On Mon, 7 May 2007 21:23:17 -0700, "K Barrett"
wrote:

I keep nothing but orchids in my GH. A long time ago I tried putting
staghorn ferns in with the orchids and a friend nearly hit the roof. Saying
staghorn ferns were nothing but scale houses and it'd infect my whole
collection.. Of course I didn't believe her. Of course it infested my whole
collection with scale. Of course there are the usual pests, like oxalis
and tilisandia (well, that's not a pest) but I still keep nothing but
orchids in the GH.

YMMV,

K Barrett

Staghorn ferns are scale magnets - every scale in the gh will go there
first -- watch it for infection indicators. Sacrifice a frond or two
and your out of scale.

I two have ferns all over. the Staghorns are old enough and large
enough they pepper every orchid pot with seedlings if baby ferns can
be called seedlings. Other ferns show up, mostly rabbit's foot,
although I do not have one in the gh and continue to pull them They
do not share a pot and will strangle an orchid if allowed to grow. I
also keep Spanish moss and have some sphagnum that appears live.
A few Tilly's and the ever present oxalis and the Tahitian bridal Vail
run where they will until I can pull them. I once heard of a spray
that would kill oxalis and not harm orchids.... Idiot like I did not
write a file on it.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/main.php