Greetings from San Francisco! :) (Newbie here, need help with my 1st Oncid.Repotting)

[Fun with Orchids]

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all are doin well! Feels great to be a part of this forum. After all, You guys are the ones who inspired me and introduced me to these beautiful orchids!
Yup! Had come across Orchid Board discussions a couple of times through different google links. I am a newbie to gardening. It's been a year since i started indoor gardening! As we live in an apt. in the city, I have no other option, however, I make the most of it Have lot of herbs growing indoors and some houseplants.

It's been a week or two that I got 2 beautiful orchids from Trader Joe's. What a deal! $12 each! And one of the orchids has 2 spikes

When I got this Oncidium, it was already in bloom and had another spike growing, the roots looked very healthy but root bounded and dry. So i thought of repotting it without disturbing the roots by cutting it.
It was planted in some sand soil with tiny pebbles (Not potting soil). I tried my best and got out most of the soil but couldn't get out the sphagnum moss plug! I let it be as I didn't want to tear the roots apart. A week later, I have noticed that two leaves that were turning yellow, might fall off. But the area with the sphagnum moss plug at the crown is keeping my orchid wet and i suspect root rot and mild fungus developing.
What should I do now??? Should I remove the sphagnum moss plug now? Or wait till it's done blooming! Please help!
Also , could you please help me identify it? Whether it's a Wild cat or Sharry baby? I feel It's a Wild Cat. Not Sure though!

Thankyou guys!
Cheers,
Sonal

[WhiteRabbit]

Nice orchids!

They both look like Wildcat types - not Sharry Baby, anyway ...

The yellowing foliage is the bract foliage - that does yellow and die long before other foliage on the plant - there's no cause for concern, unless there is lots more yellowing going on.

I'd wait to repot -roots in center of pot frequently rot - you can repot, cut away any rotted ones after blooming.

They look good!

[Fun with Orchids]

Thanks alot for the advice Sonya
Will wait until it's done blooming!

[Leafmite]

Hello and welcome!

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board. They do look like they could both be Oncostele Wildcat, but they could be some other Oncidium alliance intergeneric hybrid with similar parentage to that. Care will be very similar to Wildcat though.

With a root mass like that I would wait to repot as well.

[Fun with Orchids]

Thanks Guys

[Tindomul]

We all start out differently, glad that you heard us talking in the internet. Welcome!

[Fun with Orchids]

Hi Tindomul,

Thanks! Really, i learnt so much from you guys about orchids that it helped me revive one of my dying phaleonopsis. I realized what was going wrong with it by just reading the posts on orchid board! It increased my curiosity and love for orchids and also made me register on orchidboard..
Thanks to all of you!