SUMMARYMany spores ofPhoma aquilinaandAscochyta pteridiswere rinsed from dry infected litter obtained from a site where curl tip was prevalent. More spores were released from litter which had been incubated under moist conditions for 24 h before rinsing.P. aquilina, known to cause curl‐tip symptoms in bracken when inoculated via wounds (McElwee, 1983), did not damage healthy plants when spores were applied to intact tissues.A. pteridisappeared to infect undamaged plants under humid conditions causing the initial ‘fleck’ symptoms associated with the disease. Flecks formed on plants byA. pteridismay permit subsequent infection byP. aquilina.For bracken control, treating plants with fungal inoculum in disease‐free areas may result in disease if inoculum supplements can be found which permit initial infection byA. pteridisor damage plants sufficiently to allow colonisation byP. aquilinad