I think I bought a Beallara! Care, repot, id?
 

Hi,

I'm new to orchids. I have a few phalaenopsis, and just picked up some new orchids at a nursery in town.

Most of them were also phalaenopsis, NoIDs. The one I'm asking about is also a NoID, they said the tag probably got lost in transport, but it was definitely an Oncidium type.

I think it's a Beallara Patricia McCully. I need to know if it is ok to repot now? The flowers have been in bloom for ten days in my possession, they were in full bloom at the nursery. I just watered it for the second time. I have seen a few small bugs that come out of the media when it gets wet, and a few root tips are missing. No bugs are visible when I remove the pot.

I think it may be two plants? There is one new growth for sure, it is about the length of my hand, but no pseudobulb yet. Some new roots above the medium. It appears to be in regular soil??? That really concerns me. I hope to put it in semi hydro. Please help!! Thank you!

Elaine
Raleigh, NC

Hopefully photos can be seen here Beallara Patricia McCully? - Google Photos

Hi and :welcome: to the forum!

The media seems to be the most concerning specially the roots. I haven't have had enough experience with oncidium type orchids but I highly recommend repotting your orchid in fresh new media immediately, bark chips will do but if you plan on potting in semi hydro, it's ok. Clean the roots up first; cutting off dead roots, and dead roots are like spongey, soft, feels hollow and dry roots that don't green up so it's important to soak the roots first in water. You can watch Missorchidgirl's video on youtube to properly on how to properly pot your orchid and her orchid in the video kinda looks like yours! Hope it recovers :)

Repoting Oncidium orchid from coconut coir to bark and sphagnum moss - YouTube

It is"okay" but really the plant is not suffering, so while you can if you want, you do not need to. It has plenty of space to expand in that pot.


Oncidium "bulbs" first appear as a bunch of leaves. The bulb starts later on. I think it is most likely one plant. Oncidiums are sympodial, which means it can be a group of pseudobulbs attached by rhizomes.

Growers use choir and peat based soil-less mixtures like "pro-mix" to grow young orchids. They usually have them from flask to first bloom, often a period of 5 years, and sometimes 7 or more. No grower would be daft enough to compromise an investment of time, and resources by planting an orchid in soil. The only time I would imagine seeing this is if you got the orchid from a person who had previously bought it and tried to take care of it with no information about orchids at all.

Thank you both. The video is helpful. I appreciate it.

That is good to know. I am a little concerned about the possiblity of a pest in the media though. There is damage to a few of the air root tips, the velum is missing, and only the interior core of the root remains. No damage to any other area of the plant that I can find.

I did read that. The only reason I believe it is two plants is that there is an obvious separation in the center. One side (a group of 3 bulbs) seems very loose in the media, while the other side, (also a group of 3 bulbs) seems very firmly in the media. The side with the flower spike which I thought should be the most recent bulb , is not the side that has the new growth? This is what has me confused, as I thought Oncidiums grew in one direction along the rhizome?? If there are new growths on both sides of the pot, what does that mean?

That makes so much more sense than that a reputable nursery would have sold me a plant in soil. I wish it was more readily available information. I will most likely repot it when it is a good time anyway, as I know nothing about this media and I am just not good at telling when to water. It is in the best interest of the plant that I put it in a fool proof media.

Thank you for all the information. I feel a bit lost, and it helps to know there are people who know so much more willing to help.

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

I wouldn't repot until done blooming. The plant is too small to divide. They really become amazing when there are a lot of growths in bloom at once.

I would not let it dry out. This will shorten bloom life. The unpotted photos show soil dryer than I would ever permit with this kind of plant.

I think this kind of potting mix can work well for this kind of orchid. I would be in no rush to change. Obviously the grower is doing well with it.

Thank you. I would not divide it. My hope is that it is one plant and I will repot it when it is ready as one.

I have only grown Phalaenopsis so far, I am afraid, at my stage in life I have almost given up on enjoying gardening. I am loving orchids because they seem to be able to tell me what they need. It's as if we can have a conversation.

"Hey, Elaine, did you notice that my roots are silver today? Check the skewer, can you see it's a bit on the dry side, I'd like a drink." With the Semi Hydro, the Phals are doing so well, especially with a heat mat. The ones in bark are no longer drowning or dehydrating because of the skewers.

This one has me confused. I can't find a culture sheet on Beallara, but people say it wants more water than a normal Oncidium... but how much? How wet do I leave it? It's so confusing especially with a media I know nothing about.

I thought I was doing the right thing letting it dry out a bit and then giving it a really good soaking. I keep the house at 72 degrees F year round, it stays about 45-50% humidity. The room I keep the orchids in has floor to ceiling windows on 3 sides, Primarily N-E-S with overhangs on the roof outside all windows of at least 2 feet. There are no obstructions (No curtains, trees shrubs or other plants) to keep the light out so I keep the plants 4 or 5 feet from the windows.
There are no issues finding more light in my house...but many issues finding less.

Thank you all for the help. You've been wonderful. This plant is so beautiful, I really want to keep it healthy.

Beallaras are Oncidium alliance intergeneric hybrids. Many of them have cool growing ancestors; your 72 F / 22C home should be fantastic for it. There are so many smilar hybrids it isn't possible to put a name on one. Maybe the retailer can tell you where they got the plant? If you contact the grower with photos they might be able to tell you what it is.

Oncidium intergenerics have more rot trouble when warm and wet than when cool and wet. For now, let it get almost dry but not completely dry. With experience you will be able to keep it a little moister than this. If it doesn't get enough water new growth develops pleats across the leaves.

Move it gradually closer to the window. Many orchids bloom better in higher light so long as the leaves don't burn. The north window might be a good place for it to start.

Ok, what I'm going to do is go with popular advice and leave it in the current mix. I'm going to move it to a transparent pot the same size without disturbing the roots at all so that I can better tell what I'm doing.

Then I'll just proceed as advised, watering more frequently as I'm comfortable, but not drowning it. I'll keep you posted. Any advice on how I'll know when this medium is broken down? Or a good book on Oncidium and Intergenetics?

If you water properly, I think the plant will outgrow the pot before the medium breaks down. They grow rapidly and continuously when they're happy.

Beallaras are quite forgiving. They have a bit thicker roots than most oncidiums. In oncidiums, I have found that when the roots are thin, water a lot, when they are fat, the'll take less water. Same with leaves: When the leaves are thin (like palm leaves) they like less sun, and when they are thick (feel like plastic or cardboard) they take more sun.

I found that Beallaras are really good for a beginner. I had a beautiful Tahoma Glacier at one time, I still miss it.