a few questions about my new oncidium

[tim_r95]

So, I got a new orchid today! I bought it from orchard supply, it was labeled Onc. Heaven Sweet "Sweet Baby". They were keeping it outside and I'm not sure if they brought it back inside at night or not. I think thats why it may be a little unhealthy. some of the leaves are yellowing a bit at the tips and in the middles a little bit, also the bulbs look kinda shrunken, compared to my miltassia anyways where all the bulbs are nice and smooth. I repotted it as soon as I got it home because the roots were super clumped and i wanted to change the substrate, it was in sphagnum moss. I'm keeping it next to my other miltassia in my room right now, on my desk by a west facing window with the blinds filtering the light. my fish tank keeps my room fairly warm and humid so i figured it would be a good place for them. Also The flowers fragrance has faded quite a bit since I got home, I have a fan in my room going so I was thinking that might have something to do with it. Or maybe it's because it got colder?So my questions were, what could the yellowing be from? Are the bulbs supposed to be kinda wrinkled like they are? Why did the flowers fragrance go away? Also I was wondering if someone could give me the actual scientific name for this plant if there is one that's more specific. It's not letting me post pictures for some reason, or even a link to my photobucket album this site is being mean to me...

---------- Post added at 08:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:16 PM ----------

well if anyone can teach me how to get pictures up on this site it would be much appreciated because it's not letting me upload from my photobucket album, or my computer...

[tim_r95]

got it finally...

[silken]

You can't post pics till you have 5 posts, so I see you are OK now. To me your plant looks quite healthy. Different Oncidiums have varying amounts of shriveling to their older pseudo bulbs. So long as the newest ones are looking plump, it should be fine. The yellow leaf tip could just be an old leaf or sometimes too much fertilizer can cause that. It doesn't look very bad.

Quite often the scent is strongest in the early afternoon or morning so you may find this smells good tomorrow. Your orchid's proper name is likely Onc. Heaven Scent and the cultivar name is 'Sweet Baby'. The pictures look like it and I didn't find one named Onc. Heaven Sweet. The parents are Onc. Ruffles x Onc. Sharry Baby. I hope that helps.

[tim_r95]

yeah, that does help a bit. How often should these be fertilized? also, what a good fertilizer for them? I still haven't bought one for them yet. Because I'm not sure what ratio to get for them. i've seen 10-10-10, 30-10-10, 20-10-20 and a bunch more, is there a certain one I should use for my two orchids? I have the oncidium and a miltassia

---------- Post added at 09:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------

oh, and one more thing. What's the best way to water an orchid? My grandmother used to keep a bunch of orchids and she used a bark only substrate and she would like soak the whole thing in water for a while when they got dry, is it better to like mist them? ot to just water them like you would a normal plant? or soak them?

[WhiteRabbit]

I use urea free orchid fertilizer - specifically Grow More urea free 20-10-20 formula or Better Gro Orchid Plus 20-14-13 (not the "bloom booster" formula, but all purpose formula). 1/2 tsp per gallon, once a week, 3 weeks a month, flush media well with plain water the 4th week. Balanced fertilizer (ex. 10-10-10, 20-20-20) can also be used. Good info and fertilizer calculator here http://www.firstrays.com/free_info.htm

Pour fertilizer solution thru the media well.

[tim_r95]

So do you always water once a week? What if it takes a little longer for the substrate to dry out?

[WhiteRabbit]

Except for some large plants in winter, mine pretty much all will take water at least once a week. In winter, if they don't need water, then no, they aren't getting fertilizer that often.

I would expect yours to probably take water at least once a week, especially in warm weather. This type usually don't want to dry out completely. I use bamboo kabob skewers in the pot/media to determine when to water. If it needs water less than once a week, you could bump up the amount of fert used SLIGHTLY, or not at all (too little is better than too much). Unless you would be watering far less often than once a week, but then you either really need fresh potting media, or are probably under-watering. Try the skewer in the media to see how often you really need to water first.