Coelogyne Companions. I.e. ferns

[C.cyber24]

Hello everyone!

I have had a coelogyne for about a year now. 6 months ago I planted it in some sphagnum moss. A few weeks back I noticed a little fern growing. So I left it. Now the fern is getting larger. Should I separate the two plants? -OR- Can they live together? Also, can anyone confirm the tag?

[Salixx]

I had a similar thing happen with a Bulbo and cheap sphag I bought at HD.

I don't think the ferns will hurt the Coelogyne. I let mine grow for a while but ended up yanking it when it got bigger than the bulbo and the bulbo started having some health issues (I don't think they were related). I've had a variety of hitch-hiker plants including moss and clover-like ones. I remove or leave depending on how I think they look. I say, if you like it leave it. At some point, it may get larger than the plant and you can reevaluate then. Of course, the same goes if you see health issues.

Another thought is that all of our plants evolved (or members of their heritage did) in complex ecosystems when they grow along side many other plants including ferns. In those situations, it may benefit the orchid to have surrounding plants removed due to limited resources. However, since we (usually) give the plant ideal or close to ideal conditions, I think this is less of a worry.

[estación seca]

So long as the hitchhikers don't take all the water and nutrients, and aren't nasty weeds, I would be fine with it. Other people panic at the thought.

One succulent nursery owner I know encourages leafy things cohabiting in pots. When the leafy things wilt it is time to water.

The clover things with tiny yellow flowers mentioned are probably Oxalis corniculata. This is a wildly invasive weed that should be pulled out ASAP. It has explosive seed capsules that fling seeds into everything nearby. It can grow in a tiny bit of dirt on a concrete sidewalk.