Got a beautiful maturing Oncidium for just $15!

[cythaenopsis]

I couldn't believe it when I saw it... At Whole Foods market, they had a beautiful collection of non-phal orchids and at the insanely cheap price of just $14.99 (down in Princeton NJ area).

I didn't have much room in my car, and opted for just one over 3' long oncidium. In retrospect, I should have picked up a couple more and made room.







The larger of the 3 pseudo-bulbs is nearly 4" long. Really beautiful looking plant. It has over a dozen blooms going on right now. The pot is seriously too small... I will definitely have to replace it after this cycle. It's so top heavy, I had to add another wire to help keep the main spike more upright so the thing won't fall over. I better get a few stones for the base as well.

[BettyE]

That is really beautiful! Just be careful when you re-pot it, however. For some reason, I have found that oncidiums like to be potted "snug." If you re-pot into a pot an inch or two wider, it should be O.K. This is just from my personal "learned" experience...BettyE

[cythaenopsis]

Originally Posted by BettyE

That is really beautiful! Just be careful when you re-pot it, however. For some reason, I have found that oncidiums like to be potted "snug." If you re-pot into a pot an inch or two wider, it should be O.K. This is just from my personal "learned" experience...BettyE

Thanks for your advice, Betty.

This is my second orchid lesson that I've been trying to learn (the first was learning to hold back on watering, because I was doing it too much and killing my phals). The small pot it came in certainly looks overcrowded for a plant of this size, but I guess there's a good reason why.

My main trouble is that my apartment has a rather dry atmosphere. I'm not very big on humidifiers so I've been dragging my feet on getting one. But I'm thinking it's time... if I want plants like this to have a healthy life.

[plumania]

Very beautiful. I saw one like that at a local nursery for about $37. Too expensive for me.So, you did get a good deal here.

[cbuchman]

That is terrific and a bargain to boot!

[Bud]

You have a beautiful plant for a great deal....
do not repot yet, let the plant aclimatize to your environment maybe a couple of weeks....the first thing you should have done was soak it for 5 min in water....the bulb looks dehydrated from being neglected on the store shelf....invest on a heavy cache pot maybe 5 inches wide to fit inside the whole plastic pot you got so the plant wont wobble and fall

[BettyE]

When I lived & grew orchids in a very dry place, I used humidity trays...They worked very well for me & my orchids. BettyE

[Vanda lover]

Really nice Brassidium for a great price! I find these to be quite easy to grow.

[SlipperGirl]

the plant looks great and what a great price

[cythaenopsis]

Originally Posted by Bud

You have a beautiful plant for a great deal....
do not repot yet, let the plant aclimatize to your environment maybe a couple of weeks....the first thing you should have done was soak it for 5 min in water....the bulb looks dehydrated from being neglected on the store shelf....invest on a heavy cache pot maybe 5 inches wide to fit inside the whole plastic pot you got so the plant wont wobble and fall

Hi Bud, good to see you again. I was wondering about the bulbs... the Cattleya and other Oncidium in my apartment have shown wrinkling from time to time, but I wasn't sure how indicative it was of under watering. Thanks for the suggestion on getting the larger cache pot.

Originally Posted by Vanda lover

Really nice Brassidium for a great price! I find these to be quite easy to grow.

Hey Vanda, I didn't realize that these are called Brassidium. Just learned something new. It's an intergeneric of the Oncidium family.