Trying to recover Oncidium Orchids

[MattWoelfsen]

After Phalenopsis, Oncidium was my next orchid acquisition craze. I read your notes and found them similar to my own experience learning to grow this plant.

The advice you've been given is what I have learned over time. I agree with Ray's advise regarding humidity trays. But trays are good to have to catch excess water. In your geography, I think it is a good thing to put them outside...bright, mid-day direct sun might be too much light, so consider putting them in bright shade.

With regard to keeping an eye on them all day long, consider doing something else, like reading up on Oncidium in the Oncidium Alliance sub forum. There is a lot of information. But be warned, spending time on this board could lead to an explosion of new plants to keep your two plants company!

[silken]

I wouldn't worry about getting old bulbs to plump up. You run the risk of saturating the moss and drowning the new roots. Most old bulbs do wrinkle and only the newest ones are plump.

A log is a good idea. I don't keep a daily log or anything but I keep a journal on all my orchids and when they bloom and finish blooming, when I re-pot and things of note.

By constantly watching them and doting on them you can run the risk of over watering and disturbing them. Just let them do their thing. Orchids are slow growers and you will notice the growth and progress better if you aren't checking on them every hour

[Brown_Thumb]

Thank you for all the great advice. I sincerely appreciate it. I feel like I'm being an over protective parent which I suppose is a good thing to a degree. Good in that I've found something that I'm sincere in caring for, but bad in the sense focusing too much can kill the plant.

I'm slowly getting the feel for when to water. I know it probably caused a bit of stress on the plant, but I re-potted them in a 75-25% fir bark/Sphagnum moss mixture with about 10% of the moss a top layer to retain humidity in the pot as well as an indicator of when to water.

In the last month, with the previous loose sphagnum potting, I was getting new root growth but also rotting of existing roots with a watering regimen of about once every 6 days. It appeared to me that the moss was just holding moisture for too long.

One week in the bark/moss medium is actually showing marked signs of improvement. Fingers crossed that the recovery continues.

One thing I should also mention. When I wake up in the morning and prepare my cup of coffee, I always check the orchids on my way to the coffee pot. Look at the roots, gently feel for moisture in the pot if the top layer of moss looks dry, and then just kinda smile. It's a great way to start the morning.

[Brown_Thumb]

Just wanted to give an update. It turns out that I'm learning that all oncidiums are not equal. Both of these plants are yanking me through the grow and not die process, bless their hearts.

One is an Oncidioda = Cochlioda x Oncidium. This little lady is working with me and doing well. Lots of new healthy roots, and pbulbs nice and plump with good color. It's never bloomed but I've only had it for a year, so main focus is getting the plant healthy as mentioned earlier. Looking at the roots, this lady likes to drink about every 4-5 days.

Second one. Oh dear god I am so in over my head that I'll be lucky if it survives another year. This little rascal is a Odontioda =Cochlidia x Odontoglossum and Oncidium hybrid. It drinks like a fish, but the roots root if it's in a wet medium for too long. Switching from 100% shagnum to mostly fir bark has helped. I get the feeling this would do much better in a mounted environment. However, it's sending out new roots and I've repotted it recently (earlier post) into the bark so I don't want to stress it anymore. Looking at the roots, this little fella likes to drink about every 3 days.

Since they look so similar, yet have different needs, I'm calling them Jack and Jill.

I'll try to keep this updated. Thanks again for all the help. My orchids appreciate it as do I.