help with oncidium roots gone wild

[HItransplant]

so I been excitedly watching my onc. as it has been busily pumping out new shoots. Problem is (or maybe its not a problem), that the new pseudobulbs just keep climbing up and pumping out roots (kinda like a vanda).

anyway, here are some pictures.

what does this mean?

thoughts?

also, this plant took a spill onto the ground tonight.. looks ok but the pot split.. so Im going to repot in a new one.. thought it would be a good time to make any changes.

any suggestions on what to do next would be great.

thanks guys and gals.

[CTB]

means it's time to repot or split? Your orchid is growing great , what's the problem? Oncidium roots normally grow in the air, along bulbs etc.

[Swamper]

Yeah, I agree with Carol. Not a problem. My thoughts? While you weren't looking the plant was trying to break free, fell and got caught. So now everyone wins.

[tucker85]

I agree with Carol that the plant looks like it's doing very well. Here's a picture of one of my Oncidiums that grows and blooms well. Note all the roots in the air. When a plant grows like that it's telling you that it prefers to have the roots where they get a lot of air and dry quickly. I'm a little concerned with your potting medium. It looks compact and very wet. I think repotting would probably be a good idea. Plants with large psuedobulbs need to dry completely from time to time.

[Lady Tottington]

Tucker! That is a gorgeous plant! ))) Good growing!

[Junebug]

I would split and repot unless you can figure out some way to provide the upper roots with more moisture.

Last year my large Onc. Sweet Sugar developed upwards growth like your plant and it did become a problem. At first she was a vision of health, however the new roots from the new upper bulbs were not receiving enough moisture to support their growth and they were drying up before they could reach the pot. I kept them misted and even tried adding more SH pellets between the bulbs but nothing worked. My oncidium convinced me that she was past due for a repot when her new leaves began yellowing at their tips.

I noticed from your pictures that your plant looks healthy and that it's potted in a bark mixture (mine was SH), so maybe this won't be a problem for you. Instead of repotting you might try tucking some lightly packed sphanum around the bases of your new growth.

This experience was a lesson for me. Splitting and repotting the multilevel growths was not an easy task. In the future I will not allow my oncidiums to get too large before splitting or repotting. Mine had filled it's 7" pot to the brim and I think it was just looking for some place to grow and upwards was the only option.