I'm 25, my dad bought me this orchid (identity unknown) help me not to kill it pls!

[bambimac]

my dad got me this orchid a few months ago as a house-warming gift, we don't have a great relationship so i really don't want it to die, because it means a lot that he bought it for me. I've no idea what it is so if anyone can ID it that'd be great. At one point it had white flowers with crimson spots.

They quickly died and its leaves began turning yellow. I re-potted it with orchid compost because I thought maybe it didn't have enough room. It didn't help. I've tried it in every room in the house, north facing, south facing, direct light, indirect light and it just never seems happy. I water it once a week about 200ml of warm water.

I'm worried I maybe over-watered it at some point, and its recovering from that, or that it has some type of rot? It recently started shooting these white roots with green tips, I don't know if that's a good or bad sign.

[Dollythehun]

I think it is in the oncidium tribe. Without flowers, its hard to tell exactly what. New roots are GOOD! This is some success!

These like a little more water, set it in the sink and water until the water runs through freely at least twice a week. This kind likes bright indirect light, Your east window or a filtered south or west window are good. (Filtered through a sheer curtain so it doesn't sunburn).

The leaves in your pictures look fine but it does look a little under watered because the pbulbs are a little wrinkly. But, the oldest ones sometimes do that also.

[bambimac]

Hi Dollythehun,

thank you for the reply! I'm happy to know you don't think there's anything irreparably wrong with the orchid and thanks so much for identifying it, after searching oncidium i came across a photo with flowers just like it and I remembered something off the label 'cambria'. I knew it was a hybrid of some kind.

Thank you for the advice, I will try watering it as you suggested and keeping it in indirect sunlight. Fingers crossed!

[Keithj]

Cambria is a catch-all name used by the trade for hybrid orchids that have multiple strands in their heritage. As Dollythehun says, though, if it looks like an Oncidium then treat it like one and see how the plant reacts. Hybrids tend to be easier to keep than species plants so yours ought to be quite forgiving.

The one thing most orchids can’t handle is direct sunlight. Their leaves get damaged and patches will turn yellow. That doesn’t have to be the end, though. Catch it in time and the plant can recover. I sunburnt a couple of mine but, although they paused growth immediately afterwards, they are now growing well again.

Keith

[bambimac]

Hi Keith,

thanks for the reply, I did wonder if I had sunburnt it. After Dollythehun mentioned the wrinkled pseudobulbs (possibly from dehydration), I realised they probably shouldn't be a purple/maroon colour either which I've seen other people describe on the boards as sun-burn.

For a while it did sit on a south-facing windowsill in direct sunlight (and as you know its been scorching in the UK lately) so I have now moved it! Thanks again

[malteseproverb]

Purple isn't sunburn. Usually purple indicates a maximum amount of light has been achieved, which for high light plants is good! Sunburn is usually white, like a scorch, which turns to brown and dead plant tissue. I think the east facing window is good for oncidiums because they like to be kept relatively cool. In my experience, a plant that looks like yours is happy and well on its way to producing vigorous new growth and then flowers.

[bambimac]

Thanks Malteseproverb, that's great to here that you think it's a happy orchid!

For months I was worried it'd never flower again, but then the roots surprised me. I'm got it in a north-east window as you suggested so fingers crossed for some blooms next year

[Keithj]

Leaves and other structures don’t usually show reddish tinges but if a plant’s flowers have some red or purple in them the pigment can sometime occur away from the flower. It’s to something to be worried about.

Keith