ferns a problem?

[bil]

This turned up in an orchid a while back, so I potted it up out of curiosity.

Anyone know what type of fern it is? it has black stems with a powdery white layer on them.

They are coming up in a few more orchids now, they are easily removed and don't seem to cause a problem. Just thought I'd ask to see if they do cause any probs?

[dbarron]

As long as they don't shade the orchids and you grow to make the ferns happy (excessive water, etc), I would think they'd be fine.
Obviously they like the orchid culture though...

[Subrosa]

I get a different fern, Phlebodium aureum, popping up in my terrarium from time to time that I believe hitched in on an ant plant. As mentioned it's harmless as long as it isn't shading other plants, and II never have a problem finding people to take them when they get too big. Your fern is interesting enough that you shouldn't have a problem finding takers for extras.

[Jenni929]

Out of curiosity which orchid are they growing out of?

[bil]

Originally Posted by Jenni929

Out of curiosity which orchid are they growing out of?

One on an Angraecum sesquipedale. one out of a tristar, a couple out of a ruyu something or other and two are just showing in the mix I potted up some bare root pitchers in.

The photo doesn't do it justice, it's really quite pretty, and as long as they don't get too big it will look nice on the bench.

At the moment I'm overwintering the terrace ferns, and some of them are a bit big for the greenhouse.

[Ray]

My recommendation is to kill any fern living in an orchid pot.

Their fine, fibrous roots will suffocate the orchid, eventually killing it.

If left alone, their spores will spread to every pot you have, too.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Ray

My recommendation is to kill any fern living in an orchid pot.

Their fine, fibrous roots will suffocate the orchid, eventually killing it.

If left alone, their spores will spread to every pot you have, too.

Thanks Ray.

Yeah, I do know better than to let anything grow with an orchid. Mercifully,, all mine are in a very open medium, so the odd weed and fern pulls out easily, LONG before they are a problem.