat (from Wanna). All are 'fuzzy green' and a couple dozen prothalii already well formed. The idea of clay sounds interesting, even if just for an experiment. Do you think the clay sold for water lillies or lotus would be what they mean? Have you heard of other fern sporelings that prefer clay?

 I have one large plant that seems to be staying too wet in sphagnum and seems to be shrinking as the months go on. Thinking of transplanting to a better draining media. Thanks for the help!

Shawn

[wanna]

you're welcome,Shawn. 

"Do you think the clay sold for water lillies or lotus would be what they mean? Have you heard of other fern sporelings that prefer clay?"
yes, they mean that clay.
yes, I've.
but from my experience I prefer using peatmoss because it is easy to sterile and the main point, peatmoss can control moisture easily. before I used clay too because I read from the fern grower book but the result was not quite good.    I think you should try it. may be it will be good for your climate at samui island

[rainy days]

Thank you, Shawn
You're in Thailand!! 
Hope to see you some day.

Like Wanna said, peat moss is now for me the only choice in spore culturing.

As far as I know, any kinds of fern spores could grow on clay (yes, those for water lilies) and also peat moss.
But if you transplant prothalli or sporelings, dealing with peat moss is much easier.

Enjoy your ferns