Does this Onc. Sharry baby need re-potting?

[(..._...)]

Hello!
I posted yester day about my new Onc. Sharry Baby, but it seems to be very pot bound. This is my first Oncidium, so I want to make sure I get the watering schedual down before I mess around with the roots! Is it okay if I leave this plant till next spring?



The orchid greenhouse said to water it every 7- 10 days, and to let it beome dry in between waterings. There is a nearly mature new growth witha tiny new growth on the side, should I water following theit recommendations, and watch the new growth? If I see pleating, I will try every seven days, and see then? Will thus underwatering for a few weeks hurt the plant?

Thanks

[flhiker]

Some people re-pot all there plants as soon as they get them (even if they are in bloom). They want to know if the roots are in good condition and to make sure there is no mold or any problems with the medium. So I would say yes and go up slightly in size of pot. I'm sure others will give there methods so you can make a better choice.

[philoserenus]

ya i'm the kind that Dave talks about, haha. i pretty much repot everything i buy pretty much the first moment i get home--unless i cant for some reason.

i like to see how the roots are. for you, i think repotting or not is not a big deal but u can pot up a little if u like. i would probably only repot if i feel the substrate has broken down too much.

Oncidiums always seem to out grow every size pot u put them in, so i wouldnt worry too much about it (potting up) until itz about to spill over the sides of the pot

[(..._...)]

Well I purchase from this grower a lot, and all the times I have re-potted the roots are fine. The bark is pretty new, so It will only need new bark next year or so. ( I also re-pot if the orchids are from a home depot, or another grower that I am not familiar with )

what do you guys suggest about my watering shcedual?

[flhiker]

The best way it has been presented to me is in the book 'Understanding Orchid'. It say:
This will depend of coarse where you live, what type of orchid, what type of pot and most important is what type of medium you use. I use unglazed terra-cotta pots with medium size aliflor, so when I water the pot turns a darker color and as it dries it will become lighter in color from the top down so when the pot is completely light in color I no it is time to water. or at least mist. This works great for me so far but it may not work so well for you. This is the toughest question to answer with a 1 method fits all.

[razka3]

Onc's like being root bound, I wouldn't re-pot just because of the size of the pot. You said the media was in great shape, and you bought from this vendor before with no root issues, so I'd leave it all alone until next year.

They have p-bulbs, so you can go a little longer without watering just to be on the safe side of things, at least until you get a hang of the watering schedule for it. I water mine every two weeks or so (sharry baby)... because it isn't that hot right now and it takes a while to dry out.

My Onc. Twinkle I water every 2 days because it dries out really quickly... and it's seriously root bound - but that's how they like it.

[(..._...)]

Originally Posted by razka3

Onc's like being root bound, I wouldn't re-pot just because of the size of the pot. You said the media was in great shape, and you bought from this vendor before with no root issues, so I'd leave it all alone until next year.

They have p-bulbs, so you can go a little longer without watering just to be on the safe side of things, at least until you get a hang of the watering schedule for it. I water mine every two weeks or so (sharry baby)... because it isn't that hot right now and it takes a while to dry out.

My Onc. Twinkle I water every 2 days because it dries out really quickly... and it's seriously root bound - but that's how they like it.

Thanks for the tip Frank Mine seems to be root bound, and is in a 4" out, so it will maybe need watering once a week. Do you let yous stay dry for a day or so, or is it better to water the moment in seems dry?

[razka3]

Depends on how much free time I have! In other words, it doesn't really matter. You just have to use common sense with it - don't let it become bone dry, and don't keep it soaking wet. You will figure out what it likes once you have it for a while... there are no absolute answers to your questions.

[(..._...)]

*sigh* I know! There are never any exact answers. Too bad though.. it would make orchid growing a lot easier

[isurus79]

That medium looks pretty fresh and your plant looks like it has at least another year (maybe 2) worth of growing space left. Some people like to repot no matter what, I like to do it on a case by case basis. If you know the nursery pretty well and trust them, I would leave it. In all honesty, I would say that your plant will be root-bound after this year's growth is done, not before! You're gonna love this plant!! Enjoy!