How to stop java fern from growing baby plants?

[SupersoNick95]

I noticed a lot of aquascapes, especially MD Tanks, have pristine-looking java ferns after sitting in an established tank. They never seem to have baby planlets growing off the leaves. 

I have a good amount of java fern in my planted tank with c02, daily dosing of ferts, and around 30ppm nitrates. They are growing new leaves, but a lot of the older leaves are pushing out tons of babies. I don't like the look of this in my setup. Is this just what happens to java fern when it adjusts to a new tank? or is this just the normal life cycle no mater what you do with lights and ferts?

[JettsPapa]

I'm pretty sure that youtubers make sure their tanks look perfect for videos, so it's entirely possible that any little plants are removed beforehand.  Those tanks in the videos didn't look that good before the video, and won't look that good for very long after.

[jwcarlson]

It could be from the stress of transport/transplant if it's the older leaves.  I think they're kind of neat when they start growing more little java ferns from the leaves.

But I agree with, @JettsPapa... I don't know how much stock I'd take in most YouTubers plant advice.  Those people are setting up and tearing down tanks left and right.

[JoeQ]

Java fern, (and other ferns) produce babies when they are stressed.

There is something also to be said about youtube aqua scappers. Many of these videos are not from your standard run of the mill hobbyist. They are tv quality productions and include a staff to make that video look effortless, as if a single person was responsible for everything in said video.

[MattyM]

I feel this. I setup a new tank w/ some CO2 injection, and my java fern looked pristine for the first month or so, then much of it started turning brown and shooting off new plantlets. I'm hoping they are just melting/adjusting a bit and that the new plantlets will be adapted to my tank. If not, oh well - I'll try something else! 

[Pepere]

On 1/10/2024 at 8:24 AM, JettsPapa said:

I'm pretty sure that youtubers make sure their tanks look perfect for videos

@Cory is real and shows it like it is….  No army of tank maintainers making them all perfect before a video and making like it is all him ever so simple and easy….And as busy as he is and as many tanks as he has, I can totally understand.    And I like the honesty of it….
 

 

I could not for the life of me see myself trying to maintain even a tenth as many as he has.

[Supermassive]

I've had my narrow leaf java fern for about 7 months. It was creating a ton of plantlets the first month or two but now it doesn't seem to create any. None of the new leaves ever made plantlets. It was only from the original leaves.

I suspect it was grown emersed and the plant doesn't like it when it gets fully submerged so it creates a bunch of babies. Since the new plantlets are adapted to underwater they have no need to create babies. That's what I'm guessing anyway.

Give it more time and it will stop making the plantlets. If you don't want to wait you can trim all the original leaves. If it has a lot of new growth I would probably do that.