Find Your Ask the Expert: I have problem with the Spores on Leather Leaf .
The spores are popping and leaving a mess in fresh flower arrangement’s, What can I do to stop this, The wholesaler says its normal for this time of year but I cant send out flowers with fern spores leaving a mess everywhere. Vonda
Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:
The wholesaler is correct about this being the time of year (June-July) that ferns release their spores. However, that knowledge doesn’t solve your problem. You may need to remove the spores just like you have to remove pollen in lilies.
I personally haven’t removed ferns spores before, but I researched spore removal. When fern growers need spores to create new plants, they take the fronds with ripe sori (the part of the leaf containing the spores) and fold a piece of paper over them. In a day or two, the spores drop on to the paper.
In the flower shop, I would recommend wiping the back side of the frond with a soft paper towel. Any ripe spores should detach from the leaf. If the spores won’t release, gently taps the frond.
Hopefully, this will be a solution to your problem. Please let us know if this solves your problem.
