Oncidium sharry baby spike

[Roberta]

Congratulations! Fragrance may develop as the flowers mature... or sometimes individual plants just don't. Either way, it's beautiful, well done!

[Mountaineer370]

Very nice!

[Dollythehun]

That becomes a huge plant eventually. When it gets 4, 5 or 6 spikes at a time, you may want to train them with a wire stake.

[tasha]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

That becomes a huge plant eventually. When it gets 4, 5 or 6 spikes at a time, you may want to train them with a wire stake.

How big??? 😬

[ArronOB]

Originally Posted by tasha

Here’s an update on my sharry baby! I can’t really smell the chocolate scent but the blooms are coming in strong and beautiful!

The scent may only be strong in the morning when the sun hits it.

[aliceinwl]

Very nice! The scent on mine is most noticeable in the mornings, especially when the heater kicks in or right after a watering.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by tasha

How big??? 😬

That’s up to you.

I once did an “overpotting in semi-hydroponic culture” experiment, potting a 2” Sherry Baby in a converted florist cooler bucket - 18” diameter x 24” tall.

It grew and grew and grew for about 4-5 years with no blooming, then exploded into more than a dozen spikes of 3’-4’ length.

Some people in my family don’t take too well to dropping blossoms in the “indoor display area” (kitchen counter), so as I was returning it to the greenhouse, I tripped in a hole left by one of the dogs and the pot broke. The root system had enveloped almost the entire pot of LECA and I hardly lost a pellet.

[Dollythehun]

My husband gets "piano wire" from the local hardware store. He cuts it into 4' lengths. That's usually long enough because a half a foot or so is in the pot. In my opinion it can become a mess (as Ray mentioned). Mine blooms most of the year and makes a stupendous display. But if you're a tidy person, it has its drawbacks.

As Ray mentioned, the root system can become huge. Mine is in an 8 or 10" pot. When I water it, I just pour the water right on top because there's no room to water from the sides. In spite of that horticultural cruelty, it flourishes. It is a beast.