What to do with Oncidium Sherry Baby?
 

Hello!
So I was very excited yesterday to discover a nearby flower shop sells their unblooming orchids for $10 each! And most of them were in very good condition!
Anyway, I bought 4, two are Oncidium Sherry Baby. I bought 2 so I could have one and I could give one to my friend for her birthday (Tomorrow)

So my question is, should I repot it for her? (she's has almost no experience with orchids - she has one phal) For mine I will probably watch it for a couple of weeks, make sure it's adjusted to it's new home then if I see some new growth I'll repot. But I don't know what to do for the one I'm giving away. I want it to be easy for her to take care of. Should I just give it to her as is, then 'kidnap' it to repot it later? :D

I'm of the school that says repot all new 'chids just to check up on the roots and what's happening down below. So I would recommend repot. You also might set her up with a starter packet of fertilizer and instructions where to place it?

:hello love the 'Sharry Baby' the blooms smell just like chocolate!!Yum. :drool: I grow all my guys outside but I sure some one has Onc. up your way growing inside that will give you some advice. I would give your friend her Birthday Present and kidnap it back when you get the necessary information. :goodluck:

They do like bright light down here but hate direct sun in the midday. So a bright exposure up there should be fine. I also let my potting mix almost dry out then water.

You and your friend will love it when you see a spike and then blooms.

Lorraine

I think that most oncidiums like to dry out
 

before watering again. If you give them dappled light, they love it. Probably a good thing to repot. Normally, atleast around here, they will not be in bloom for quite some time.

If she doesn't repot orchids, she'll never learn to do so. I would invite her over and give her a lesson, or take the B-day orchid and some potting media & go over there :biggrin:

Your a good friend!

Thanks! That's a good idea :D

Then the question is... do I convert her to S/H right away? or let her use standard bark media? LOL

Are the plants forming new growths? If so, you might consider s/h culture. If not, wait.

I would just hang fire and see how they do!

Good point! No new growth yet. I think I'll just play the waiting game! :D

Hi! Congrats on your new purchases! 10 dollars for orchids is a great deal! :biggrin: I don't really have any advice to give but I wanted to let you know that I have my sharry baby in s/h and it loves it. It was the first one I tried s/h on and I repotted it before I knew anything about it. It didn't have any new root growth when I did it, in fact it had a lot of dried up roots. But a month later it had so many roots they were poking out the hole in the bottom! I don't recommend doing what I did but I wanted to let you know that they seem to really like s/h. Hope that helps in the future. :goodluck: