Cattleya ID Help

[Nigyrob]

Hello

Can anyone ID this please? (Pics Attached).

I live in Queensland and pulled it out of a pot in a garden at my unit 18mths ago and now all of a sudden it's spiked but I don't think its a flower spike - I can't see any buds. It looks like a grass seed shoot.

Any help in ID'ing it will be very grateful.

Cheers from DownUnder

[estación seca]

That is a flower spike. Soon you will have flowers to show us. Congratulations!

This plant is not a Cattleya. It is in the Oncidium alliance. It might be an intergeneric hybrid among several genera in that alliance.

[Nigyrob]

Wow, thank you very much for the swift reply and ID.
(I've been telling people it was a Cattleya for 18mths......Ooops :-)

One other question I have is to do with the browning of the leaves.
Am I burning it with too much nutrient when watering?
I give it the same watering regime as my Phals, (completely soak them, then rinse) and they are doing very well at the moment.

Again, thank you for your help.

[estación seca]

Wow, those Phals look good!

The Oncidium looks like it got a little too much sun, or perhaps not enough water. They like to stay moist, while the Phals can get dry between waterings, but not for long. A well-kept Oncidium has no wrinkles at all on the smooth pseudobulbs. It doesn't hurt them much to have some wrinkles, so don't worry. It's flowering, meaning you've taken good care of it.

But - the sphagnum moss medium in the Oncidium pot is old, and is breaking down. I wouldn't repot an Oncidium in spike. You might lose the flowers. Were it not in spike I would repot now. In the mean time water it so the moss doesn't stay soggy wet all the time - just damp.

The time to repot Oncidiums is when new growths are just beginning. This is also when they form new roots. There is a new growth at the right stage, but if you repot in spike, you might lose the flowers. I would wait until the flowers have faded and the growth now producing the flower spike begins making another new growth. Many Oncidium intergenerics are in constant cycles of growth and flowering through the year, especially in warm climates like yours.

The sphagnum moss in some of your Phals also appears old. Most people repot Phals every 2-3 years, else the medium breaks down and crumbles, obliterating the air spaces necessary for Phal roots to survive. How long since you've repotted the Phals?

There is one plant in the Cattleya alliance in your photos. It is in the front row, third from left.

[Nigyrob]

Hi
Thank you, I'm very pleased with my Phals.

Interesting you should say it may have gotten a little too much sun as it was in a pot outside in a courtyard which got hit each day with full Queensland sun - sometimes around 40deg C.

But I think you're on the right track with the sphagnum as it only started browning a couple of months ago when the moss started to change to that dark green colour. They've probably been in it for 18mths now so when it's finished flowering this time round, out it will come and into some other media (probably the same media as my Phals).

Most of my Phals have moss on the top to help keep some moisture in as they are only watered once a week.
Pretty much all of them are due to have new media this next year as they have been in the current media for a good two years now (Bark, Charcoal, Perlite, and a little moss).

Now I have to learn about Oncidium care a little more as I've never looked at them before.
I actually have two, both came out of the same pot but only one in spike at the moment, so I'll give the other some fresh media next weekend and manage their water a little more.

Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.

Cheers from DownUnder

[Nigyrob]

Well it has flowered in just a month. Lovely little flowers too.
Very pleased to have added this to my small collection.
Thank you for your help with ID'ing this plant.
Cheers

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Very nice! Congratulations