"Cambria"? - Orchid Board

dimithar · #1 12-17-2012, 11:13 AM

Hi guys! I had a little impulse buy today. It's (in my opinion) a lovely looking thing! The tag says "Cambria". The flowers are slightly fragrant and look darker and less red /more purple/ in real life. There seemed to be a lot of roots and it looked healthy overall. I have no idea how to care for a plant wit this structure. It's potted in bark mix with some sphag in there. It was extremely dry when I got it home, but I only sprayed the roots over the soil. They feel mushy, but look all the same and pretty healthy. They're not the roots I would expect from a Phal, but even the newest and smallest root is slightly soft and it couldn't have had a chance to rot so I'm guessing they're supposed to be like that? Some of the bulbs are wrinkled and one of them was brutally cut. I suspect dehydrating and a traumatic past... So what do you think? What should my next move be?

Rowangreen · #2 12-17-2012, 01:21 PM

Cambria is used in trade to cover most plants in the oncidium alliance and their hybrids. That one looks like it could be one of the plants often sold as Colmonara Masia Red, but though that's a registered grex name, it's one without known parents, and I've heard many plants sold under the name are actually other grexs. In any case, too many similar plants for it to be anything but a noid without a label!

Looks very healthy to me! Lots of nice roots (quite thick for a 'cambria', though my Masai Red (which has a patterned lip) has thick roots too. I don't see any cut pseudobulb: if you mean the leafless one, it's quite normal for old pulbs to loose their leaves. Re watering: they like perhaps just a shade damper than phals. I always tell with phals when they need watering by looking for the roots down inside the pot turning silvery. With these I tend to look for the roots ON TOP turning white. However yours has a lot of roots growing in the air, and it looks like they are white but the medium is damp? So you might need to leave it a little longer.

The roots are softer and more delicate than phals: be careful when you repot (especially if you get more 'cambrias' with finer roots). Those on top look great! Old pulbs do tend to shrivel and in many cases won't plump back up again once dehydrated, so don't worry too much about the wrinkles.

AGibson001 · #3 12-17-2012, 01:23 PM

Hello, your plant looks like an oncidium, though I cant be 100% sure obviously and the roots look a little thick for an Onc. It is definitely not a phal; though care for Onc and Phal is almost the same in most regards. Oncidium generally require slightly warmer temps and a little more light, but if your growing on a windowsill that you have to take what you can get regarding those two parameters. Water when the plant is still a little moist. Fertilize weekly, weakly. When I water my onc I will pour water (with a light dose of fertilizer) through the pot for about 60 seconds, then drain the pot as much as I can, then wait until it is drying out before I do the same again (4-5 days) The pseudobulbs will shrivel a little as they get older, they are providing energy to the growing plant. Once they are shriveled they will not plump back up even if you water a lot, the shriveling is just part of the natural aging process of the plant. It should be fine in fir bark mix, but if it contains a lot of sphag it will break down within a year or so

AGibson001 · #4 12-17-2012, 01:41 PM

After the flowers fall off, cut the stem and repot into a medium fir bark mix (or try semi/hydro) The media looks like it is beginning to break down and after the plant flowers I believe it will go into the grow cycle which is the perfect time to repot. The 'repotme' website has some pictorial examples of the steps involved in repotting under their orchid care section.

WhiteRabbit · #5 12-17-2012, 11:37 PM

Oncidium alliance intergeneric hybrid ... looks good! Older pbulbs will wrinke slightly, some even getting deep grooves. If the pbulbs shrivel then there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Most Onc alliance intergenerics like moderate to moderately bright light. Avoid media drying out completely.

dimithar · #6 12-19-2012, 08:29 AM

Thank you all for the replies

I should treat this as an Oncidium, then? The bulbs have rehydrated and are now significantly less wrinkled. Where can I find out more about the plant's life cycle and growing habits?

spetrizio · #7 12-19-2012, 08:45 AM

looks like mine. I bought it also without label, but I have found it is Colmanara Masai Red.
It is Oncidium/Odontoglossum hybrid.