Help! Just repotted an Oncidium and a Colmanara

[shayna71708]

I just repotted one of my Sharry Baby orchids that had dropped all its flowers. There were two really yellow and squishy looking pseudobulbs under all the media in the old pot so I took them off, there are still three good sized pseudobulbs left.

I also repotted an unknown one, the tag it had said Colmanara Wildcat "Yellow Butterfly", but then again one of the Phal's was given a Colmanara Wildcat "Rainbow" tag, so I know they may not be right.

I used Black Gold orchid bark, and let it sit in water for about 15 minutes before putting it in. I removed as much of the old media as possible - the roots reminded me of those crispy noodles that you can get at chinese food restaurants. Not sure if that's how they're supposed to be??

Both had pseudobulbs that were really dehydrated looking so I doused them well with water and will keep them more shaded and more hydrated for a week or two so they'll hopefully plump back up.

Is there anything I didn't do that I should have, or that I DID do and shouldn't have??

[Arenalbotanicalgarden]

Yes. You should have taken and posted a photo( or six).

[Discus]

As long as the crispy noodles were firm, greenish or whitish (and not limp and brown/black) they were healthy noodles!

[shayna71708]

Awesome! Thank you both - I will take pictures today, because I need to repot it in a better position. I didn't know it was supposed to be off center based on its oldest growth, so I am going to move it before it's been too long! When I do, I'll take pictures of the roots.

I was doing a little research last night and I'm worried that I might have cut off the "lead" on both of the orchids - the squishy yellow/brown gross one and then on the one I re-potted after that post, there were some really shriveled green and brown ones (mostly brown), with DEEP pleating, so I cut those off too. As I understand it, if I were to divide the plant, I would cut it off between the lead and the older growth anyhow so I don't THINK I killed it :\

[WhiteRabbit]

the older pbulbs aren't likely to replump much if at all - so don't overwater in an attempt to replump them.

[shayna71708]

Oh really?? Ok, I will stop watering them then lol! I had seen in a lot of places that it was worth trying to rehydrate the plant's current main pseudobulbs so I was trying that. All of the bulbs had deep ridges, but the ones that weren't the main three were REALLY bad, they almost looked like raisins. I didn't know until just recently that the ones with bulbs need water more often if they start to get ridges. I know now to water them more often....

On that note, I got a "moisture meter" yesterday that is supposed to tell you on a number scale how moist the media is. It doesn't seem to work very well, or maybe it's user error? Do they typically work okay?? I have acrylics so it's hard to judge how moist the media is because I can't quite get my finger in far enough to tell.

[WhiteRabbit]

I haven't had luck with moisture meter - I use bamboo skewers in the media - just leave them in there - when you want to check the moisture, pull it out, if the plant is quite wet/moist, you can usually tell visually - otherwise touch the skewer to your cheek or upper lip - you can feel slight dampness, or even if it feels cool there is moisture in the media - replace skewer into same spot you took it from. Most Onc and Onc alliance, I water before they are completely dry, some like to be moister than others (those ones will get the new foliage coming in crimped if they aren't getting enough water)

You can also use a freshly sharpened pencil - gently twist it an inch - inch and a half into the media, wait a minute or so, and remove - the fresh wood will appear damp or not.

Some deep grooves in older pbulbs is normal, but shriveling is a sign of problems (either underwatered, or more oftenly, over watered causing roots to rot)
Usually Oncidiums that are being underwatered will have crimped foliage(if plant is growing foliage at that time) - giving them more water will not undo the crimping, but subsequent foliage growth will be smooth.
In my experience pbulbs do not replump - I suppose if the pbulbs are still growing or just recently matured, the MAY plump a bit.

[tucker85]

I think you did a good job. This is the right time of year to repot. Orchids start growing in the spring so now your plant can establish itself in the new pot. Well done.

[shayna71708]

Ooooh Bamboo skewers - great idea, thank you! Yes, the foliage has grooves also. I definitely was guilty of under-watering!

And thank you, Tucker - I'm doing my best!

[Leafmite]

Were the roots firm when you repotted? Do you grow under lights? I grow using natural light and temps during winter are often cooler. I found that with bark, my oncidiums had trouble as you describe and it was due to the roots rotting. Once I moved them to large lava rock, they recovered and I had no further trouble. If you've been watering the Sharry Baby at least once every two weeks in bark or moss, and your temps are ~70'F, it would not suffer too much. Oncidiums can take dryness.