Repotting odontoglossum - Orchid Board

etcherkate · #1 12-10-2016, 07:27 PM

An unexpected visitor reminded me that I need to childproof my orchid growing area. An orchid was knocked over and the plastic pot cracked down the side, so I decided I might as well give it some fresh orchid mix. My guess is that this big box no ID is an odontoglossum.

Last night we were in the middle of an ice storm, and the orchid had to wait while the power was out overnight. I potted it mostly in orchid bark, with a little sphagnum and the dregs of a bag of Black Gold orchid mix, which looks like mostly perlite with tiny pieces of bark.

The new potting media came from outdoors and was freezing cold, so I let it soak overnight in warm water. Some sources suggest that odontoglossum shouldn't be watered until there's evidence of new root growth. I also wonder if I should water this plant slightly more frequently than some of my other orchids, since the roots are so tiny.

Care to share your thoughts on successful Odintoglossum repotting and general culture?

estación seca · #2 12-11-2016, 01:28 AM

Odontoglossum has been sunk into Oncidium. But most of us think of them as cool-growing Oncidiums, or as Odontoglossum. If it's a big-box plant it's likely to be an intergeneric hybrid, and those tend to be fairly easy to grow.

I think none of them should stay dry for any length of time. If the medium is still damp from the soak it is OK to wait a while. Water just before it gets completely dry. You may find using a wooden skewer to test the wetness at the center of the pot works well. There is a thread devoted to it in the Beginners forum here.

Any chance you did an etching of the flower, and can show us?

etcherkate · #3 12-11-2016, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estación seca

Odontoglossum has been sunk into Oncidium. But most of us think of them as cool-growing Oncidiums, or as Odontoglossum. If it's a big-box plant it's likely to be an intergeneric hybrid, and those tend to be fairly easy to grow.

I think none of them should stay dry for any length of time. If the medium is still damp from the soak it is OK to wait a while. Water just before it gets completely dry. You may find using a wooden skewer to test the wetness at the center of the pot works well. There is a thread devoted to it in the Beginners forum here.

Any chance you did an etching of the flower, and can show us?

Thanks for the advice--I think I've been letting this plant dry out too much between watering. This is the only plant out of 30 or so that I've convinced to rebloom in the last four years--which sounds pretty lame, but I've made big changes in the last six months and am optimistic about better results soon. The last time I watered, I put color coded stickers on the pots to remind me how often to water. Once a week isn't cutting it for all of the plants!

I have a photo of the flower when I bought it--it caught my eye at the store because the spots on the lip reminded me of a skull. I did make an etching from this flower, but took some liberties with the colors, borrowing the brown and yellow color combination often seen in Oncidiums. I'm always impressed when people know what etchings are, and happy to share photos. Do you also have a background in art?

bil · #4 12-11-2016, 07:40 AM

I pot them in fine bark only and melt a hole in the side of the pot near the bottom for a skewer to go in, so I can test the wetness of the mix.

estación seca · #5 12-11-2016, 10:51 AM

No art background, but I've always liked art and look at it. I have a few friends who work in varying media.

Your flower looks a lot like Beallara Howard Marfitch. Without a label you can't be sure of the name, but care for your plant will be the same. You can search here on that name, or also on "Cambria," the term used for this type of orchid in Europe.

rbarata · #6 12-11-2016, 11:18 AM

I have a cambria and I don't let it get dry. I use a mix of medium pine bark + leka and I water it once a week in winter (with HR > 65%). In summer I water it more or less around every 5 days (with HR < 20%).

etcherkate · #7 12-11-2016, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by estación seca

No art background, but I've always liked art and look at it. I have a few friends who work in varying media.

Your flower looks a lot like Beallara Howard Marfitch. Without a label you can't be sure of the name, but care for your plant will be the same. You can search here on that name, or also on "Cambria," the term used for this type of orchid in Europe.

That's amazing--it does look a lot like the Beallara. It's odd that the Matsui Nursery website has a photo of a plant that looks exactly like mine, yet they insist that they can't provide plant identifications for their customers.

flowerpower · #8 12-12-2016, 02:10 PM

I think somewhere in the region of 1-2 times per week is reasonable. You might do as much as 3x during hot summer and 1x in winter as a loose guide. I water these a lot more than a phal. The main thing when I repot is to try not to break the roots. I find broken roots on sympodials don't do well and often die. I used to push them in and tuck them tightly. But now, I find they do better if I'm gentle and let them get established on their own.

malteseproverb · #9 12-12-2016, 02:24 PM

Mine is potted in mostly sphag up top and a mix of sphag and medium bark below that and barely anything at the bottom, in a ceramic pot. It is super happy in there. It's putting on the most amazing display of flowers right now. I water twice a week in summer and once a week in winter but I never let it dry out completely. I used to keep it drier and it was very unhappy until I figured it out.