Mounted Oncidium Question

[prc11]

Someone gave me an oncidium today at my local society and said the plant preferred a lot of air to the roots. I ended up placing it on a tree fern mount. I was wondering if I should just spray the roots well in the morning before I go to school, then water it well once or twice a week. Would that be too much water or too little. Could you tell me how I should water this plant. I was also wanted to experiment this summer and place one of my orchids outside. Would this plant be a good choice. Just in case you want to know the tag says Oncidium Hawaiian popcorn.

[prc11]

Also, where should I place it if I do put it outside.

[Call_Me_Bob]

hey! nice to "meet" someone else from central pa! if you dont mind me asking, what OS did you go to?

i would maybe put some sphag around the roots, there may be a problem keeping it moist enough without it. you could just play it by ear, when it starts to get dry/dries out, water it thoroughly

[quiltergal]

Hmmm....unless you live in the tropics I think you're going to have a hard time keeping it wet enough. This will be particularly true in the summer when it warms up and it starts into an active growth cycle.

[Call_Me_Bob]

It says he is in central pa, like me. It would be hard for humidity to be nice and high enough. But I've never had luck with onncudiums.


You can call me Bob

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I wouldn't mount it indoors nor grow it mounted outdoors (even if it is for the summer) in your case.

I'd pot it in a clear plastic pot, put some good small to medium sized bark with charcoal or perlite, and fill the bottom of the pot with styrofoam peanuts if the roots are too short.

Water when the media dries out completely, but don't allow them to stay dry for longer than a day.

[camille1585]

I'd tend to agree with Philip. Without a terrarium or something similar, it's going to be very tricky. I have a mounted Onc, and even with sphag under the roots I'm dunking every day and then misting it as soon as I get home from work. Even then I have trouble keeping the bulbs plump unless I give it a long soak (2-3 hours) every weekend. To give you an idea of my conditions, it's hanging in a window, with about 50% humidity.

'Lots of air to the roots' doesn't necessarily mean growing it mounted, you can have it potted in an airy well draining medium as well.

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[pedidiva]

I mounted some mini ocidiums. I used a lot of spaghum--both under & over the roots. I mist daily, then when water by drenching the mount. They seem to be doing OK with that. It's been about a month, so it's still rather new.

[orchidsamore]

I have done thousands of Oncidium on mounts and they do very well. The humidity is not too important but they will need watering much more often.

Your mount without sphagnum will need watering every day. You could not over-water on this mount. Soaking occasionally will be beneficial. Sphagnum should encircle the roots not just below them. Sphagnum below the roots is a very dry mount suited mostly for Laelia and Schomburgkia who want to be grown dry.

Camille
Many Oncidium will shrivel pseudo-bulbs as a generic condition and not necessarily an indication of being too dry.

Pedidiva
Mini-Oncidium have been moved to a new family called Tolumnia. They grow very different from Oncidium and you should not compare their growing with Oncidium. Tolumnia like to grow very dry with almost constant watering.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by orchidsamore

want to be grown dry.

Camille
Many Oncidium will shrivel pseudo-bulbs as a generic condition and not necessarily an indication of being too dry.

These are the newer bulbs that I'm talking about (the older ones stay shrivelled no matter what). A good soak plumps them up all the way, so in their case I'm pretty sure the shrivelling is lack of water.