Oncidium type orchid?

[qbie]

Hello. Found this old photo of an orchid I brought back from a cousin's wedding banquet long ago. My dad divided it and gave me the division with the blooms. Unfortunately it went R.I.P. for both of us. Didn't know what type it was then and still not sure if it's an oncidium type. Remember hearing my cousin's wife said they were Hawaiian orchids?? Just wanting to know what it was so I can read up and take better care if I ever end up with one of these again. I wonder if it had too few pseudobulbs to survive after division in addition to my lack of experience. Thanks!


image uploader

[estación seca]

Yes, this is an Oncidium intergeneric hybrid, fairly easy to grow with standard Oncidium care.

There are a lot that look like the photo, so it wouldn't be possible to name it exactly. A lot of plants in the artificial genus Colmanara look like that.

[qbie]

Thanks. Yes, I saw her last year and she said they're the easiest type to grow. I regretted telling her it didn't make it.

Strange. Easiest to grow, yet all my phals are still alive, even the oldest one which has been struggling for more than a decade. But that one bit the dust. Perhaps I may try one again sometime.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by qbie

Thanks. Yes, I saw her last year and she said they're the easiest type to grow. I regretted telling her it didn't make it.

Strange. Easiest to grow, yet all my phals are still alive, even the oldest one which has been struggling for more than a decade. But that one bit the dust. Perhaps I may try one again sometime.

An "easy orchid" is one that matches your growing conditions, a "difficult orchid" is one that needs conditions that you have to work to provide. Some, like this one , aren't in the "difficult" zone for most people because it's pretty easy to meet their conditions indoors without special setups. BUT... they are "different" - they need more moisture than those Phals. Where Phals are quite happy drying out to near dryness between waterings, the Oncidium group hates that - they want to stay moist. So that's part of the fun of orchid growing, figuring out the differences.

[qbie]

Thanks Roberta. That was definitely what did it in then. i just watered it along with my phals which was once a week in that bark. Sorry I don't think I looked much more into it back then than trying to find out what kind of orchid it was, assuming I could water it the same.

I currently have the coelogyne, sarcochilus, restrepia and pleurothallis which also don't like to dry out so I'll see first how well they grow in my care before trying to take on an oncidium again then.

[estación seca]

People can be grouped into those who want to water plants too often, and those who forget to water. I'm in the second group.

Your experience with these two genera may be because Phals. can survive for very long periods of time (years) if watered insufficiently, while Oncidium intergenerics must stay partially moist.

People tend to lose Phals. when they keep them too wet during cool temperatures, or when the potting medium breaks down and air spaces are obliterated. People tend to lose Oncidiums when they don't water often enough and the plants dry out regularly, or when the old potting medium breaks down and air spaces disappear.

In the photo you show the medium is extra large bark. Most people would need to water an Oncidium intergeneric potted like that every 1-2 days to keep it alive. Even one severe wilting may set them back many months. A Phal. in that extra large bark could survive for years, although looking poorly, being watered once a month.

Oncidiums would probably be happier than Phals. at most home temperatures. Most people use medium to fine bark for Oncs., often with perlite or sphagnum moss added to the mix. They do extremely well in pure sphagnum if the gardener understands watering in sphagnum, which is different from watering in bark.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by qbie

I currently have the coelogyne, sarcochilus, restrepia and pleurothallis which also don't like to dry out so I'll see first how well they grow in my care before trying to take on an oncidium again then.

Take it easy on watering the Sarcochilus, especially during the winter, going somewhat dry is fine, they like a bit of cool too (like near a window). Actually, all of the above (the Coel. depends on which one) like to be cooler than the Phals. (But do like to stay moist) So you can fine-tune your conditions a bit more.

[qbie]

Originally Posted by estación seca

People can be grouped into those who want to water plants too often, and those who forget to water. I'm in the second group.

Your experience with these two genera may be because Phals. can survive for very long periods of time (years) if watered insufficiently, while Oncidium intergenerics must stay partially moist.

People tend to lose Phals. when they keep them too wet during cool temperatures, or when the potting medium breaks down and air spaces are obliterated. People tend to lose Oncidiums when they don't water often enough and the plants dry out regularly, or when the old potting medium breaks down and air spaces disappear.

In the photo you show the medium is extra large bark. Most people would need to water an Oncidium intergeneric potted like that every 1-2 days to keep it alive. Even one severe wilting may set them back many months. A Phal. in that extra large bark could survive for years, although looking poorly, being watered once a month.

Oncidiums would probably be happier than Phals. at most home temperatures. Most people use medium to fine bark for Oncs., often with perlite or sphagnum moss added to the mix. They do extremely well in pure sphagnum if the gardener understands watering in sphagnum, which is different from watering in bark.

Yeah, after finding this forum last year I believe one of the main reasons my 2 phals declined after repotting was because I still continued to water them once weekly so they were underwatered. If that wasn't enough for those phals, it was detrimental to the oncidium. Thank you and everyone for your tips here because all 4 appear to be doing well/better even after repotting them all last year. The newest one is actually blooming right now so I'm not scared to repot them anymore.

---------- Post added at 04:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:20 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

Take it easy on watering the Sarcochilus, especially during the winter, going somewhat dry is fine, they like a bit of cool too (like near a window). Actually, all of the above (the Coel. depends on which one) like to be cooler than the Phals. (But do like to stay moist) So you can fine-tune your conditions a bit more.

Thank you Roberta. Actually I moved everything that I still had indoors (except my phals) to outside at the end of last year. All the ones outside seemed to be doing better than the ones indoors and they'd all be grown outdoors before anyway. I know you mentioned months ago to give anything time to acclimate and not to give them a sudden jolt but I figured from the way they were looking they weren't going to fare well let alone bloom for me indoors anyway so I decided to let Mother Nature take care of them and either they make the jolt or they don't. I'm also trying to follow the culture habits of the grower in the book you recommended whose growing conditions I think are closest to mine and grows many, if not all, of the same orchids: no watering from Nov to March except what Mother Nature gives. Yeah, I don't know what kind of coelogyne it is but based on all the other plants I picked up and our climate, I'm assuming it's a cool-growing one. I had to toss the parent because of persistent pests, but the division I took still seems to be pest-free and doing OK. It started 3 new growths while indoors but since being moved outdoors started a 4th and the latter 2 have taken over the initial 2 so appears to be doing OK. Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it!

[Roberta]

Mother Nature has been kinder to you than to me with respect to rain. If you hit a dry spell, don't be too aggressive about withholding water for those outdoors ones. (You have been getting significant rain in the SF Bay area, in So. Cal it has been mostly zilch, zip, nada. Sprinklers are back on)

[qbie]

Ok! Thanks! Yeah, it was a scary not watering in Nov when some days still got pretty warm and the rainy season really hadn't started up yet!