Does anyone have any experience growing this type of fern in the Dallas area? I was thinking about putting some on the eastern red cedars by my house. I was wondering if my climate is too dry for them? Otherwise I could put some on dead cedar branches in my yard. Any advice would be great, thanks.

Cameron ~ although I am further south than you, I am still in zone 8a. I don't grow this fern but it grows wild in the woods in this area. It seems to prefer more shade and shelter, growing on the eastern side of trees. Here you will find it growing mainly on hardwoods. I have never tried to harvest or replant it. I am always delighted to see it pop out after a rain. It shrivels up and looks dead after a drought.

Kristi you're lucky to have it growing in the wild there. The eastern red cedars get some dappled sun, though higher up there's pockets of fairly dense shade. I may just attach some to a dead branch and keep it in my shade garden where I could easily water it?

It would be worth a try... it is very pretty. I've never thought about cultivating it.

I have a clump of wild orchids I found nearby and left them alone also. I checked them this past weekend and they have multiplied enough that I actually thought about trying a sample. I'd just feel bad if they died.

Let us know how it goes for you...

It's definitely a pretty plant. I looked at pictures online of resurrection ferns covering large oak trees and I was in awe.
That's amazing you found wild orchids. There are so many interesting plants in East Texas. I hope you are very successful with the wild orchids?
I'll keep everyone updated once I get the fern.

I brought some of that fern back from MS years ago. I placed it on one of our oaks out back and kept it misted. It turned brown, then it died. I have a lot of shade in the backyard, so I thought it would at least come back the next year, but never did. Maybe if I had tried to get it rooted in soil first and then transferred it to the tree, I would have been more successful.
Hope you have better luck!

Sandi that has me worried because my climate is pretty dry. I think I'll start it in soil before I move it on to a branch? I'm glad you told me that. Thanks! I'll need all the luck I can get.

I had a question about the soil? Will they grow in regular potting soil or should I use bark, or long fibre sphagnum moss?

Had to smile when I saw your question about growing it in soil. I had hit "send" when I thought, " I should have told him to try growing it on a piece of oak, since that's where it's happy. " If you already have some of this fern, does it have spores on the back of the fronds? You could scrape some spores onto a piece of bark and keep it moist. The fern naturally spreads by spores lifted on the wind. You could help them a bit.

I hope you're successful in your experiments with the fern. I'll be watching for updates! Can you create a moist environment for the bark by placing it in a lidded jar? 'Maybe something like a large mayonaise jar.

I have some large cedar branches that I've been using to put tillandsias on, I wonder if that would work since I don't have oak branches available. I also have a hackberry log that's in my shade garden. I'm surprised it hasn't rotted since hackberry wood is pretty weak. I might be getting the fern later this week or next week? A friend from Florida is sending me a piece.
I'll be sure to look for spores once some of the fronds develop. Should I keep the plant inside until Spring? Sorry for asking so many questions. I was thinking of attaching some sphagnum moss to the branch to keep the fern rhizomes moist, and maybe wrap that with floral wire until the fern attaches to the branch. I've never grown this type of plant before so it's exciting. I just hope I'm successful?

Since I wasn't successful with my first experiment, I'm probably not the best one to ask. I do remember seeing the east side of a huge oak tree in Biloxi covered in small fern fronds. They were close to the bottom ten feet of the tree, in mostly shade, and conveniently in my brother's yard. I just had to have some to take back to Texas! Had I known better, I would have pried some of the oak bark with the fern. Instead, I carefully "yanked" the fern off the tree. I carried it home in a plastic container, so it wouldn't dry out.
You know the rest of that....

Even though you weren't successful with the first experiment, I still appreciate you telling me your experience. I'll probably just grow it on a cedar branch in the shadiest part of my yard so I can easily water it, whenever I see the fronds shriveling up. I think the cedars get too much light because most face south so there's quite a bit of sun up there, though some of it is dappled. It doesn't help that the bagworms are defoliating all of the lower branches which allows more sunlight in my shade garden. Maybe you'll be much more successful the second time around?

Here's the branch that I plan on attaching it too. Should I keep it indoors until Spring?

I got the resurrection fern today. It's a small chunk and when I misted it, the leaves started turning green. I'm hoping the leaves will perk up more? I have it in a little cut right now with another cup on top to create a mini greenhouse for it. Wish me luck lol.

Of course, we'll wish you luck Cameron. If at first you don't succeed, let me know and I'll snag some after a good rain and send to you. Not sure if this wild one is the same as your friend sent you. I've looked thru many of my references and find no info on this plant. Keep us posted...

Thanks Kristi! I'll definitely keep everyone posted. So far the fronds haven't perked up and I don't know if I should mist it again? The largest frond is about a couple of inches tall.

I would suspect not to worry. The ferns here will look absolutely dead and after a rain will pop with new green growth. You are creating a humid environment and if it had roots, I'd probably keep them moist for now. Just a wild guess...

Thanks for the encouraging words Kristi. I just checked on it again and some of the fronds are alive and green. The larger fronds are still curled but they have a little green. I gave it another spritz of water. It's such a neat plant.

Here's a picture of it as of tonight. It also has some spores on it.

That's really cool, Cameron! Maybe you can scrape a few of the spores off and into a small covered plastic or glass dish. You'd have to look up a good medium to grow them in, though. Sit the container up on the top of the frig where it would stay warm. Check it once in a while to make sure it doesn't dry out.