Oncidium with Wrinkled Bulbs

[jessegranger]

Ok guys! I'm still worried about my oncidium... The new growth is wrinkled as well, but the leaves of the plant look healthy and I am making sure to water correctly. I removed the top layer of bark to expose the whole pseudobulb but I see no recovery yet.

Any more suggestions?? Should I start fertilizing yet? I repotted on May 23rd.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

How are the roots?

[jessegranger]

They are white. When I repotted I cut a few of them that had turned brown, I'm assuming due to root rot or overexposure to water. *The orchid was received in tight tight spaghum moss pack in a pot with no drainage. Should I check the roots again? I don't remember seeing green on the tips of the white roots.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Try checking the roots again just in case.

---------- Post added at 08:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:23 AM ----------

Forgot to mention...

Do a wet test and then do a pull test on the roots.

The wet test to see if the white roots will turn green, and the pull test to see if the velamen comes off on the roots that don't turn green.

When doing the pull test be gentle.

[jessegranger]

Ok I will do this! I will take pictures upon pulling the orchid and checking the roots. In each case, what should I do??

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

First, do a wet test:

1. Remove the orchid from the pot.

2. Soak it in water for about 1 - 2 minutes.

3. Take the orchid out of the water.

4. Inspect the roots to see if any of them turn green. If they turn green, they are alive.

Second, the pull test:

1. Gently pull on roots that do not appear green.

2. If you pulled hard enough, but not too hard that you potentially damage good roots, the velamen layer of the roots should slide off the stringy, but dead, vascular bundle of roots that are no longer alive.

3. Remove dead roots if there are plenty of living roots to anchor the plant. If there are less than 5 living roots, keep the dead roots on the plant for the purposes of anchoring the plant inside the pot.

Lastly, change pot sizes accordingly.

Try not to grow epiphytical orchids in pots that are too large. The pot size should barely fit the root mass. Do not put them in a pot that's too spacious to allow the roots to grow, it will most likely retain too much moisture for the plant to handle and start rotting more roots out.

---------- Post added at 09:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:20 AM ----------

I saw your previous thread just now...

If the Onc was sitting in water, I'd advise not to let that happen.

Oncs are generally epiphytes, (that is, they grow on tree trunks and tree branches in the wild).

[jessegranger]

Ok, I did the test and I did not see any green roots. There were a few that were green at the top but not all the way down to the bottom. What can you tell from this picture about the roots?? I'm worried now :/ The plant had a beautiful bloom spike and flowers and now it continues to shrivel after repotting. (Also I think the pot I replanted it in was much too large so I am moving down a size or two)

[Corsetière]

Jesse, it looks like the velamen (outer coating) has pulled off quite a few of the roots. It's necessary to trim those dead roots.

[jessegranger]

I trimmed off the dry dead roots as well as the ones in which the velamen had fallen off. I now have it planted in a small pot with bark medium. Someone suggested kelp/seaweed or a root booster formula to aid with this plant. Is this is a good idea for the oncidium? Where could I find these things. Are there any other measures I need to take to insure this orchid survives?

[silken]

The kelp seems to work great on any orchid. It is just seaweed, so if used as directed it won't harm the plant. It does have natural growth inducing hormones which stimulate root growth and maybe other growth too. I use it on all my orchids and especially when one is having root problems or it is shipped bare root.