Oncidium? Basket. Not sure what's happening in this clump

[ThePlantAddict]

I inherited this monstrous orchid, which I believe is some type of Oncidium, when I purchased my house in August. Hasn't bloomed since I've been here and I'm just wondering how it looks to you guys on here. I know Oncidiums like more water and it seems to be just sitting in this basket with just it's ball of roots, making it difficult to keep moist. Do these roots look dead to you? I mentioned the plant to a vendor at an orchid festival I attended yesterday and they suggested breaking the plant up a bit. Any opinions or advice?

[Dollythehun]

It looks that tribe. I'd take the vendors advice so you can more accurately assess what you have, living or dead.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by ThePlantAddict

I inherited this monstrous orchid, which I believe is some type of Oncidium, when I purchased my house in August. Hasn't bloomed since I've been here and I'm just wondering how it looks to you guys on here. I know Oncidiums like more water and it seems to be just sitting in this basket with just it's ball of roots, making it difficult to keep moist. Do these roots look dead to you? I mentioned the plant to a vendor at an orchid festival I attended yesterday and they suggested breaking the plant up a bit. Any opinions or advice?

Strap-leaved Oncidium alliance plant, similar in habit to Oncidium sphacelatum.

It seems a bit dehydrated. I would repot, removing the leafless brown and dessicated back bulbs and dead leaves. You can divide if needed to separate out the dead plant material. Repot into a plastic pot, more water-retentive media at the top of the pot, free draining in the lower part of the pot.

[ThePlantAddict]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

Strap-leaved Oncidium alliance plant, similar in habit to Oncidium sphacelatum.

It seems a bit dehydrated. I would repot, removing the leafless brown and dessicated back bulbs and dead leaves. You can divide if needed to separate out the dead plant material. Repot into a plastic pot, more water-retentive media at the top of the pot, free draining in the lower part of the pot.

Thanks! Figured it was dehydrated. What do you think if I line the basket with sphagnum moss and fill with a bark and sphagnum mix? I'm thinking this may retain more water than what it has going on now. I'd like to keep it hanging and don't think I have a plastic pot big enough. I also have some clay pots I can use inside the basket.

[estación seca]

Keeping it together in a big basket, after cutting out the dead stuff, is a reasonable option.

Turn it out upside down onto a tarp. Pull out all the bad medium. Turn it right-side up and pull/cut out all the dead growth. Repot into your basket.

Oncidium sphacelatum gets very much larger than this.

[Orchid Whisperer]

I recently helped someone repot a very large O. sphacelatum that was in a wire basket. The basket was lined with plastic window screen material to keep medium from falling through the basket. The medium it was planted in was mostly perlite and bark, with a little charcoal.

If you want, you could line your wire basket with plastic window screen material, then sphagnum, then a fine bark and perlite based material.

[ThePlantAddict]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

I recently helped someone repot a very large O. sphacelatum that was in a wire basket. The basket was lined with plastic window screen material to keep medium from falling through the basket. The medium it was planted in was mostly perlite and bark, with a little charcoal.

If you want, you could line your wire basket with plastic window screen material, then sphagnum, then a fine bark and perlite based material.

What a good idea! Thank you. I actually sorted through and repotted it yesterday. looks better already.

[estación seca]

My mom had some wire baskets with huge gaps between the wire. I lined them with landscape fabric - the non-woven stuff put down under mulch to allow water through, but block weeds. It holds planting mix well. I planted various Epiphyllum hybrids in the baskets, and set them into the niches of a spiral plant stand.

The photo shows the fabulous dsrk pink, with light pink picotee, Epiphyllum Sakurahime. Above you can see the basket with the fabric, and another basket beyond that. The flower is about 9 inches / 24cm wide. I added a gratuitous photo of the red Epiphyllum San Miguel.