Oncidiums - Should I or should I not?

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by bil

Thanks. Last year I got a lot of bloomms from the one new pBulb, and this year I have the first flower spike, but best of all I am getting a second new pBulb.
I am a HUGE afficionado of mounts. I believe they are the way to go for most epiphytes

I would love to do mounted orchids. I love the more natural look. I may eventually try one, but I don't have a lot of space for that.

[fooferdoggie]

Originally Posted by mlira85

Thank you very much. I'll have to check if Lowe's has the sharry baby

also check trader joes that where I got the sweet sixteen. it is a hybrid of the sharry baby not as large. they have dark red flowers. but don't wait too late or too early or you can't check the smell.

[bil]

Originally Posted by nogreenthumbs

I would love to do mounted orchids. I love the more natural look. I may eventually try one, but I don't have a lot of space for that.

Yeah, I appreciate that I am lucky with space here, but you could set up a group of small orchids with less light needs....

[will1986]

Originally Posted by mlira85

will1986
You have a beautiful collection of oncidiums and those blooms look pretty happy. Thanks for sharing the pictures of your orchids and here I was thinking that all oncidium flowers were rather small, boy was I wrong. I'm looking forward to purchasing an oncidium soon.

The hybrids which are straight Oncidium tend to have smaller flowers, but the complex hybrids with Miltoniopsis/Miltonia and Odontoglossum can be larger, with Brassia contributing both larger size and star shape, as you can see in the pictures I shared. The flowers on that Bllra. Tropic Lily are enormous, upwards of five inches. That's one of my favorites. It just seems so graceful to me. I've included another picture of it so you can see.

A few people have mentioned Sharry Baby, and I would like to second that. That one is pure Oncidium, and the flowers are small, but it makes up for that in number. It blooms twice a year, and it grows like a weed (however it can quickly get very large, which may be a concern if space is an issue for you). Sharry Baby would be an excellent first Oncidium for you.

Once you pick one up, post a picture so we can all see!

[Dollythehun]

I second that size comment. Sharry Baby's flower spikes can get up to 3' tall. Mine is in a 8" pot with bark and chopped sphagnum. I keep it constantly moist under a grow light in a east south window combo (trees). If you need something smaller, look into Twinkles. They are little power houses of tiny flowers.

[mlira85]

Originally Posted by will1986

The hybrids which are straight Oncidium tend to have smaller flowers, but the complex hybrids with Miltoniopsis/Miltonia and Odontoglossum can be larger, with Brassia contributing both larger size and star shape, as you can see in the pictures I shared. The flowers on that Bllra. Tropic Lily are enormous, upwards of five inches. That's one of my favorites. It just seems so graceful to me. I've included another picture of it so you can see.

A few people have mentioned Sharry Baby, and I would like to second that. That one is pure Oncidium, and the flowers are small, but it makes up for that in number. It blooms twice a year, and it grows like a weed (however it can quickly get very large, which may be a concern if space is an issue for you). Sharry Baby would be an excellent first Oncidium for you.

Once you pick one up, post a picture so we can all see!

Thanks for info on oncidiums, super helpful and good to know as I prepare for when I get one pretty soon. While hunting for an oncidium, what should I be looking for to get the healthiest one possible? Where can you find the oncidiums with the bigger flowers....(just curious since I've only seen the small flowers on oncidiums)? Thanks for the additional picture of your oncidium orchid, such a beauty!!
Oh yes, and I will most certainly post a picture of my oncidium

---------- Post added at 07:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:40 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

I second that size comment. Sharry Baby's flower spikes can get up to 3' tall. Mine is in a 8" pot with bark and chopped sphagnum. I keep it constantly moist under a grow light in a east south window combo (trees). If you need something smaller, look into Twinkles. They are little power houses of tiny flowers.

I haven't heard of twinkles, are they an oncidium?

[Dollythehun]

Yes. Google them oncidium Twinkle.

[mlira85]

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Yes. Google them oncidium Twinkle.

Thanks. I did and they are vey cute.

[Dollythehun]

Tiny but addicting, they bloom twice a year and are Fragrant.

[will1986]

Originally Posted by mlira85

Thanks for info on oncidiums, super helpful and good to know as I prepare for when I get one pretty soon. While hunting for an oncidium, what should I be looking for to get the healthiest one possible? Where can you find the oncidiums with the bigger flowers....(just curious since I've only seen the small flowers on oncidiums)? Thanks for the additional picture of your oncidium orchid, such a beauty!!
Oh yes, and I will most certainly post a picture of my oncidium

When you buy Oncidiums, look for bright green leaves and plump pseudobulbs. Older pseudobulbs will often have some degree of wrinkling, but they should still be plump, not flat/shriveled. If you can do this without disturbing the plant too much, pop it out of the pot and make sure the roots which are visible are healthy (firm and white-ish, not hollow and brown). Many types of Oncidium hybrids have a tendency to get tiny little black dots on the leaves when grown in high-light conditions. Some people find this unsightly, but it doesn't hurt the plant, so you don't necessarily need to be alarmed by tiny black dots on the leaves, as long as you think you can tell the difference between this type of dot and the type of dot which is caused by disease (you can google pictures of both types of spots).

If you want the complex hybrids with larger flowers, look for plants labeled Aliceara, Beallara, Vuylstekeara, Degarmoara. You can watch at Lowe's, as they have them sometimes. I have a Beallara Tahoma Glacier I got at Lowe's. I feel like I usually see this type on Oncidium at Lowe's in the fall, so maybe your Lowe's will have them then also. You can also of course look online. I've bought Odontoglossum hybrids from Akatsuka Orchids before and been very happy. Their plants are in spike unless the item description says otherwise, and they're always very nice. Also, The Orchid Gallery sells on Amazon and Ebay, and their plants are great. They don't have very many of any particular plant, so their inventory changes frequently and you have to check their Amazon or EBay store regularly, but if you watch long enough, you'll definitely see them offering some great complex Oncidium hybrids, which may or may not be in spike.