Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos'

[RoseSD]

Please tell me all you know about it!
I just repotted my seedling and it was a good time as roots growth were obviously.
A mature size one just arrived and man the barks and green moss (now removed) suggest it sat in this pot a looking time.
I torn out the two very old and mushy psudobulbs already.
Now I struggle to decide if I should repot it?
Please give me your suggestions.

[RoseSD]

Seeding in its new home.

[RoseSD]

Post surgery (sbulb removal) newbie.

[Roberta]

Crazy orchid? Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' not "Psychosis" I will change the thread title.

First, these hate to have roots disturbed. So you want to use well-drained high quality bark (such as Orchiata) that will last a long time so that they don't need to be repotted for a very long time. These also lend themselves to semi-hydro, using completely inorganic medium.(Then they don't have to be repotted until they outgrow their pot) They don't need to be kept as wet as other Oncidiums, but should not dry out.

Spikes will re-bloom for years(and likely will branch when the tip dies), so never cut one until it is light brown nd crunchy all the way down. If you do a search on Psychopsis (spelling is important!) there is a lot of information - most of it under the Oncidium sub-forum.

[RoseSD]

Of the immediate issue, does the mature one need repotting or not? It came from Louisiana and I have no idea how long the media has been in.

[Roberta]

If the medium looks old, repot. But be sure to repot into something that isn't going to need to be changed for a long time. I can't see clearly what you have the seedling potted in, but it looks like sphagnum on top of small bark of low quality - a really bad situation for this type of orchid. Take a look at the recent posts about growing these in semi-hydro. That might be a good solution for you.

You do not need to rush - decide how you want to approach these, get all the necessary supplies, THEN repot.

[RoseSD]

My experience with phal in semihydro is that the top half is always dryer than bottom.not sure how the unevenness of moist is good for ocidium.

[Roberta]

There are lots of people on the Board who can advise better on semi-hydro. Personally, I use bark - fairly large, Orchiata. I repot after maybe 5 years or so, when the plant needs a larger pot. If you use bark, use Orchiata or Kiwi Bark. No sphagnum!