RyanR Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 There are black spots on most of the leaves of the Java Fern and holes in a couple of the leaves. My parameters are 0, 0, 30-40. I dose Easy Green twice a week and they get about 10 hours of light a day. The plants are growing and making new leaves from the rhizome, but they don't look great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 when did you get these plants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted December 9, 2020 Author Share Posted December 9, 2020 I got them from the Co-Op about 6-8 months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 ive always seen java ferns do that , even when healthy. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted December 9, 2020 Author Share Posted December 9, 2020 They seem to be healthy only because they keep growing new leaves, they just don't look too great. And the new leaves are nice and green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 12 minutes ago, RyanR said: They seem to be healthy only because they keep growing new leaves, they just don't look too great. And the new leaves are nice and green. That is pretty much what they have always done for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted December 9, 2020 Author Share Posted December 9, 2020 Thanks. For the first month or two, I was getting a bunch of plantlets, which was understandable and I haven't been getting too many, if any, lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted December 9, 2020 Share Posted December 9, 2020 2 hours ago, RyanR said: Thanks. For the first month or two, I was getting a bunch of plantlets, which was understandable and I haven't been getting too many, if any, lately. My general assumption is that if a fern is shooting off plantlets it is a little stressed, but if it is growing new leaves it is healthy. I think Java fern needs to be pruned a little to look "perfect". I suspect it is often grown emmersed and when it becomes submerged the older leaves do this. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes L. Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Do you know what your general hardness is? I've tried growing these in a hard water tank several times and they all got the black spots like yours so I yanked them out. I have a new-ish soft water tank and I put some Java Ferns in and these aren't getting the black spots, and seem to be growing really well so far. I've read and seen lots of people saying Java Ferns grow well in hard water, however I am not convinced. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccurtis Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Mine were doing this quite often. I read that it was possible that I had a potassium deficiency. I was dosing with easy green once a week and root tabs. Based on what I had read, I looked for a supplement that had a higher amount of potassium to see if it would help. I added API Leaf Zone to my fertilizing regiment. The main ingredients are iron and soluble pot ash (potassium). Since then the ferns look better and all the new laves are coming in without the dark spots. That's what worked for me. Good luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapere_Ceta Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 It’s part of how they reproduce. So have no fear, haha. Mine will develop black spots and within a few weeks, a plantlet begins. Think of them like spores on terrestrial ferns. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coup Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 On 12/11/2020 at 9:30 PM, Wes L. said: Do you know what your general hardness is? I've tried growing these in a hard water tank several times and they all got the black spots like yours so I yanked them out. I have a new-ish soft water tank and I put some Java Ferns in and these aren't getting the black spots, and seem to be growing really well so far. I've read and seen lots of people saying Java Ferns grow well in hard water, however I am not convinced. I have to agree. I have extremely hard water and high ph and my java ferns all died. I put them in a tank with a 50/50 mix of my tap and distilled to lower ph and hardness and they are thriving now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanR Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 I haven't done a GH test in a few months and I don't remember what my GH was. I do know that I have hard water and that seems to be the consensus as to why the black spots are there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Yeah, it’s the hard water. I have similar issues. I wish I could grow it to look like others, but I’m not willing to run a softener to get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wisdom Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Mine are doing the same thing. Tank is one year old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 On 12/16/2020 at 9:48 AM, Mitch_ScruffyCityAquatics said: Yeah, it’s the hard water. I have similar issues. I wish I could grow it to look like others, but I’m not willing to run a softener to get it. Try putting tannins in the tank to reduce your pH? It may help the fern thrive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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