Repotting oncidiums

[Jenni929]

Recently bought a couple oncidiums on blow out. They just finished blooming and their stems turned brown and I cut them off so thts the stage they r at. After reading around online Im a little concerned about what it's potted in. It's potted in crumbly moss and it seems ridiculously tight like a tight ball of moss tht I can't even finger through. Even though it's not at blooming stage should I be repotting it? If so should I get more moss or bark?

[No-Pro-mwa]

Yes I think you should get new bark and or moss to pot them in. That way you can see what the roots look like also. I wish I could tell you the best thing to put them in but I am still working on figuring out what I am going to put my Twinkle in when it is done blooming. I think I'm going to put it in seedling mix I got from Kelly's Korner.

[jcec1]

I use a fine grade bark for my oncidiums, this seems to provide the moister conditions that they like, without having to constantly water them.

[estación seca]

People also use sphagnum, but usually not packed so tightly. I agree you could repot it now. There is a forum here devoted to Oncidiums where you could read about how other people grow them. Click on Forums in the left menu.

[wintergirl]

The best way for me is getting a clay pot that fits the roots. Stuff the sides with bark and moss to make it tight. Mine do really well like this. I water about once a week depending on conditions.

[jcec1]

Also, I pot mine off centre, I usually wait until new growths appear and I try to position these as close to the centre of the pot to allow a few seasons growth without the plant climbing out the edge of the pot. If yours have no new growths, try and work out which direction new growths are positioned and guess where the new growths will appear (not easy, but it will save on repotting it again).

[WhiteRabbit]

I haven't had issues repotting Oncidiums 'whenever' Fine bark mix is a good choice; sphag is fine if you feel ok about using it; coconut husk chips mix is also good (for me, at any rate) I generally prefer plastic pots for Oncidiums, but everyone has their own preference

[wintergirl]

They do tend to be top heavy, so the heavier clay pot keeps them safer for me. I also potted some with those clay pellets inside and no bark or moss. They seem to like that too. I know a lot of people complain about oncidiums because they are too easy But they are a nice plant with those cool long strappy leaves. Flowers are a bonus.

[hannabea]

Instead of starting a new thread I'll post my question here since it's about Oncidiums and repotting. I have Nelly Isler which doesn't have a a lot of healthy roots. It is currently potted in a 12 cm pot. I am planning on repotting it next week in fine bark and spaghnum moss.

Should I use the same size on the pot, or is it better to size down because it has so few roots? It has three pretty small pseudobulbs and one new growth which is very small. I think all the pseudobulbs are old, so it won't rebloom on those.

[estación seca]

If you tend to overwater, use the smallest pot that will hold the roots. If you often forget to water, use one a little larger.