I harvest the spores from live fern as soon as I receive an order to keep the spores fresh. The frond are then placed it between two sheets of white paper. The ripe spores drop within minutes and few hours and will leave a dust like pattern on the paper. Then placed in plastic bags and shipped. These spores are ready to be sown. I would use a clear plastic container with a sterilized earthworm compost mix, but there are many other options. The spores are dusted on the top of the mix and the lid put on the container, which is then placed under cool white fluorescent lights or a bright spot in greenhouse or a light area for about 14 hours a day. The spores must be out of direct sunlight.