Need Help With my Oncidium :(

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

The pseudobulbs definitely show signs of dehydration.

There are no obvious signs that there is any kind of bacterial or fungal infection, neither do I immediately catch a problem with pests.

From what I do see, of what little roots that are protruding out of the potting media, they are not alive.

I suspect there is far more root damage on this plant than previously thought.

As far as repotting is concerned, you can essentially repot an orchid while it is in spike or in early bud with a great amount of confidence that not a whole lot of anything will make the buds blast. It's not a 100% guarantee, but the chances of the buds surviving a repotting during these stages are very high.

When the orchids are about to bloom, yes, the chances of the buds blasting or not are 50/50. But imo, if the plant's in peril - forget the blooms. The blooms are free; the plant is not. If the blooms stay on, fine. If they fall off, fine. But that's me...

[Npsen]

So do you think there is any hope that my Orchid can come back? At least there is no infection/pests ect hopefully . I will definitely increase the watering :S.

as for my Phal I think it got a bit over watered by my mom, and maybe the airflow is poor.

Here is how we look now

The roots are growing more and more yellow, but they are firm (the ones I can touch).

I will take it out of the decorative pot to air out.



Here is the stem that I'm worried about, it is getting more yellow, but none of the blooms have fallen off yet :S



Here is the plant itself, it is getting big, and I've noticed the more it grows, the more it is starting to lean to one side and tip over. Do you think if I repotted it, at the moment I only have 6' pots, do you think it would be okay to plant it in a 6' pot? Also the only mix I have for Orchids is the same one I used for repotting my Oncidium (Med bark, Charcoal, Sponge rock) do you think this would be healthy for my Phal, or should I Order something else?

I use repotme.com but I have seen so many websites ( it is VERY hard for me to choose :S which one sells the best products).

Also those are not roots on top there it is another plant O_O Can't remember what it is, but it was given to me . So I use it as decoration around a few of my plants

[Tim C.]

The phal's roots look healthy, to me. As long as they're not brown/black, and are still firm, I wouldn't worry too much about coloration. I've had plants' roots turn all kinds of colors on me, but if they were firm, I knew they were still alive and doing their job.

The yellowing stem appears to be an old, already-flowered primary stem. It looks like there was a secondary spike made when the primary was done, and the secondary is what you're seeing blooms on. It's quite normal for the primary spike to yellow and die, so no worries there.

I tend to pot phals based on how big their root ball is. It looks like your phal has a good amount of roots, but the pot isn't packed full of roots. Honestly, if I repotted it, I would use the same pot, and just put fresh medium in it.

In my experience, when phals get that many leaves, they're bound to start leaning. I have one phal now that is growing nearly horizontal to the potting mix, and it only has 3 leaves. I wouldn't worry too much about the lean, but you can of course correct it when/if you repot.

Knowing which potting mix to use is one of those learned skills that takes a bit of trial and error to understand. If your growing area is dry, and the current mix dries out too quickly for your liking, then aim for a finer bark mix - or even sphagnum moss. If the mix dries out slowly, aim for more of a medium grade bark mix. The type of pot (clay, plastic, aircone, net, etc.) also contributes to how fast the potting mix will dry out. Orchids, too, have certain preferences - plants with finer roots tend to like finer potting mixes, while big, fat rooted plants tend to like coarse mixes (if any mix. I used to grow Vandas in clay pots with absolutely no mix at all). You could use the mix you have on hand, and if it dries too quickly, you'll just have to adjust your watering schedule to meet the needs of your plant.

-Tim

[Npsen]

I'm glad it is not much to worry about The roots are no means brown/black just a little yellow.

The stem, did flower last year, but what about the stem is growing off of it, that is currently flowering? (Those blooms opened Early February). Will the entire stem die back?

It does have a lot of roots, but it is just starting to grow out of the bottom of the pot, and also some are trying to crawl out the top. That particular orchid has grown so much, and well it is really the reason I continue to grow orchids .

When I repotted my other Oncidium/Odontoglossum I repotted it in the same mix I have now, in a clay pot, and it has done well since then, it is putting new growth out slowly but well, can't complain (I miss it's blooms, and it smelled like Jasmine). I had always thought clay pots were bad for orchids but apparently that one enjoys it.

I have an assortment of everything, most of my blooming phals are in moss, and they are doing well but i've also seen that moss is bad for orchids because they rot but I have never had that problem (but I don't want to start having problems!)

I'm feeling more confident now, and I feel like I can experiment a bit with my next repotting. The mixes I have on hand are fairly similar I believe to what it is in currently. It came in Medium wood chips, with charcoal and I think perlite so similar but a little different.

I have been wanting to get a Vanda (I have seen them come in beautiful blue shades.) but I will have to wait a bit, I would rather get more supplies at the moment for orchid care.

[Tim C.]

As long as the current spike is flowering and doing well, the old spike dying off shouldn't affect it. The new spike has active water flow through its tissues, so that will keep it going and alive. Once those flowers die, you can cut the spike back to and inch or two from the base, or leave it and hope for another spike of flowers. Secondary spikes, however, usually don't bloom with the vigor or amount of blooms as the main spike does when it forms.

I wouldn't say moss is bad for orchids. I used to grow my phals and oncids in moss and plastic pots, and they all did very well - but I grew them dry. That is to say, the humidity around them was very low, and I didn't water often.

Clay pots, as well, aren't bad for orchids per se. I don't use them because I grow indoors, and I still grow dry. Clay pots will dry out much faster than plastic pots, so if you have moisture loving plants like phals, you wouldn't want to pot them in say a medium bark mix and a clay pot, unless you're keeping it humid and moist.

I've grown a few vanda types over the years - always the smaller Ascocentrum hybrids. I've had two larger sized vandas before, and grew them outside in the summer, but they never bloomed for me, so I donated them to my local botanical garden. Vanda types can be demanding if you're growing indoors. They require high light, high humidity, and lots of air at the roots - and their roots grow verrrrry long, and tend to ramble if they're in a pot. They do produce some gorgeous flowers, though, which is what made me try them to begin with. Chances are, when you have the skills to grow them, you'll know.

-Tim