Shrivelled and Wrinkled Pseudobulbs

[Panino]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if you guys could help me out. I got this Oncidium NoId from a flower shop about 3 weeks ago. The pseudobulbs looked pretty healthy. However, the started to shrivel up about one week after I brought it home. This is my first Oncidium so I don't know if I'm doing something wrong. I water it once a week, since that is how long it takes for the potting mix to dry out. I don't wanna overwater it because I wanna avoid any sort of root rot. Could it be that there is a problem with the root system or is it normal for the pseudobulbs to shrivel this much? Thanks for your help!

PS: I've also added pictures of the flowers because I know that always makes things more interesting!

[WhiteRabbit]

That is excessive shriveling. Older pbulbs will wrinkle, and lose some plumpness as they age and new growth starts, but what you have is from either underwatering or overwatering. Check the roots. Most Oncidiums do not want to dry completely inbetween waterings, tho I have had some that did like to dry a bit. Use a bamboo skewer in the media to help judge how often to water. The extremely shriveled pbulbs won't likely re-plump after the problem is corrected, but new growth should be good. May take some time for plant to recover, as I suspect roots are in poor shape, either dehydrated or rotted.
Let us know what you find! Good luck!

[nenella]

Sonya has given you some good advice. Just watch that new growths with new roots grow and you'll get more spikes from the new growths. Don't take off the older wrinkled p/bulbs. I only cut mine off the plant when they go dry/yellow and hollow.

[camille1585]

And you being in Europe, I will bet that if you unpot it you will find a plug of tightly packed sphagnum moss in the center of the root ball. Seems like all Onc types are sold that way here, and it kills the roots.