possible oncidium with unhappy spike
 

hey everyone,

i am a brand new orchid owner and i have some questions about what i think is an oncidium. (so i guess the first question is: based on the attached photo, is that what she is?)

i live in northern california. i purchased the plant on 21 april. i water my plants weekly, on saturdays. the plant has been watered 3 times now and fertilized once. about a week ago, she began losing blooms - now all but one are left - since i don't know if i was at the end of the bloom cycle, i was only slightly worried. however, the spike also began turning a yellow-brown color, starting from the top and working its way down.

the leaves all look healthy, and there doesn't appear to be root rot. i've attached photos (let me know if you need more). should i be worried about the health of my plant? should i trim the spike? (and is that actually the spike, or am i using the wrong nomenclature?) i could find lots of information about trimming phals, but very little on oncidiums. help! i'm afraid i accidentally killed her!

thanks for your help!

- h

It's Oncidium alliance inter-generic hybrid - looks like Odontoglossum in there.

From the looks of it I think it was just done blooming - the spikes will wither and die after blooming, so no worries there.

I see some new growth in the pic so thats good. Now would be a good time to repot. Of course, by "now", I don't mean it has to be immediately, but in the near future would be a good time.

excellent! i think you're right on with the identification, so thank you. aside from repotting, should i be doing anything to ensure a happy plant? do you have any recommendations for good repotting instructions?

thanks for being so quick to reply!

- h

well! I don't know if I am the best person to help - only as I don't explain things well lol

First step would be to get either orchid potting mix, or the "ingredients" to make your own. For Oncidium alliance plants, I would go with smaller bark orchid mix, or fine grade coconut husk chips. I haven't used Miracle-gro orchid mix, but have read it is extremely "heavy" and probably not the best choice. The only "fine" orchid mix I have found in my area is Gubler's Fine orchid mix. I have got it at home depot - tho for some time they didn't carry it. There are good mixes for orchids available online, but shipping can be a lot. I'd probably check with local stores and if you can't find it, then go with the online route. I'm sure you can get recommendations for online sellers from board members.


Your plant may, or may not, need a larger pot - best to have a slighty larger pot on hand in case it does need it. You want just enough room for maybe 2 years growth. I prefer plastic pots for Oncidium alliance - the potting media dries slower in plastic than in clay.

So I would start by finding some potting mix and a slightly large pot. After that, we can get you thru the repotting ;) Hopefully someone with better comunication skills than myself can give you some good instructions.