New Bllra. had a rough transition - Orchid Board

nekoshi · #1 05-26-2018, 05:42 PM

I received a Bllra. Marfitch 'Howard's Dream' and I've had it for about a week. It lives in a warm environment, in an East facing window with good air circulation from the room fan. I've been using a tray of water to add some humidity and been considering a humidifier. It arrived healthy with smooth bulbs but now they are starting to wrinkle (the two newest). It had fallen out of the pot during shipping and wouldn't fit back in, so I felt I had to risk repotting it with it's 3ft spike (which is starting to bloom). It has a major root system that looked very healthy. I used a mix of coconut husk, pine bark, and moss and went heavy on the coco. It's oldest bulb, which was near the size of a quarter, got damaged and had started separating, so I figured it wasn't providing too much and would soon rot so I took it out leaving it with 3 bulbs. I noticed the bulbs starting to wrinkle about 2 days ago and I'm keeping it about a day away from becoming dry. (I watered once since the repot.) I know this plant has gone through a lot this last week but seeing these rapid forming wrinkles has me concerned. Also I'm not sure if I should increase the humidity in the room.

fishmom · #2 05-26-2018, 06:17 PM

I'm guessing that your new medium dries more quickly than the original material. That, combined with changes in temperature and humidity, could well account for wrinkles in the bulbs.

Personally, I would be watering more often. Is the newest bulb staying more plump, or is it wrinkling too? I'd be surprised if you could get enough humidity in a room to plump up the drying bulbs, but healthy roots with access to enough moisture should keep it in good shape.

nekoshi · #3 05-26-2018, 07:12 PM

TY fishmom for the response. I'm sure the medium is drying faster, especially the outer portions and top. I don't mind more watering but I defiantly don't want to risk another repotting right now. The wrinkles began on the largest bulb and now its also on the second largest. I'll try increasing water to somewhere around every 4-5 days and see how it goes. I'm loving this plant though.

Roberta · #4 05-26-2018, 08:07 PM

Don't be afraid to water this plant... it wants a LOT more water than a Phalaenopsis. The new medium will dry quickly. In a warm, dry house even every 3 days for watering would not be too much, at least until the new medium is consistently holding water. And when you water, do it thoroughly - like under the faucet, let water run through the pot. No sprizting... give it a good bath when you water.

estación seca · #5 05-27-2018, 07:56 AM

A lot of people water intergeneric Oncidium hybrids such as this daily when in spike/flower. Oncidiums have thin leaves, aren't as adapted to dry spells, and need plentiful watering.

nekoshi · #6 05-29-2018, 11:08 AM

I'm feeling much more confident now thanks to you guys/gals and I'm sure I'll get it to plump back up again. Leaves are still looking good. No drooping or wrinkling present and it seems the bulbs have stopped loosing water too so I think it's on the road to recovery. I watered it yesterday, let it soak for about 30mins and ran water through it also to make sure the top was well soaked. I still see plenty of moisture in the pot today and it only has 2 blooms left till it's in full bloom. Thanks for the advice everyone.