What is this orchid? - Orchid Board

greenpassion · #1 05-23-2012, 01:56 PM

Well, my first orchid to bloom for me wasn't a phal! It's this-what ever it is... I was given this by a co-worker when it was out of bloom. It did still have the long spikes and the dried dead blooms on it, so I assumed it would look like that. I had at that time thought it was an oncidium of some sort. So the way it's bloomed again has me more than a little confused.

Not only are there no long tall spikes bearing many flowers, the 2 flowers that you see are much much larger, on a short spike. These look nothing like what I had seen from a distance in my co workers office window sill last year.

PS-Sorry about the orientation of the pics. I don't seem to know how to turn them on the online album page...

camille1585 · #2 05-23-2012, 02:05 PM

It's an Oncidium intergeneric, probably Beallara Smile Eri. So many of these intergenerics are unique looking, making them somewhat easy to identify.

Growing conditions can affect the length of the spike, and it often happens that if the bloom count is low, the blooms will be larger since the plant has more energy to put into them.

greenpassion · #3 05-23-2012, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camille1585

It's an Oncidium intergeneric, probably Beallara Smile Eri. So many of these intergenerics are unique looking, making them somewhat easy to identify.

Growing conditions can affect the length of the spike, and it often happens that if the bloom count is low, the blooms will be larger since the plant has more energy to put into them.

So what growing conditions would produce tall numerous spikes? Do I have it too much light? And what should I do to get a higher bloom count? I do see that there is another spike peeking out of the leaves, but it's very slow in coming.

Bud · #4 05-23-2012, 06:15 PM

"Intergeneric hybrids consist of several different genera that are can be crossed together to create new "man made" intergeneric orchids. Cochlioda, Miltonia, Odontoglossum, Oncidium and Ada are some of the genera that are commonly used. The result of these hybrids leads to new genera names that can get pretty confusing. Some common intergeneric names are Vuylstekeara (Vuyl.), Colmanara (Colm.), Odontonia and Adaglossum. You will commonly see "mericlones" of intergenerics as they are very easy to clone and produce high quality/high quantity plants
Water when the mix just approaches dryness. This will mean about every 5-7 days. A way to check the mix for moisture is by sticking a wooden pencil into the mix about 3''-4''. When you pull the pencil out, check the wooden end. If it has turned dark in color, the mix is still wet and you should wait a day or two. Oncidiums prefer clean water without a lot of mineral content. Therefore growing best when you use distilled, reverse osmosis or rainwater.
As Intergeneric hybrids are composed of several different genera, they can tolerate a wide range of light. For best results, as a general rule of thumb low to medium light (1000-2000 footcandles) works best. Most Intergeneric plants will develop black spots on the leaves if they receive too much ligh… generally they have black spots on the leaf tips. These plants also grow well under artificial lights.
Ideal night temperatures (fall, winter, and spring months) are 60°-64° Fahrenheit. Ideal daytime temperatures are 70°-85°F. Summer temperatures are generally a few degrees warmer.
Humidity at 50% or higher is ideal. Humidity is not top priority for Intergeneric orchids. However, healthier growths generally develop with higher humidity.
Humidity tray can be used under the pot.
Intergeneric plants can be repotted every two years. There are several different types of potting medium: bark mix, New Zealand sphagnum moss, coco husk, coco peat, sponge rock, charcoal, tree fern fiber, osmunda fiber and cork slabs for mounted plants; or a mixture of everything."
-orchid web-

camille1585 · #5 05-23-2012, 06:28 PM

Bud, I'm going to remind you again, please don't copy large chunks of text from internet and paste them here without at least mentioning it's not yours! The sentence towards the end about 'your' products is a dead give away that you copy-pasted text. I see now that you edited out that part, but still... If you want to give lots of info as it is originally presented, then posting the link to the website is more appropriate. In this case, here: OrchidWeb.com: Orchid Learning Center - Oncidiae Intergeneric Hybrid Care

Bud · #6 05-23-2012, 07:41 PM

OK...thanks Camille

greenpassion · #7 05-23-2012, 07:43 PM

Thanks Bud for the info. I may need to add that I grow all my orchids in S/H, and am a close follower of 'First Rays'. With that said, it sounds like whatever this is, (and I did receive an answer earlier from Camille1585 about what it is, and as I am no expert in anyway at all,) I'll go with that. I still would like to know how to amend what I'm doing in order to have multiple spikes, and a profusion of flowers that I have seen this orchid once produce.

camille1585 · #8 05-24-2012, 05:55 AM

The key to lots of nice spikes is good culture. Regular fertilizer, regular watering, and good light. Onc intergenerics do well in an east window for me (mine get nearly yellow in the spring/summer months) or a south window behind a sheer curtain. If you transfered to S/H not long ago, then the small spike is probably a result of the plant still adjusting to it.
I've found light to be really important. One of mine (a Miltonidium Rosy Sunset) is quite a large plant, but always made 1-2 small spikes. I moved it to a sunnier window, and in the fall I got 7 spikes!