oncidium colmanara wildcat not spiking

[mickie09]

So I bought an oncidium colmanara wildcat from Lowes about 5 or so months ago. It appears to be in a bark and moss mix in a pot with no ventilation holes. Within a month of bringing it home all of the unopened buds dried up. Also all open blooms dried up and fell off. The spikes on wildcats as I understand it will not produce new flowers like phalanx will, and that too dried up so I cut it down. A new psoudobulb has grown in and I can see new healthy roots also, leaves look very healthy, and the original bulb looks a.bit wrinkled but not too bad. Considering how many months its been, I'm concerned something is wrong as the orchid has not begun to grow a new spike at all. I water when mix feels dry..about once every 10-14 days and gets bright light, I also mist everyday. I feed every other watering. What am I doing wrong here!? Orchid has been dormant for so long! I thought I would have seen new spike/buds by now. Pics coming soon, thanks for any help

[Bud]

what is your grow zone? is your room humid and warm? yes posting pictures will be great.
I am confused as to your watering once every 10 to 14 days and misting everyday...
how do you water? is it a flowing faucet five to ten min under the sink or a quick soaking wet under the sink?
Because if youre misting everyday, why would the bulb be wrinkled?
do you mist until it is soaked or just mist to dampen it?

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials

[mickie09]

I am in zone 9b..the room is on the dry side...maybe shriveled was not the.best word...the largest bulb has some wrinkles, but is still fat and green..since the pot has no holes I water and feel down inside to make sure its not soaking wet or too dry. The pot is square and ceramic so I also cannot see through it.

[WhiteRabbit]

How big is the new growth? Many Oncidium alliance only spike after growth is mature. In a dry room, it may also want more water, I wouldn't let this one dry out completely, tho if you aren't getting pleated foliage, your watering may be fine.

Is it growing in a windowsill?

[Bud]

just be patient, if you had it 5 and some months ago and it is still alive with wrinkly fat green bulbs...then you must be doing well by it...it will spike soon just wait and see...
so, wheres the pictures?

[mickie09]

Yes, the orchid is near a windowsill..and new growth/bulb is a little more than half the size of the original bulb that had the first spike

[camille1585]

If the pot has no holes in it, the first thing I would do is to repot it into a better pot! Then you can water the plant properly, and not have to worry about water standing in the bottom.
As for a new spike, is the new growth mature yet? Most Oncs start spikes either just as the bulb is forming, or once the bulb matures. If the bulb is mature, the number one factors for lack of blooms is not enough light. Oncs enjoy a few hours of morning or late afternoon sun.
If everything is fine, just be patient, sometimes plants are a bit slow to get going!

[Vanda lover]

I agree with Camille. Drainage is very important. The roots could be rotting. Light is often a factor as well.

[silken]

I agree with Camille. If the plant hasn't been moved to a pot with holes, it needs to be or the roots will rot. My Colmanara Wildcat has a full flowered spike right now but the bulb was fully matured and quite large before it started the spike. It may take a season to get back in sync or maybe your new growth is not mature. They get quite large bulbs.

[WhiteRabbit]

All the above is good advice.

Originally Posted by mickie09

Yes, the orchid is near a windowsill..and new growth/bulb is a little more than half the size of the original bulb that had the first spike

How close is it to the window? What direction does the window face? "Near" the windowsill may be insufficient light.

I don't know about Wildcat, some Onc. alliance can bloom more than once a year on a bigger plant, some are seasonal bloomers. But on a plant that has perhaps only bloomed once so far, may be about a year in-between blooming - takes time for the new growth to become mature. Hang in there!