Oncidium novice help

[ajeatoo]

Oh yay!!! Now for the wait for it to grow, I've never seen the blooms so don't know what to expect. Wonder if I can take a tiny amount of credit for that spike since it wasn't there when I bought it I looked it over really well


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[ThePinkCucumber]

It looks like a very happy Oncidium in spike! Can't wait for bloom pictures

[bil]

With watering, using a bamboo skewer left in the medium is a good way of seeing if it is dry.

I'm a fan of very weak fertiliser every watering.

I really don't like using sphag except in very specific cases. For oncidium types I use fine bark and coir on its own.

With regard to the pics being the wrong way up. I use IMGUR to store my images on the pc, and that has taken to doing exactly that, but there are controls in it that enable you to rotate the pic.

[ajeatoo]

I have found that if I use Tapatalk I can load the pics without issue. So that's what in doing to post pics.

As for medium, there is maybe an amount the size of a golf ball which I chopped up so very little sphag, it's 99% medium and fine bark.

My phals like a 60% sphag with the rest being bark, expanded clay and some perlite. So using all bark is new to me.

[bil]

Originally Posted by ajeatoo

I have found that if I use Tapatalk I can load the pics without issue. So that's what in doing to post pics.

As for medium, there is maybe an amount the size of a golf ball which I chopped up so very little sphag, it's 99% medium and fine bark.

My phals like a 60% sphag with the rest being bark, expanded clay and some perlite. So using all bark is new to me.

If you have that much sphag in with phals, that's fine as long as you keep an eye on the watering. I just prefer large bits of bark, nothing too fine, and then that way I can't overwater.

[ajeatoo]

Yeah I let my phals dry out before watering, they aren't packed tight, so I end yo watering my phals about once per week on average. Some take longer to dry out than others, also depending on where they are. The ones in bloom are downstairs in my living room where it's warmer snd more humid so they only get watered about every 10-13 days. Whereas the ones upstairs where they go to live when they are growing or are in spike have a cooler area and its air conditioned so it is drier and they dry out quicker.

I have my phals down pat I've been growing them for several years now. I'm just now branching out to other types and those I'm totally new to. As mentioned before I have two cattleyas, one oncidium and a noblie Dendrobium and a cymbidium. The dendrobium and cym are outside getting sun and the cool temps at night in hopes of inducing some spikes, I'll bring them in when the temps get to around 5 or so overnight. Probably another 3 or so weeks.

[snowflake311]

woohoo for Spikes. Onc are easy and fun! one of mine is in spike right now. Its a yellow one too that smells so good. The scent was the main reason I bought it.

Like with most orchids I think the key is. The Perfect amount of Neglect with the right temperature and light.

For me growing Onc. , Phals, Miltoniopsis, and Zygos live my climate. I keep Paphs and cattleya too but have not had any respike for me yet. They are newer to me.

I live in the mountains where our summers are short and never that hot. We get lots of sun. Our nights are always colder than the days. Living in CA it is always sunny so they get lots of sunlight everyday. I try and give them as much light as I can. I also have to water a bit more often since it is dry here.

I love all my different kinds of orchids. Now that you have a spike it is all over for you. Your collection is going to grow quickly. Some of your poor Phals might become gifts for people. You will need to make more room for different kinds of orchids now.

[ajeatoo]

Ok so I'm doubting this is a spike. Is this what spikes look like? It looks more like a pbulb to me but as a newbie I defer to ya'll. It was growing inside a leaf but the leaf has since dropped off.








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[bil]

It's a Pbulb ok, but that may throw a spike.

[judith_arquette]

I've noticed that with the few oncidiums that I've gotten to spike that they come up right next to the pbulb but yay for any kind of new growth I say