Oncidium has brown tips on leaves and black spots

[trafficdonna]

Hello, I am a brand new member. I have a Oncidium that I won at a raffle at local orchid show. It has bloomed twice for me in the two years that I’ve had it. However it has developed brown tips on the leaves and some black spots. What is this and what can I do about it? I water from the bottom by soaking planter in lukewarm water for 20 minutes once a week.
Thank you for any help you can give me. I also raise phaleanopsis orchids and use the same watering technique. They are all planted in bark.

[rbarata]

It doesn't seem to be a Cattleya...seems to be some kind of Oncidium.

[trafficdonna]

I was given an information sheet by the raffle team member about Cattleya so that is what I thought it was.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I agree with rbarata... it's an Oncidium and definitely not a Cattleya.

These need a lot more water and somewhat more light than do Phals. When they don't get enough water the leaves develop with horizontal pleating, and the pseudobulbs develop wrinkles, as you can see on your plant. A well-grown Oncidium has shiny plump pseudobulbs and smooth leaves without horizontal pleating.

It is very dark green. It probably should have more light. They tend to grow and flower best when they are a very light green. Maybe the camera isn't representing the color well.

Some Oncidium hybrids are known for having lots of spots. Oncidium Sharry Baby is one of them. Plants that don't normally have a lot of spots may develop them from not enough water, low humidity or too much sun.

Do you know when it was last repotted? I can't tell what the potting material is. What is it? Oncidium roots need to stay moist, but they also need a lot of air. A typical potting soil mix will suffocate their roots. Most people use something like fine to medium bark, or a mixture of bark and perlite, or LECA clay balls, or cinders. Most people water Oncidiums in bark 2-3 times a week, depending on the temperature.

[trafficdonna]

I will increase the watering. It sits in the brightest windows I have, a large picture windows facing East.
Should I remove the part of the plant that looks so damaged? It is potted in small to medium bark. I repotted recently because someone told me it needed to be more crowded. It did send out a few more leaves after I did that.

[Roberta]

I would not rush to cut anything. Give the plant a chance to recover. Remember, orchids do everything slooowwwwly, progress is measured in months not days. So be patient. You have received some very good advice here.

[birdwomn]

May I make a suggestion to change the title of this post to reflect the correct genre?

I hope your orchid recovers quickly!

[trafficdonna]

Thank you but I don’t know how to edit my post! I think I will just delete it because I have taken the advice of other replies.

[Roberta]

To change the title on a thread, just ask a Moderator. I have modified this to reflect the subject. (You can edit your posts, but it requires Mod privileges to change the title of the thread)