Finally! Oncidium is spiking - my experience to rebloom Oncidiums

[PlantEnthusiast]

Happy New Year!
I hope 2021 is going to be ours!

For years I’ve been struggling to get a spike on any kind of oncidium, but, hold on, I haven’t gotten a mature spike yet. But I finally got one spiking. It’ll be at least a couple of months till I see it near a mature size.

This is a NoID oncidium from TJ. It was growing outside in California, San Francisco Bay Area, where we get very low humidity but rainy winter in December- Jan.
It grew to a “specimen” size sort of like the second picture (that specimen size I just inherited from a friend). But was “broken down” and moved into a small pot before spiking.

Many people maybe know this, but it was an a-ha moment for me when I saw a spike coming out of the side of the !turgid! (Trying to emphasize the state of the newly developed bulb which produced a spike). So, maybe my sharing will help someone else to accelerate their process of getting spikes on their Oncidiums.

So, besides everything that was said here already - a few hours of bright or morning/evening direct light, temperature drop (which we have about 20F every day outside), the environment should provide enough humidity/enough moisture (depending on your conditions) to keep at least that new maturing bulb that will be giving you a spike -turgid at all times, from the very beginning till its maturity. No drying out, avoid to allow its wrinkling! As you can see, older bulbs are kind of more wrinkly, but the one that has the spike is very plump. Older bulbs wrinkled a bit, after their spikes were done, which is totally fine.

I’ve been struggling to get any spike in the past, solely because my conditions (potting media, watering procedure or a combination of them plus some other factors...) and my inexperience and not keeping the Oncidiums hydrated enough, prevented my plants from getting spikes even though I was able to provide all other conditions! This discovery blew the top of my head.

Please comment and let me know what you think about this observation.
Hope my experience will be helpful to someone. Thank you for reading!

[Orchidtinkerer]

I can relate to the excitement. Even though I managed to get over 35 orchids to produce a flower spike this year (4 oncidiums, oops last year as of today) there are still lots of varieties I haven't gotten to flower yet and will be just as excited when one of those makes it.

Sometimes orchids don't like our conditions and only flower once every 3 years but Oncidiums are very adaptable so aslong as you keep up the watering you will get a spike every year from now. Oncidiums can even flower up to 3 times a year, generally every time a new bulb is produced and that can be as much as every few months once it gets going.

[Dollythehun]

Congratulations!

[PlantEnthusiast]

Thank you for the comments!
Wow, there is much to look for.