Tiny Oncidium Twinkle foam block repot

[Birdieollie]

Hello!! I'm wondering if anyone might guide me on how to straighten out this growth over a foam cliff. This little twinke is growing down the side of a foam block, up above the media, so that the newest pseudobulb is nearly horizontal and flush with the side of the pot. Do you think any new growth will be able to find its way up and out, as well as down into the media? My inclination is to not fiddle with it. Just wait to see where the next growth will occur. Should I leave it be? Or try to repot it at a different angle when I see new growth? Thanks so much!
Daniel

[Roberta]

I belong to the "Ain't broke don't fix it" school of thought. Let it grow and see what it will do. I just learned about an approach that Fred Clarke (SVO) uses, for mounted plants from "plugs" growing in foam - he drills a hole in the mount big enough to accommodate the foam plug, and ties the plant in place. The roots have plenty of moisture to encourage growth, and new roots quickly establish on the mount.

[Birdieollie]

Thanks Roberta, I'll leave it be. I'm happy to not intervene... needless fussing usually backfires on me anyway.

[Fairorchids]

Looking at the photo, the foam block sticks out of the medium. That is not ideal, as the plant is entirely clear of the medium (where it should be seated about 1/4" deep into the medium). This might inhibit root development.

With a plant this size, the foam block is old. If allowed to dry out, it will be brittle. When repotting, it becomes easy to remove 80-90% of the foam with your fingers. You can then repot at the proper depth into the medium.

[Birdieollie]

Thanks Kim... Your post got me thinking... That last series of pictures is about twelve days old, and when I look at the plant today, the roots growing from the newest pseudobulb directly into bark are looking much more vigorous. (Incidentally, I started using kelp extract recently, and noticed more vigor in many of my plants!). A few weeks ago I'd say it was impossible to remove the foam block, as all its roots were growing straight through it. Now I see a good amount of roots growing outside of the foam, directly into bark. I also looked at a picture from October, and realized that the newest pseudobulb was more upright then. Everything has slowly shifted. I wonder if new roots are starting to push it out, or if the weight of the flowers or pseudobulb pulled it over, or if I soaked it at one point and the foam sort of floated up. Here's a pic from today, and one from October.

[Fairorchids]

The foam is designed to let roots grow through it. What I have found is, that when the foam is dry, it crumbles when you gently massage it with your fingertips. That's how I get rid of most of it, once the seedlings are large enough for 'normal' repotting.

[Birdieollie]

Okay thank you. I'll try to remove some of it when I repot.