repotting small oncidium
 

Hi, I have a small oncidium 'sharry baby' that I bought as a division from an orchid show. It was doing great for the longest time but with the incredibly hot weather we've been having, I'm having a difficult time keeping it wet enough. It is potted in a very well drained mix that looks to be mostly rock and perlite. Now the leaves are showing dry, brown ends with black spotting, and I'm sure it's because it needs more water. I already keep it sitting in a saucer of water, but i'm wondering if I should repot it in a different orchid mix that will hold more moisture. Does anyone have any tips?

thanks.
here are some pics.

http://i29.tinypic.com/1p9t8p.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/2ueiiv5.jpg

Mine is in S/H and loves it. but to put it in SH you need to have new roots...

What is SH?

check the roots. i,ll bet that there,s where the problem probably is

SH is Semi Hydroponic ;-)

I just checked the roots very very carefully (I'm always scared of breaking them off) and found lots of healthy white roots which are new from the last time I looked several months ago. I think we can rule out the roots being the problem.

Hi my 2 cents worth: your plant looks like has/has had both problems;
Too dry & Too wet ..
but be assuured it is more than 'recoverable'!!!! :D ...
2 of your 'older' p/bulbs are turning brown/black..
You need to check if the dark part is soft or Still hard? From your photos it looks like it's been sunburned & has had a lack of water.(not enough humidity in the air (leaf tips brown) But looks like its nice & wet... The black parts have probably developped from lack of adequate ventilation after being watered- therefore staying too wet... although your fattest/newest growth looks OK.
One thing I know is that Sharry baby definitely likes water!
My Sharry baby was in bark for a year and flowered last winter, since then I noticed some of the leaves were pleating so, I waited for new roots (also helped it along with soaking in KLN) and she is now very happy in s/h....
Are there any new roots developping anywhere? If you can post a pic of the roots - I am sure we can help you get it growing again!

Guppylove, our posts crossed..As you have new white firm roots you need to transfer to s/h.
there are lots of posts in this forum; I would suggest you read posts made by Ray Barklow, who is an expert.
Remember to soak the leca for at least 24 hrs or longer put KLN in the water as well. Make sure you also soak the plant for 1/2 hr or so before potting up.
Good luck & I look forward to seeing how you get on.

Thanks for the advice! The p bulbs are discolored but still firm, and the leaves are pleated. Is pleating of the leaves undesirable? I will read up on s/h.

it would make sense that it has been too wet and too dry. For a while there I was not as diligent with watering as I should have been, and then I overcompensated by keeping it sitting in water constantly.

I trimmed off the brown tips of the leaves. There is new growth happening so I really hope I can save this plant!

I agree with all the above, and I'm sure you can save it. Head over to the S/H forum and read this link.
How to pot an Orchid using the Semi-Hydroponic method.
This should cover all the basics, and ask whatever you need on the S/H forum. Good luck!

Hi Guppylove, You're getting lots of great sounding advice but, just in case you don't get the plant moved to s/h, I think sitting in a saucer is not a good idea. The plant needs to get air from below too. If it gets waterlogged at the bottom, that's inviting rot. Good luck!

:)

Looking at your pics, I'll add onto what others have said so far.

I believe no one's mentioned the hard water stains on your plant. I suspect that they're being watered with tap water. If so, that would explain a lot of the leaf tip burns your plant has. Excessive mineral build up causes problems like that.

My suggestion is to water using RO/DI water from now on. You can clean those hard water stains off with vinegar or lemon juice.

I suggest trimming off the burned leaf tips as well. They can be a breeding ground for disease.