Spores of bracken fern, Pteridium aquilinum were sown in medium with and without agar. No clear trend emerged for germination, but in 14 days, significantly more plants passed from the filamentous to two-dimensional state on agar-solidified medium than in liquid shake-flasks. Spores of Pteridium aquilinum, Athyrium filix-femina, Dryopteris expansa and Anemia phyllitidis were sown in media containing sucrose. Percentage germination of all four species was significantly enhanced by the inclusion of sucrose.