Dry? Oncidium

[OrchidMan101]

The foliage on my Oncidium looks sort of dry? I don’t know the right word to describe it but does this mean I need to increase watering or does it mean something else?

[estación seca]

That appearance is common with older foliage. It gets light brown edges over time.

Many people find some genera of orchids do better if they dry out between watering. This applies to a lot of Phalaenopsis and Cattleya alliance plants. Oncidiums are different. The should not become dry. If grown in a home with low humidity I think they should stay quite moist.

Normal Oncidium foliage is fresh and green, not usually shiny, neither completely matte and dull. It stands upright, arching near the tips. It is green throughout with no brown tips. Small spots are common on leaves of plants grown in a home. Some hybrids are more susceptible to spots than others. Normal Oncidium pseudobulbs begin life shiny and smooth.

When somewhat underwatered the pseudobulbs develop shallow vertical wrinkles, and change from shiny green to a dull matte green. The leaves become more dull in light reflectance. They droop compared to where they were held when well-watered. Any new growth develops horizontal pleats across the growth, which will not go away. If watered properly the leaves perk up, have less of a matte finish, and the pseudobulbs become smooth again. New growths develop without futher pleating.

As plants become more underwatered the pseudobulbs develop deep wrinkles. The leaves droop more. They die back from the tips. They turn very dull green. New growths turn brown or black, and die. Beginners often think this is rot, so they water less, and the plant does even more poorly.

With proper watering the deep wrinkles on pseudobulbs may lessen, but rarely go away completely. If watered properly leaves will perk up, and leaf end brown die-back will stop. New growths will form from the base, giving the gardener another chance. But if this cycle is repeated too often, the plant will die.

I can't see enough of your plant to answer your questions. The leaf edges turning brown may be normal with older leaves. The pseudobulb does have light wrinkling, indicating it hasn't gotten enough water at some time in the past. If this plant was in a grocery store for a while, the wrinkling could have happened there. If it's developed since you had the plant, you've been underwatering.

Is this the plant you posted earlier, with a hole in the leaf? I mentioned then the moss was drier than I would have allowed it. People have different growing conditions. I find I must not let the sphagnum get crisp on top, or even close to dry, or the pseudobulbs shrivel and new growths pleat.

I might suggest you show us photos of more of the plant.

[OrchidMan101]

I added more pictures, the pseudo bulbs were kind of wrinkly when I got them, it is the same Oncidium with the hole.

[SouthPark]

It could depend on how long you've been growing this orchid for, and whether or not this medium is relatively new, and other factors.

Sometimes - it's possible to assume that potting a nice new orchid into sphagnum moss will be just great. Sometimes it really is just great. But - other times, if too much water is in the sphagnum and/or the roots can't get enough oxygen due to the sphagnum being too watery - or the water can't move around adequately to transport oxygen to the roots ------ then things can happen, such as roots dying, and the plant can then not get enough water into it.

Moist sphagnum or other media - for long enough times, and maybe adding to still air movement for long periods, can also lead to things like root issues etc.

But - at this stage ----- not enough information to tell what's going on yet. But - assuming the roots are fine ----- maybe can consider temperature, and lighting conditions, as well as gentle air-movement for the benefit of the plant.

[estación seca]

Seeing the more recent photos, it looks pretty good. In clay like that you will need to water more often than in plastic. Depending on your room temperatures and humidity I might guess you'd need to water every 2-5 days, but you need to watch the plant and not the calendar.