Oncidium deburghgraeveanum - experience?

[D_novice]

Hi, I recently got this plant from Ecuagenera, but their only culture advice is "Intermediate grower" which doesn't tell much about water, light, habitat - or even, really, it's preferred temperature.

I'm interested in anyone's experience growing or blooming this, or any possible knowledge about it's natural habitat.

Here is the published ID article for it but it's not of help - except that if I can't find anything else I might substitute information on Odm/Onc harryanum and wyattianum since it is somewhat similar.

I've had it six weeks and haven't killed it yet so I'm well on my way to success!


Thanks,

Daniel

[Roberta]

Check out the description on IOSPE (orchidspecies.com) under Odontoglossum deburghgraeveanum ... elevation from 1700-2200 m in Ecuador would imply that it grows on the cool side. Like around 45 deg F to 80 deg F but with shading/protection could probably take a few degrees higher or lower. (Rreclassifying genera makes it tricky to find things)

[D_novice]

Thank you, yes I'd seen that (and yes I mislisted this as Oncidium - I can't keep track!)

I've been told that the habitat of this plant overlaps with that of Oncidium wyattianum so the cultural conditions are similar: cool-cold; low light; wet.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by D_novice

Thank you, yes I'd seen that (and yes I mislisted this as Oncidium - I can't keep track!)

I've been told that the habitat of this plant overlaps with that of Oncidium wyattianum so the cultural conditions are similar: cool-cold; low light; wet.

Actually, it wasn't mislabeled... that Oncidum is the currently accepted genus. That whole group has been subject to a lot of reclassifying and renaming. Most hobbyists don't change their tags. IOSPE tries to keep up with the changes, but even the cross-references are impossible to keep up with. i got the information from Orchidwiz, which has excellent cross-references so that one can look things up by current name or older name... and even it has glitches. So it is a detective act.

But I think the advice that received is right on. I added some actual temperatures from my experience. (I find that I can grow many of these Ecuadoran species from that elevation range in my outdoor growing area in coastal southern California.) The other thing that I have been finding is that they do best with good water - I could get away with city water (which isn't all that bad) for some of these high-elevation Ecuadoran plants, but my success rate has greatly improved since I got a reverse osmosis system.

[Maryanne]

Hello Folks:
I just purchased Oncidium wyattianum from Ecuagenera at the New Hampshire show. It came in a plastic bag, not pot but wrapped in sphagnum. Since it was February and not he best time to move plants, I simply found a tall 'band' pot (the kind for rose cuttings) and slipped it in. I can't find enough cultural information (yes, checked orchidspecies.com) pertaining to how to pot up or media. A basket? clay or plastic pot? Any suggestions at welcome.
Thanks for your kind help,
Maryanne in WMass (April, but still a bit chilly)

[D_novice]

I got this plant from EG in Feb as well. I mounted mine, then hung it up in a relatively high light area. Bad idea! I think it wasn't the strongest plant to begin with, but between that week or so, and the trip from Ecuador, it's going to be a while before I find out if it makes it.

This is a wet, cool, low-light-growing plant. Their habitat is high humidity, lots of rain and fog, high elevation, dense forest canopy.

Mounting it might not have been the best idea but it's so long and lean and floppy it seemed better than potting. Definitely not a clay pot. And I'd use plenty of moss in the pot. I bet it would do well in a basket.

[Roberta]

I have found that nearly all of these cloud forest plants do better in baskets (net pots) with sphagnum than mounted - it is really a challenge to keep them sufficiently hydrated on mounts unless you're right on the coast where you get morning fog regularly. The sphag dries out quickly, so they still get plenty of air (better than a pot), but can hold more water than a pad of it on a mount.

[D_novice]

I hear ya. But, southern california is pretty different from Northern California, north of the Golden Gate Bridge. I grow outdoors, and we haven't been over 65 degrees during the day but for a few hours, since November. And in this rainy year the humidity has been quite high almost all the time, and always at night.

As with plants from many vendors (from my experience) the Wyattianum plant had no roots. Staking it up in a basket would be difficult. Also, how does one avoid overpotting a large plant with no roots? In a little net basket, it's going to tip over. In a big net basket, it's overpotted.

It's true I'll have to keep it wet, particularly when (if?) it gets warmer and drier. One thing that can help is to build a net basket around the moss on the mount. It makes it drain more slowly, and allows air exchange but limits it. I got an odontoglossum / otoglossum cross in this purchase, quite large, and have done that with it. It stays damp.

I don't want it to sound as if I'm ripping Ecuagenera - they sell large established plants for very little money. Yes some of them need to grow roots, and some fail (it's a long trip, the FDA sometimes holds the plants for a long time in bad conditions) - but 3/13 plants I bought (pre-ordered) at my local society meeting are in spike, two of them with two spikes.

[Roberta]

Oh, you live in a perfect area for these Andean species, better than mine for sure. When I go to the SF show I drool over the gorgeous Masdevallias on the society sales table that grow so easily there, where I struggle in summer.

A trick I use with rootless plants in baskets is to tie 3 thin wires to the plant and to the basket at equal intervals... the tripod is a very stable configuration. Get the tension pretty even on the 3 wires, and the plant will be stable until it can grow roots.

I have also had some rootless wonders from Ecuagenera, some of which made it and some of which didn't. But overall, I have gotten some neat stuff from them, and I don't bat 1.000 with plants from anyplace, I push the envelope, and I succeed enough of the time to keep doing it.

[D_novice]

One problem with the wire tripod is it would have to secure the base of the plant and the leaves every few inches. They are long leaves but very floppy. I guess I didn't receive this plant in the best condition. It has no oomph. So mounting it allowed me to tie the leaves up to the cedar backing board. We'll see...nothing ventured, nothing gained? Or, maybe, more $ flushed down the toilet. Fingers crossed