My new Oncidium hybrid is dropping flowers

[silken]

Originally Posted by jocierk

I highly recommend leaving a bamboo skewer in the pot that you can pull out and check the moisture level with. This has helped me a LOT in knowing when to water.

I have only recently gotten into this but I have acquired a lot of orchids in the past few months from a lot of different sources (big box stores, local orchid shop, AOS show, and ordered online) and to me it really sounds like your plant is just stressed from the sudden change in its environment. Some of them seem unfazed by it, but some get pretty stressed and the main way mine have shown it is by losing/drying up flowers. It sounds like you need to get a watering schedule worked out but other than that I think I would just give the plant some time to acclimate and know that it might mean you don't get the best flowers this time around.

I agree. And I use bamboo skewers in most of my pots which has saved many an orchid from root rot.

[OrangeAugust]

Ok, thanks a lot. I can probably use a wooden chopstick to be able to gauge when I need to water. Thanks for the suggestion.
It did go through a bit of an environment change in that After I bought it from inside the garden shop, I put it in the car while I went and got some lunch. It was about 70 that day so it got pretty warm in the car. And then I brought it inside my house where the temp was 67-69. So that probably did it.

[RandomGemini]

The skewer method requires that you leave the skewer in the pot at all times, otherwise, it doesn't work and you'll end up overwatering the plant.

You can buy bamboo skewers at the dollar store. Just stick it in the pot and try to get it to the center of the medium without stabbing any roots, then leave it there. Pull it out and check it when you think it's time to water. If it's still damp, it's not time. Put the skewer back in, and check again in a day or two.

[Piao Liang]

I am using the skewer method for my new Oncidium. Do you water when the skewer is totally dry or when only the bottom part is damp? I am a bit confused about watering Oncidiums as the instructions given with my plant said that it should never dry. Can anyone please post pictures of the skewer method? That would help me a lot!


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[RandomGemini]

I don't use the skewer method with these. I go by the weight of the pot. If it feels light, I water. It works out to be about twice a week. I mist the top of the bark between waterings.

[silken]

Originally Posted by Piao Liang

I am using the skewer method for my new Oncidium. Do you water when the skewer is totally dry or when only the bottom part is damp? I am a bit confused about watering Oncidiums as the instructions given with my plant said that it should never dry. Can anyone please post pictures of the skewer method? That would help me a lot!


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Sorry, I don't have a photo handy. But all you do is insert a thin bamboo kebab skewer (they come in packs of about 100 for $1.00 at our dollar stores) into the potting medium. The idea is to put it near the centre and push it in closer to the bottom so that it is basically like a piece of media in the centre bottom of the pot where moisture is retained the longest. When you pull it out, however wet or dry it is will also be how wet or dry the media near the centre of the roots is. It can't be in the centre of the plant of course but not at the very edge of the pot where the air holes are drying the media faster than the centre. It just tells you the condition of the wettest part of the pot. For Oncidiums I don't let them get bone dry right thru like a Cattleya. They have finer roots and prefer to be slightly moist all the time. But because they have thin roots they can rot easily too if kept too wet. This is where the skewer is helpful. I always try and place it back in the same spot so that I am not piercing roots every time I push it in.

[Piao Liang]

Thank you for your answer. So the skewer is completely dry or just damp at the very bottom before you water? Sorry for insisting but I have almost killed my first Oncidium from over watering.


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[silken]

Originally Posted by Piao Liang

Thank you for your answer. So the skewer is completely dry or just damp at the very bottom before you water? Sorry for insisting but I have almost killed my first Oncidium from over watering.


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For me and my conditions I would let the skewer be just damp, not very wet. I have killed lots of orchids to root rot so I err on the slightly drier side. For most of my Oncidiums I prefer a slightly wider more shallow pot although I can't always find the right size. They have more shallow roots and some sprawl out their growths so the wider shallower pots are better suited to them. Otherwise I put some leca balls in the bottom to fill before adding bark and moss or whatever I am using for potting media. The leca balls won't rot and they drain well

[Gage]

Everyone else seems to be giving good advice. I just wanted to say that bloom is beauuuuutiful!