First orchid...oncidium?

[seaj]

Well it's not really mine, but I have decided to take it under my wing. It was given to my mother a few weeks back and is still alive so I guess that I'm doing something right. Here are some pictures I took of its most recent blooms. I think it's an oncidium, but I would like a more specific ID so I can learn more about the proper cares it needs. Thanks everyone!

[silken]

Welcome to Orchid Board! That's a gorgeous Miltoniopsis you have! They are often called pansy orchids for obvious reasons! They don't like to completely dry out and can't tolerate real warm temps. They can be grown fairly cool. They take medium light, no direct sunlight. It's likely a good idea to make sure it isn't over-watered until you can check the roots and possibly re-pot it. Many new orchids come potted in moss or there is moss at the centre of the root ball which stays too wet and causes root rot. As soon as its done flowering I would slide it from the pot and check that out. Never let it sit in water. They also don' t like to be in a pot larger than roots need as is common with many orchids, so the pot it's in will likely be fine when you re-pot.

I hope that helps. Enjoy your lovely blooms!

[seaj]

Thank you so much Silken for all the info and the welcome! I have only watered it once since we got it because I've read that more plants die from overwatering than anything else. It has also been kept on the windowsill of my east facing window. The potting medium also seems to hold a lot of water and it stays moist for a long time so that will probably need to be changed after the last two spikes blooms. Time for more research!

[RosieC]

Yes, a Miltoniopsis which is part of the Oncidium Alliance of Orchids.

They are sometimes referred to as Miltonia, because the used to be in that genus, but the genus was split in two Miltonia and Miltoniopsis and the two groups have different care requirements to each other.

Here is the AOS care sheet for Miltonia which has information about Miltoniopsis (which are cooler growing) as well.
http://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=200

[tucker85]

Very pretty! Welcome to Orchid Board.

[GenevaDad]

Very very nice! Listen to what these folks say, it works!

[seaj]

I think I might have made a big mistake finding out more about this orchid I have because now I want more of them. My focus was really on phalaenopsis, but it looks like I'll be trying to find more of these guys. Thanks for the additional info everyone?