First oncidium & clueless

[Pumpkin92]

So I've been keeping phals for only 3 months and have been avoiding everything else out of fear. Well for my birthday my mom bought me a new orchid knowing how much I like the ones I have. Except its not a phal. I think its an oncidium cause the tag says "Exotic Orchid - Includes Oncidium & Intergenerics."

I feel so overwhelmed cause I hadn't bothered to read up on these and have NO CLUE what to do. Then I tried watching a couple vids but I got stuck when they said there's different types of oncidiums and some require different care.

Here's a link to the orchid so you can click & zoom (if you have to):
https://www.flickr.com/photos/619534...57654209318509

So I have several questions and if you guys could answer any/all/one would be a huge help:
Can you ID my orchid?
Do you see any specific problems or concerns with it?
Can I repot even with buds or wait?
What do I repot in?
How does watering with these work? Do the roots turn silver or something?
Also anything I should absolutely NOT do that could easily kill it?
Lastly, do you guys have any good links?

Thanks in advance!

[fudJy23]

Definitely an oncidium of some sort. They do like a good amount of light, more than phals. I started on phals and moved onto oncidiums.

The roots are also silvery green and will turn green when you water. A slightly nicer thing about oncidiums is that I take my queue from them on whether I'm watering enough. Mine are in active growth phase right now so they are taking in a lot of water. When the pseudobulbs start to get a little shrivelly, I water. It does take getting to know the orchids a bit to know what "shrivelly" looks like from one to another. My Onc Catatante Pacific Sunspot has pseudobulbs that pleat like an accordian while my Twinkle has bulbs that deflate.

Based on the looks of that medium, I would at the very least pull it out of the pot to see what it's planted in. As for actually repotting it, I probably wouldn't touch it until all of the buds have opened unless you find the orchid starting to act destressed. But I will defer to some one more knowledgeable on this.

[Raqsharqi]

I also started with phals and moved to oncidiums. They actually grow better for me than phals do...maybe because they handle bright light better, and in Tucson, shade is hard to find! ;-)

I repotted mine in clear plastic pots as soon as they were done blooming. This lets me check for moisture because I'll see droplets inside and will know that way that there is moisture there. Mine mostly have almost white roots with green tips, and the suckers like to climb right out of the pot! When you repot, make sure you set the plant in so that the old pseudobulbs are closer to the edge of the pot than the new growth is. The new growth will need room to expand.
I have only been growing them for about a year, and two of mine are in spike now (Yea!!). I find them very rewarding in that the roots seem to grow like crazy and the pseudobulbs keep coming up. They are less rewarding, however, in terms of flowers, because they only spike out of mature NEW pseudobulbs, and that takes time.

[bil]

I would repot in a large diam, but shallow pot, say 4 inches deep, no more. I would pot it in fine bark only, and water a bit more generously than I would the Phals. I do two wet days a week when the mediu is saturated, and the rest are damp days when the are given just a small amount. I'm in a hot dry climate.

[malteseproverb]

I'm not an expert on oncidiums, but I have a few in that alliance and this one looks nice! Healthy, plump pseudobulbs like the ones on yours is a good sign. Don't repot until after it blooms, I would say. It doesn't look like it's in danger of anything so why repot while it's blooming? Also the only other thing I know about them is that they like to be a little pot bound, so maybe repotting and keeping it in the same pot or same size pot would be best, depending on whether or not all the roots are viable.

[howze01]

Looks like a Colmanara masai 'Splash' to me.

I have one much like it. Brighter light than a Phal but not high light like a Cattleya. I water mine every couple days, at least 2 times a week. Mine is putting out new growth now so I'm watering a bit more now.
Yours looks like it could use a repot, the medium looks broken down. I'd wait until its done blooming and repot then. I use a mix of mostly bark with some sphag in it for Oncidiums. They have finer roots than a Phal so a little finer medium is better for them.

Good luck!!!

[terracotta7]

Hi and welcome to OB.

I think that you will find this plant very rewarding to grow! It looks healthy to me. I would re-pot it in fine Orchiata or bark mix when it finishes blooming. I water mine twice a week and they get morning sun and average home humidity.

Keep us posted!

[Pumpkin92]

Update:
I couldn't stand not being able to see the roots and couldn't figure out what it was planted in to save my life. So I bought a clear plastic container, drilled drainage holes, cut side slats, then cut the plant out (it wasn't going quietly).

So here's what I found:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/619534...7654209318509/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/61953428@N06/18692175540/

Firstly I can't tell if those roots are healthy or not. They feel firm but look brown-ish. I sprayed a few to see if they'd change colors but they didn't. Then it looks like its planted in porous soil. I don't really know how to describe it.

So new questions:
Does it still look healthy? How do I water it now (less/more)? Is that media going to be a problem until it finishes blooming? Any other advice?

[fudJy23]

Roots look fine. One of the things I learned here is that the potting medium may stain the roots brown. Mine all start off white with green tips but once they spend time in the pot, they all turn brown. As long as they look fat (or as fat as oncidium roots can be) and plump, and the rest of the plant looks well, it's fine.

As for the potting medium, if your plant is holding up, wait to repot until the flowers have opened. If it really bothers you, repot.

I had a noid Miltonia that I bought at Safeway, the potting medium was really bothering me. It has flowers and buds. I pulled that baby out of the pot and repotted the guy. I think he was sitting in dirt.

[charitysmama]

Ragshargi: What do you mean by "When you repot, make sure you set the plant in so that the old pseudobulbs are closer to the edge of the pot than the new growth is." I can't visualize what you mean.

Anyone else: I have a monstrous Oncidium, I think it is in the Sharry Baby family, last year it had 6 huge flower spikes on it that were so heavy they were breaking. The plant is in a 6" pot, but I am thinking that I either need to divide it or pot it in an 8" pot. The plant is about 3 ' across and 2' high. I am afraid it will take over my kitchen!!! I am going to try to attach a pic. Thanks in advance for any advice, this forum is the best. Linda