Help with species

[Nasian]

Hi I just got this nice orchid from a market but no name was given. Any help would be appreciated. Also I’m a noob so any vital tips are also welcome!

[Roberta]

Not a species, I would guess that it is an Oncidium-tribe intergeneric hybrid. That means that several related genera (plural of genus) were used to produce the result - a human-made combination. It is lovely. Look for cultural information on Oncidium intergeneric hybrids. In general, they like to be kept slightly damp (not soggy). For light, bright shade or dappled sun. Where do you live? That would help members of the Orchid Board to help you with more specific cultural advice.

[Nasian]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Not a species, I would guess that it is an Oncidium-tribe intergeneric hybrid. That means that several related genera (plural of genus) were used to produce the result - a human-made combination. It is lovely. Look for cultural information on Oncidium intergeneric hybrids. In general, they like to be kept slightly damp (not soggy). For light, bright shade or dappled sun. Where do you live? That would help members of the Orchid Board to help you with more specific cultural advice.

Thank you for the info! I live in California, San Jose.

[Roberta]

Excellent location for outdoor orchid-growing (there are not many places in the US where this would be valid at this time of year)

You can certainly keep it in the house to enjoy the flowers. Once the flowers have dropped, you should be able to grow it outside (bright shade or filtered sun). It will be fine with outdoor temperatures where you live. The plant will benefit from the day-night temperature difference, and the natural light. Your photo does't show the potting medium. Ideally it its best to wait for new growth before repotting, but if the medium is sphagnum moss, or old bark, you may need to repot sooner... I would favor small bark, which holds moisture but also has good air spaces. Keep moist but not soggy - water well by letting water run through tho pot, let drain, and then don't water again until the top of the mix is starting to feel dry to the touch.

[Nasian]

Nice! The substrate is old bark mixed with spagnum moss + it’s in a small container so I’m pretty sure it’s only in there for selling / transport purposes. Also sorry to bother you again, but one of the leaves is cut and half the leaf is dead should I remove the whole leaf or just cut half so the plant doesn’t try and sustain it. This is the bottom leaf by the way.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Nasian

Nice! The substrate is old bark mixed with spagnum moss + it’s in a small container so I’m pretty sure it’s only in there for selling / transport purposes. Also sorry to bother you again, but one of the leaves is cut and half the leaf is dead should I remove the whole leaf or just cut half so the plant doesn’t try and sustain it. This is the bottom leaf by the way.

No bother at all! I think that I'd just cut the dead part. Anything green is helping the plant. (You can dust the cut edge with cinnamon, which is a natural fungicide). If you use single-edge, single-use razor blades (if you don't have any, you can get a package of them in the paint section of Home Depot or Lowes or equivalent) then you won't run the risk of spreading diseases between this and other orchids that you may acquire. I sterilize my clippers with a propane torch, but for a single plant, that may be overkill if you don't already have one. It sounds like you'll be wanting to repot the plant once it stops blooming.

And for hands-on advice, check out one of the orchid clubs in your area. I think the Malahini Orchid Society is your closest one (in Cupertino) but there are a bunch of clubs in the San Francisco Bay area.

[Nasian]

Thank you again, you’ve been a real help! I only have one orchid ( this one ) but just to be safe I’ll sterilize my materials. I don’t have any cinnamon on hand so I’ll wait.

[aliceinwl]

I’d also add, if you see signs that the pseudobulbs are starting to wrinkle or the flowers start dropping, repot immediately. With those that I’ve acquired from the grocery stores this has been an indication that the roots aren’t happy. In my case not repotting at the first sign of trouble meant that all the roots were dead by the time I repotted.

When you repot, be gentle with the roots. Even if the roots are dead, those that I’ve acquired have bounced back much quicker if I left all their roots intact (even the dead ones) and manipulated them as little as possible.

They’re tough plants, even those that all the roots died on eventually recovered.

[Nasian]

Ok I’ll be sure to look out for that.