wildcat rainbow

[mike the painter]

,
y name is Mike and I live in the mtns of North Carolina. I have just inheirited a wildcat rainbow orchid. thing is, I know nothing about it. found this site and thought it might give me some insight on how to take care of it. any info would be greatly appreciated as I would hate for it to die in my care.

[Discus]

Hi Mike, welcome to Orchid Board!

Is this what your plant looks like? Orchid Web: Colmanara Wildcat 'Rainbow'

Judging by this post Colm Wildcat 'Rainbow' at least one OB regular poster has this plant so should be able to give you some pointers

Good luck with your new plant!

[Zoi2]

Hello and welcome
Joann

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board

I have a Colmanara Wildcat 'Bobcat' and as it's the same hybrid I would guess care is pretty similar.

Colmanara is an oncidium alliance plant, so for general care tips take a look here.
AOS Oncidium Care Sheet

I kept mine on an east windowledge over the winter, in a warmish spot in my house. Last summer it lived in my greenhouse and will likely go back out when the weather warms up.

I try not to let it dry out, but like all orchids it should not be kept soggy/standing in water. I try and water just before it would dry out.

[Paul Mc]

Hello and welcome to the OB!

I too have a Colmanara, but I have had it for only about a year. It has decided to rebloom for me this year and it has a great fragrance in the morning!

Here's my two cents worth, but since I don't have much experience you might want to fall to someone else's judgement should they correct me.

My Comanara came potted in sphagnum moss. Not knowing much about caring for varieties of orchids I assumed the grower knew what he/she was doing and potted it correctly. I put it in a glazed ceramic container with holes on the side for ventelation. It has rooted like crazy.

I have only watered it about once a week during the winter as it is dry at the moment and in a southern windowsill that gets a lot of afternoon light filtered slightly by a huge old oak tree with no leaves.

During the spring to fall, I had it outside. If I remember correctly, I would occassionally put my finger into the moss to see how deep down it was dry before watering. I did keep it somewhat moist throughout the year though but tried not to overwater as sphagnum moss retains water and the inside may still be moist when the outside is not.

I brought it indoors when the night temperatures were ranging in the upper 50's. The day to night temperature change and day light schedule is what prompts them to bloom in the correct season.

Once mine stops blooming, I fully intend to dig the sphagnum moss out and examine the roots. This should be one of the first thing you might want to do to ensure plant health.

I will be repotting it in an Oncidium/Seedling mix by RePotme.com. You do not have to use this exact mix because you can make your own mix.

I would check out the AOS on Colmanara to see what they suggest for potting. Be aware that everyone tends to use slightly different mixes depending upon their watering style (over, under) and environment (hot/humid, cold/dry, etc...) and how fast the medium dries out for them given the previous two. Ultimately, experience and a watchful eye will tell you what you need to do in regards to the medium used.

Hope that was somewhat helpful. Perhaps another person with more experience will help guide you better!