Intergenic oncidium hybrid roots soft

[Mercurianmad]

Hi guys. I got an intergenic oncidium hybrid last month. It was potted in super duper old moss but it’s bulb was plump. I removed all the dead moss, Carefully so no roots were ripped, and potted it up in a slotted pot with Lava rocks at the bottom for drainage, and a mix of 60 percent small/medium fir bark, 15 percent perlite and 25 percent spahgnum moss. Relative humidity is around 65 percent, temps and 65 at night and 75 during the day.

I then watered it with a kelp max solution and let it dry out for 7 days, which was a big no no. The pseudobulb wrinkled. This board recommended I Water it every 1-4 days. I’ve been doing every 2 days, every 2 days, then every 3 days.

The pseudobulb is still wrinkled And the roots appear soft, white and squishy. Since my other oncidium has plump green roots I’m assuming the roots are rotting. So....do I let it dry out even more and hope new roots grow in before it desiccates? I’ve attached some pictures.

[estación seca]

Was it making new roots when you repotted it?

[Mercurianmad]

Not that I saw.

[estación seca]

It's best to repot orchids when they're just beginning new roots. Repotting often damages the old roots, especially if the orchidist picks out the old medium. If the plant doesn't make roots for a while it can struggle getting enough water with damaged roots.

Oncidiums make new roots on new growths. Fortunately many can make new growth through the year. Old living roots lose their fresh green appearance; I can't tell alive from dead Oncidium roots unless they're black and slimy, in which case they usually fall off with handling. I would not cut off any roots.

Your plant should eventually make new roots with a new growth. The old roots and pseudobulbs will not get better. But the new growth should be healthy.

I am aware many people immediately repot all orchids received in old medium. I don't do this, for the reasons I gave. Next time wait until new roots are forming. Water carefully before that.

[Roberta]

Adding to ES' excellent advice... I don't try to remove the stuck-on old medium when I repot. I remove what falls off, or can be removed with a stream of water. But I don't want to risk damaging a useful root for aesthetics. A bit of the old medium left behind won't be a problem, the new roots will go into the new medium. You can get the oldest medium when you repot the next time(in a couple of yerars), by which time the roots that are stuck to it will likely be dead and easy to remove.

[Mercurianmad]

Thanks for the excellent advice guys :-) I took my old oncidium four months to pull through before it started plumping out the pseudobulbs and growing well. So I’ll just keep an eye on it.

It’s nice to hear that the roots might still be useful even if they are a tan sort of color. I’ll keep an eye out for new roots and I might even use a little sharks rooting powder to stimulate new growth. I feel like in about four months this orchid will start perking up considerably.