Advice on java fern plantlets

[Will Billy]

So i have some pretty mature java fern. About a month ago they started to develop plantlets. I left the plantlets attached to the main plant because all my mature java fern is glued to some slate decorations for easy maneuvering when i do my deeper gravel vac maintenance. Now one of my plants has some old leaves dying off with healthy plantlets still attached. Should i try to pluck the plantlets off and propogate them? Will the wilting leaf affect the plantlets on top? And lastly if i do attempt to propogate them, how can i go about attaching the little offshoots now that my slate stones are submerged? I know super glue is out, but im not sure how to go about stringing up such tiny plantlets with fishing line where they will hold to my stones. Here is a pic of the wilting leaves. You can see some dying BBA that tried attacking the plantlets. It seems to only be targeting the plantlets on this java fern, and not the others (for now anyway). 

[AquaAggie]

Actually super glue isn’t out. I glue most of my plants underwater to larger scape.   Not saying it is easy but put some super glue on the plantlet then press where you want it in your tank and hold for 30 seconds ish. I recommend figuring out placement and orientation fist then gluing because you only get one shot.  Also make more like little globs of glue as water will cause the outside to set but when you press it the glob will burst and expose more glue to set. Be careful because too much and you end up with unsightly white glue spots. Maybe practice on something easily removed and cleaned if you are worried about that. You could also just let the plant lets float in the tank for a while and grow or naturally attach somewhere on their own. You can always detach and move them if you don’t like where they end up.   I just glued this tiny piece of anubia nana petite this weekend. Good luck

Edited March 10, 2021 by AquaAggie

[Jungle Fan]

@AquaAggiegave some good advice, I too use superglue for epiphyte plants like Anubias and Java fern, although I prefer being able to wedge them in a crevice to let them anchor themselves, but a lot of times the glue is the better method. I also use this method for moss because I had plecos that got tangled in the moss cotton and died in it previously. The plantlets are  of a fairly good size already from the looks of it and while it doesn't hurt them to remain on the leaf, I would definitely pluck them off the dying leaf and remove it from the mother plant because the dying leaf is just taking away nutrients and energy from the plant. As soon as a Java fern leaf turns yellow I usually trim it off.