R513 Oncidium Heaven Scent 'Redolence' - advice needed

[czayta]

Update: After repotting it: it began to spike, and now it is in bloom!



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Orginal post:


Hello everyone

I recently picked up a R513 Oncidium Heaven Scent 'Redolence'. I am wondering if I should re pot it now since it is not in bloom? Its pseduobulbs look healthy and plump. This is my first Oncidium, so I'm not exactly sure what to look for.


Here are some pictures of what it's roots look like:


Also, in this picture, is that the "back bulb" without the leaf growing out of the top of it?


It also has this weird brown spot on one of its leaves. Should I be concerned?


It looks like its growing out of the pot in this picture:


It has 6 or 7 Pseudobulbs. Should I split it into two plants when I repot it?



I have noticed there are these little bug/flies near/on/in the sphagnum moss on some of my plants. Do any of you know what these are and how to treat them?



Is there any way I can make it so my images that I put in this message are larger? Any advice at all would be appreciated. Thanks!

[NYCorchidman]

Your oncidium looks very good!
I got rid of mine because it got really big, but I love the fragrant flowers on this hybrid.

It is the time to repot now.
See that tiny new growth emerging at the base of the leading pb?
It will grow fast and eventually start developing roots of its own. It is right on the edge of the pot and there is no more space left. so now is the time to move your plant into a bigger pot to give it some room to grow.

You can split the whole thing in two if you'd like, but it's best to just leave them for now as some of the older pbs are smaller. I'm pretty sure even dividing it now won't really affect the flowering next season, but it's always better to wait until the whole thing gets just a little bit bigger.

The dark marking is a disease spot. Simply trim that part ( cut about one inch into the healthy green tissue) off and that will be the end of it.

Leafless pbs are called backbulb, yes. You can just leave it as is. It's part of the whole plant.

The annoying little flying insect in the photo is called fungus gnat.
I have lots of them. They usually come in the potting mix (peat based) of house plants.
Once they are introduced, they tend to explode in numbers.
They are not harmful to the plants, so you don't need to worry. They are just nausance at most.

I find that they are almost gone during the extreme weathers like winter and summer. Spring and fall, they are like all over! lol

One thing I find really helpful in keeping their numbers down is to grow this plant called pinguicola, or simply pings!
It's one of those carnivorous plants that eat on bugs.
Unlike many carnivorous plants though, it does not look that creepy and it even has nice magenta flowers!
I got one about two months ago and it's just amazingly efficient!

Eveyday you see many little black bugs (fungus gnat) stuck on the leaves. Some dead and dry, and some are still moving around in place. Once the bugs land on the leaves, that's the end of them!

I highly recommend pings!

For now, just use your hands to kill any you see.

[lotis146]

INTERESTING! I have this hybrid, but it is shorter than yours. I am very pleased with it though as it is in bloom on 4th spike & has a 5th developing, AND I've neglected this plant a bit earlier in the season. Plus I'm still perfecting my understanding of how much Oncids like water. But your plant looks good and I agree about the need for repotting, definitely looks like it needs it.

And ya know, I repotted this guy after the 3rd spike died with the two others coming and they still bloomed/continued to grow. That's after handling it kind of rough and cutting off more than 50% of roots that were rotted. They have soooo many thin roots, much different than Phals.

Mine likes bright light btw, I keep it in a shaded south-facing window, which gets couple hours direct light in the afternoon. However I have had it outside now for a week or so and it gets about this same light. Hasn't pouted after repot either although I don't have any new growth.

Thanks NYC for the info on the leaf spot, new for me and good to know!

[NYCorchidman]

Cutting away what's already dead won't affect plants. lol

Yes, oncidiums in general need a lot of light to grow and bloom well.
They need lots of water as well.

As much as I like their often colorful and abundant bloom, when it comes to repotting, I really don't like them. So much root and it's hard to properly settle them in the new pot.
I'm thinking of switching on my oncidiums in clay balls just like I did with my dendrobiums and cattleyas so I don't have to fuss with roots each time I repot but rather just simply take them out of the old pot then slip into a larger pot with some more clay balls.

Regarding leafspots, over the years, I have bought tons of oncidiums just for flowers and then toss.
I am very much paranoid about spotted leaves, which seem all too common on oncidiums and related hybrids.
This particular hybrid seems to be quite resistant to developing spots. That's why I had it for a while before giving it away (it just got huge!).

Enjoy your plant! I love it!
If I see one in TJ this summer, which I'm sure I will, I don't think I will be able to resist putting them on my cart. lol

[czayta]

Thank you so much for all of the info! I will repost it this afternoon and post some pictures when I'm done. I'm also going to buy a ping plant.

[NYCorchidman]

sounds great!

[czayta]

I re-potted my Onc. today. I'm not sure if I should have repotted it in sphagnum or not. I'm also not sure if I should have upgraded it to a larger pot, or kept it in the 4in one. It took quite a long time to clean out all the old potting mix!


Are old pseduobulbs capable of re-flowering? Like this big one in the back?

[lotis146]

Roots look a lot better than mine did!

In my humble, limited opinion, yes I think you should got bigger so that your new growth (and there will be more) have room to grow. I think this 4" pot is too small for this plant now. Perhaps more knowledgeable Oncid growers will weigh in soon but I don't think it's too late for you to get some more medium and upsize/upgrade it.

[kimstwin]

I agree with lotis. The pot should be a bit bigger. Orient the plant so that the new growths have room to come up into the empty space in the pot, and the old growths are backed up by the pot.

If that is a 4in pot, you might try a 5in instead.

The plant looks good!

[czayta]

Originally Posted by kimstwin

I agree with lotis. The pot should be a bit bigger. Orient the plant so that the new growths have room to come up into the empty space in the pot, and the old growths are backed up by the pot.

If that is a 4in pot, you might try a 5in instead.

The plant looks good!

Okay, thanks! I will do that this evening.