Trampoline ferns

Last spring or summer I found a tiny baby fern growing under the trampoline.  There was only one growing there, I looked carefully to see if there were any other tiny ferns or prothalli, but there were none to be seen. 

It gets dry under the trampoline over summer, it gets icy over winter, and I didn't want it to die, so I dug it up and planted it in a pot.  I put this in my greenhouse.  I am told it is difficult to dig up ferns from the wild to transplant them, but I have always had great success with them.  This wasn't really growing 'in the wild', it was growing under my trampoline.  I am more careful than most people, and have a reasonable understanding of the fern's preferred growing conditions, so that probably helps with my success rates.  

The baby fern grew well, and survived winter with no visible damage.  It started to reach a nice little size, and I was excited to see how it grew once the warmer weather began.  Then, one night in spring, rats or mice came into my greenhouse from the paddock next to us and ate the fern to a stump.  

We have mice and sometimes rats come in from the paddock several times per year, often when the seasons change.  I put out bait to control the rats or mice, the bait was taken every night as soon as I put it out.  

The fern started to recover and then was eaten to a stump again.  Sadly, it died after being eaten to the ground the second time.  Not long after that I got on top of the rodent problem.  I wish I protected it better.  

trampoline fern looking healthy

Growing in part shade in the greenhouse

baby fern after I had grown it for a while

This past summer I noticed another fern growing under the trampoline in much the same position as the one I dug up earlier.  I looked carefully and noticed what may be prothalli, or perhaps liverworts.  I then started to water this area to help the ferns survive.  

This summer has been dry, so the ferns needed a lot of watering.  One trampoline fern is getting reasonably  large, another one is smaller, and there appear to be two other tiny ones.

The larger trampoline fern

Second largest trampoline fern

I don't know what type of ferns these are, and am not sure if they will survive winter under the trampoline as it gets a little frosty here.  

I would dig up one and put it in a pot in my greenhouse, but worry that it may be eaten to death in spring when the mouse numbers increase.  Perhaps it is best if I don't intervene (other than to water them, and to reduce competition by removing weeds and grass from time to time).

Hopefully at least one of these survives long term.  When they get larger I may be able to identify them, but for now they are mystery ferns. 

All the ferns are in this photo, some are too small to be seen

Trampoline fern and weeds

I'm not sure where these ferns came from.  A while ago I brought home a fertile frond from a tree fern but never got around to planting the spores, perhaps these ferns grew from spores that came from that frond.  Perhaps someone nearby has an exotic fern that shed spores to the wind.  Perhaps this is a native fern whose mother is growing near the stream down the road.  I don't know, all I know is that this is the only spot in my yard that is growing ferns.  

I look forward to this getting larger and possibly being able to identify it one day.  I don't really care what type of fern it is, I am happy for it to be growing in my yard. 

If I can keep a self-sustaining population of these ferns under my trampoline that would be nice.  It would be nice if they spread under the trampoline and competed with the grass and weeds that grow there.  If that isn't possible, I would like to grow some in pots.  

For now I will leave them, and water them, and see wat happens.  I would hate to dig up another, only to have it eaten to death by mice or rats.  

I like ferns, and I like plants that appear out of nowhere, these little plants tick both of those boxes.