finally got a chance to purchase a Java fern today. And it was just because of luck that I came by it. I mean, really, Java fern's supposed to be a very easy plant to propagate and so I couldn't fathom why the heck it's so hard to come by these plants in the Philippines. And it's pretty ironic considering these plants originate from South East Asia; there's also a subspecies that's endemic {meaning, only found} in the Philippines; Microsorium pteropus spp. "phillipine" which Tropica of Denmark has discovered and now exclusively propagates (another irony: it's foreigners making bucks off a plant that only grows on our country and has been ignored by the locals for so long )

Anyway... I'm just glad I finally got one since I've wanted it for so long. It's practically as unavailable in the Philippines as d_golem has complained Top-view-ranchus are in Australia and the ones that I've seen in the past are priced too steeply yet are in poor condition. This one's relatively priced reasonably for a large specimen and Im lucky that i got hold of the only large plant (the others are little more than sporelings) so i think I can succeed in propagating it (hah, take that, overcharging retailers)

I never realized how brittle this plant is! I just assumed that it'll be as springy and stiff as other ferns and so i was surprised by how like iceberg lettuce it was! I inadvertently ended up crushing several leaves when i was trying to pull it out of the rock wool. Oh well, I'll end up snipping the leaves off for propagation anyway...

Congrats! Keep us posted on how it goes. Who knows, before long we may have you as a supplier of Java Fern in the Philippines!

Aw, that's a bit farfetched but who knows? At the most, i'm hoping I'll never have to purchase another fern ever by simply getting the plants to reproduce generation after generation

Good luck! And make sure to keep us updated!

sure... when they produce sporelings I'm contemplating putting some on an unfinished corner of our second-floor terrace where the concrete is rough and constantly moist. Java ferns are actually more vigorous when grown out of water. The full sun and moist environment created by leakage from the plant pots clustered in that spot ought to provide an unconventional but surprisingly accomodating environment for them.

Congrats Man Yu! I never believed that Java Fern is that rare in the Phillipines. Good luck on propagating them

PS: my TVR is doing well in QT

Arr, so lucky of you to get such a good fish.

Well, yeah, it's actually surprising to many that Java fern is rare in the Philippines. Mostly, its the hobbyists who get a chance to go abroad that own Java ferns here and they trade or sell it to fellow hobbyists whom they have chummed up with. We get many plants here quite cheap (Crypts, bunch plants, Ludwigias, Riccia, Bacopas, Lilaeopsis, Lotuses, swords and many others) and CHEAP as in pocket-change-affordable cheap. But surprise, surprise, a Southeast Asian plant that's the closest to being the botanical version of Hydra is rare here??? And said plant has a rare subspecies that's endemic in our country but only European hobbyists know of? Well... you could see the picture why I'm so flipped over finally getting one

I hope your TVR gets some more coloration too, he did looked a bit washed-out in that pic you posted. Still a beauty though, you know how to choose your fish

What kind of Java Fern u got? Is it the long-leaved one or the kinda-frilly one? or maybe something else?

Oh yep washed-out is the word for the TVR colour. Haven't got many choices cos the other more vivid-coloured ones has defects on the fins etc Not too worry, I'm sure with a bit of greenwater and sunlight the color will be much better

Just the standard kind of leaves. I don't really fancy the frilly kind (M.pteropus "Windelov") and the toothed kind (M.p. "Tropica") anyway. I do like the narrow-leaved one though I've never seen it personally....

UPDATE:

Ok, I've made the distressing discovery that the plant I purchased was actually several leaves shooting from VERY diminished rhizomes (as in they've been chopped up into very small pieces) and that they've been so overstuffed by the rock wool they've turned black. The good news is that several of the leaves have begun to show maturing sporangia and the others have begun growing unripe sporangia. Whee, looks like I'll have sporelings in time for the rainy season . Maybe my plan to grow them on our terrace will have a shot at success