Odontonia or Zygo?

[Stevie_White]

So I got this orchid a few months ago, and the blooms are gone now, but when it was in bloom I posted some pictures. It was suggested that it could be a varient/hybrid of odontonia pacific paranoia ‘other side of kool’.

However, when I was looking at some orchids on the Seattle Orchid nursery site I found a hybrid that looks very similar to what I got. It's a Zygo hybrid of Zesty Kaila x crinitum.

Based on your experience (and the photos of my own plant when it was in bloom) do you think I've got a Zygo or something more like the Odontonia?

If it's a Zygo I might need to change it's current setup.I currently have it in a self-watering pot with layers of sphagnum and leca. It's showing some signs of dehydration (see last photo), and I also don't see any new growths taking off like I do on my other oncidium type.

[Stevie_White]

UPDATE:

The nursery that supplied this orchid to my local chain is Matsui Nursery. They supply both Miltonia hybrids, and Zygo hybrids, which is why I think it could be a Zygo rather than a Miltonia type.

[Ray]

Not a zygo. Definitely a multigeneric hybrid with a miltonia contribution

[estación seca]

I agree it isn't getting enough water.

What do you mean by self-watering pot? The kind with a reservoir in the bottom that must leach through an unglazed section of an inner pot?

If it's in one of these self-watering pots with LECA, there will not be enough water transfer into the LECA for a typical plant. This kind of pot is made for a finely ground, high-organic potting medium.

If it's a deeper pot in which the LECA at the bottom is standing in water, the water may not wick up far enough to reach the plant's roots.

So we need more information.

[aliceinwl]

Not definitive, but I saw one of these with a label at the grocery store by me: Odnta. Pacific Paranoia 'Otherside of Cool'

[Stevie_White]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I agree it isn't getting enough water.

What do you mean by self-watering pot? The kind with a reservoir in the bottom that must leach through an unglazed section of an inner pot?

So we need more information.

Both the outer and inner pots are plastic with a reservoir at the bottom. I have a wick (which I tested before using) that comes up into the pot and runs up the side towards the top.

As for the inner pot, there is a layer of sphagnum moss at the bottom, and then layers of leca (to provide aeration) and sphag (for more water retention) up the pot. There isn't much of a dry top layer. A few of the larger pieces of leca might be dry, but just under them the leca is wet so I would say it's wicking alright.

The dehydration might be more because of the few roots that were left after I cut off all the dead mushy ones.

[estación seca]

I strongly recommend not cutting off roots, especially from Oncidium hybrids. You can't really tell which are dead unless they fall off on their own. They will not make more roots until they make new growths. This can be many months, and the plant will struggle to take up enough water before this happens.

At some point your plant will decide to make new growths. Watch for new root growth from the bases of the new growths. Until those new roots are well into the moist part of the medium, spritz them with water once or twice a day. When they find the water source in the container the plant will be out of the risky phase.

[Orchidtinkerer]

Originally Posted by Stevie_White

If it's a Zygo I might need to change it's current setup.I currently have it in a self-watering pot with layers of sphagnum and leca. It's showing some signs of dehydration (see last photo), and I also don't see any new growths taking off like I do on my other oncidium type.

I just want to add and this is my personal preference only! as the advice so far has been for you to do eveything you have not been doing. I will say congrats you have done eveything I would do.

All my zygopetalums and Odontoglossums are in self watering pots in lecca. My zygopetalums have been in this setup for 2 years and it was finally the only thing that eentually got them to take off. But it took 6 months to see anything. You have just repotted it a month ago?

ES will tell you its all wrong, I will say trust your instinct, you did right imo, and stick with it. I can see moisture in your lecca and that is all lecca needs! If you can see moisture in lecca then the lecca is moist enough for orchids. Only when it become bone dry and is not in contact with a wet wick will it dry out but you can always spray the top daily if you want.
You have even added some moss? Plenty of moisture there.

Again I will say do what you want, not many people have experience with zygopetalums on this forum I have found because zygopetalums are cold growers.

I will gladly show a picture of one of my zygopetalums but I nearly killed it before I finally saved it with a self watering pot so although it has been in there for ages it is only now looking like an acceptable orchid again, finally producing a new bulb that will flower again this year.

I just don't like the advice given here when I have been growing 6 zygo's and odontoglossums for the past 2 years now and I know I am still a complete novice but the advice given so far just seems to be guesses from peolpe that have never grown them because they live in a climate they can't grow and that bugs me slightly.

People should not just answer for the sake of giving an answer

[Orchidtinkerer]

and just because I know my comment will rub some people up the wrong way, which is not my intention, I just want honest info out there. I will add a picture...

You might be able to see on the label what plant this is, a good example anyway imo. It has not been watered a single time this year yet. Look at the white salt deposit on the top of the lecca.

[WaterWitchin]

I've been growing Zygos, Ondontoglossum and hybrid cross Ondontonia here in Kansas for around 15 years, outside in the summer and inside in the winter. As long as I keep air current on them and in the shade during summer months, they're just fine. Zygo has a bit different culture than Ondontoglossum, Miltonia, and/or Ondontonia, but not THAT different. And Zygo is not a cool grower, it's intermediate.

I agree with Ray OP's plant is no Zygo. Looks like an Ondontonia (Ondontoglossum x Miltonia) And it sure looks VERY similar to AliceInWL's Odnta. Pacific Paranoia 'Otherside of Cool'.

StevieWhite... there's a big difference in the look of that plant from what you said you received "a few months ago" to its present state. I note the change in medium now that it's finished its bloom. To me it appears it was likely already having broken down medium issues and after blooming it went downhill. Did you totally remove a couple of pbulbs? It looks that way. What did the leaves look like prior to losing them on the other pbulbs present? It sort of looks like you may have gone a bit overboard pruning, or it was really going downhill quickly after the bloom.

Trading out the old medium and repotting was a good idea, but the timing of doing it is unfortunate. Moving it from what appears to be a bark based medium into a self-watering pot using LECA and sphagnum is also not going to assist its recovery. You're doing a different method, which new roots will have to adapt to, while not having much good root there to sustain it meanwhile. How long ago did you repot it?

---------- Post added at 11:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------

Moderator Voice...
OTinkerer, you're not playing nice in the sandbox again. There's no need to denigrate other members opinions by making assumptions about what that member might know, grow, or have grown. Please stick to facts and your own opinions, and if you want to disagree please attempt to find a more polite way to do so.