repotting

[clxt7321]

My oncidium has outgrown its pot. The p-bulbs have grown in a stairstep fashion. I am going to repot it--making more plants in the process.
Now the question: Do I pot the new plants standing upright ( which will leave some of the p-bulbs partly buried) or pot them so that the p-bulbs are level with the top of the potting medium (which will result in the plant listing to one side).
Thanks in advance.

Karen H

[Sandra Billeter]

We always repot our Oncs standing upright but that doesn't mean that's the direction they will grow. With us it is a space thing and growing upright, they take up less space.

Sandra in South Carolina

[Sharon]

Consider mounting them on a tree fern totum. This way they can merrily grow up all they want. The downside, of course, is that they will need to be watered more often.

[Stefanie]

Another option is to bury a tree fern or cork bark totum in the regular pot into which you are potting the onc.. that way the current roots are in medium, which you can water normally, but then the plant, in its inclination to climb, will climb up the totum!

[Paphman910]

Hello Karen:
I would mount the plant on a fir bark slab with a bit of moss and fishing line. I use to grow a Miltonia Bluntii many years ago and I grew it on a treefern slab with a dressing of moss and it grew like a weed. I didn't have to repot it every year due to the stair case effect. This sort of thing happens to Phragmipedilum besseae and that is the reason I don't grow them.

Mounting requires more watering and higher humidity.

Paphman910

[Oscarman]

What are your growing conditions Karen H? Mounted plants certainly do well when grown in higher humidity, ie. greenhouse, plant room, viv, etc. Will they be so successful in a windowsill of an average home, without a lot of maintenance?

Plants in my basement and under lights, on mounts only do well with a considerable amount of NZ moss on the mount and around the roots. Watering still needs to be every couple of days.

What suits your growing conditions?

[orchidexpress]

Yes, I call them stair stepper oncidiums as that's the way that they grow. What I do is split them apart in two. The part that is 'stair-stepping' up will have air roots coming from. After you split them, they as two plants, it's like putting the pieces back together. One part was higher and the other part was lower. Now measure them back together where they have equal 'base' area and repot them. Please let me know if this helps you.