Oncidium ampliatum (turtle shell orchid)

[EDDIE]

Hey guys,

Bought this thing this evening from Lowe's; its packed in moss. I have a few pictures of it--this first pic is of the whole orchid and then the second pic is of a new growth with what appears to be either a new growth or hopefully the beginning of a spike . Can anyone tell me if it is a spike? Also, I wondor whether to repot or not; generally if I buy bag orchids from Lowe's I go ahead and repot; however, if this is a spike I'm kinda hesitant. Also what do I pot it in? I have some fine tree fern fiber and some charcoal, I also have some seedling bark mix...I thought about just putting it in some straight tree fern fiber...any suggestions? Thanks

Eddie

[Lagoon]

Ed, I think its really to early to tell whether it be a new growth or spike. A few more days perhaps

The pot looks real big for that orchid, careful watering until you get this guy repotted.

They do like moisture but also important is good drainage. I water mine 2x per week during the summer months and every 5 to 6 days during the colder months.
This is a nice one to grow, blooms are gorgeous too!

[Zoi2]

It looks like you have a nice healthy plant and I hope you do have a spike. If you're not going to repot just yet, it might be a good idea to at least check the roots and maybe get rid of some of the packed moss.
Joann

[Bud]

Joann is right, check the roots; sometimes they pack the moss tight and the roots cant breathe...loosen the moss a bit especially if theres a ball of moss directly below the center of the root system...soak the pot for a minute so the roots wont get damaged.
But if you are ready to repot(the time is right since theres growth going on and no blooms yet), choose a smaller pot than that and put the plant on a mixture of bark, charcoal, lava rock and hydroton...if you dont have one ingredient dont fret...as long as the media can drain free and wont hold water for root rot ...water when media is dry
I have an onc. on S/H and its just happy and healthy, I just flush it twice a month and I make sure that the water level is always at 1/4