Oncidium " this and that " its called

[The Orchidist]

I purchased an oncidium about 5 weeks ago from someone and had it shipped to me some of the small stringy roots were quite brown as it was shipped bare rooted , the plant is very young and only has 2 small bulbs I potted it and after several weeks it still looks sick and no root growth although the leaves are nice and green , should i just let it be and hope for recovery or let it go , The seller assured me it would be fine , but i just dont , know . thnx

[RandomGemini]

Oncidium do not like to be repotted. It takes them several weeks or possibly even months to recover from the trauma. I repot most of my orchids as soon as I get them home, but I don't do that with oncidiums. I leave them be until the blooms drop and I don't repot them unless I have to for some other reason, like possible rotting roots or breaking down of the media.

Oncidium are very slow growers. It will take 8-10 months for a new pseudobulb to mature enough to produce a flower spike. Just be patient with it. Don't fuss over it, just sit it in one spot and leave it there unless you have a good reason to move it.

[LovePhals]

Onc's grow roots pretty quickly if given the right culture. Just ensure they get enough water and place in the medium you like and it should be ok. I prefer Lava or the Oncidium mix from repot me.
I have repotted my Oncidiums several times, and not had an experience like RandomGemini, and they never skip a beat. I have never found them to not like repotting. I have several of them- At one time I repotted my onc sweet sugar 4 or 5 times in a year to get the potting medium right and it just kept growing.

[cbuchman]

Try an application of KLN or other root growth stimulator.

[RandomGemini]

Mine could be slow growers because my climate is much colder. My part of the country is considered to have a "sub-arctic" climate. I do grow indoors, but I'm a windowsill grower. So they do get a draft.

So far, on three out of four of my oncidiums, I've seen new pseudobulb growth before I've ever seen a new root. It was getting to the place where I was starting to think that they didn't grow new roots, unless a new pseudobulb was involved.

[The Orchidist]

I have taken some pics to show you , I was told they would spike in 6 months , but i highly doubt that .
for now i have just placed the onc on the side of the clear pot with media consisting of , small cedar bark chips , coconut husk , abit of moss and some clay pebbles on top .
so i can monitor root growth . as for fert .. i think it may shock the roots and kill them .

[RandomGemini]

Wow... that looks pretty sad. KLN isn't a fertilizer. It's a growth stimulant.

I think the seaweed extracts are supposed to be gentler and might be safe to use. Do your homework on that one, as I don't use it so I'm not sure how it works.

[AnonYMouse]

Pot it up and treat it normally. The pbulb will support the new growth until it grows its own roots. You won't get new roots from the old pbulb.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by AnonYMouse

Pot it up and treat it normally. The pbulb will support the new growth until it grows its own roots. You won't get new roots from the old pbulb.

[POLKA]

This comes from my own experiences

after looking at the pictures
that is not sad
that is typical

depending on the bark, the roots will not always be white. (tannic acid in the bark discolors roots)

Onc roots are not usually firm like catts and phals, but softer. They sometimes give the impression of being rotted, or damaged when they aren't, really.

Now, Oncids often grow roots after new growths are 1 1/2 inches or more tall. Sometimes as much as 3 inches before sprouting roots.

Their growth cycle is typically 8 to 12 months from initiating new growth to blooming.

I guess I'm saying to be patient.

Take care
May all your orchids bloom like crazy!

Rex