Need Help with my Oncidium Hybrid

[nms24]

Hello all. I am new to the board and started my orchid collection last November. I live in NYC and use a bay window in my apartment as my source of light.

I need help with an oncidium hybrid that I acquired from Exotic Orchids of Maui last December. The orchid is Rdcm. Enchantment x Ocd. Velvet Teenie.

I received the orchid on a mount from EOoM and have left it that way. I had decent success with the orchid. It grew most of the winter and it flowered a little while ago and then re-flowered again. It recently lost its flowers. Both times got about five flowers roughly.


I have several questions:

1. Is this the best media for my situation? I see many others put oncidiums in a mix. Or should I go with a larger mount?
2. I seem to have sprung a keiki and maybe 2, which is very exciting. There appears to be one up top (called Keiki 1 in pics). What should I do with this? When should I separate it? Should I experiment and put it in a different media? Then, there seems to be a less developed one on the base (labeled Keiki 2 in pics). Same questions.
3. Is it time to cut back the stem? If so, where do I cut the stem?

Attached please find pictures for your reference. Thank you in advance for all your help.

Kind regards,
Nick

[Zoi2]

Hello nms24, welcome to the Orchid Board. I can't help with your questions as I don't grow Oncidiums, but someone will chime in.
Joann

[WhiteRabbit]

hmmm - you have blooms and a keiki? Must be doiing something right
Maybe as the plant matures you will get more blooms ?

[nms24]

Thank you for the welcoming me Joann. Orchidboard has been a great source of information to me so far and I am glad to be part of the community.

Thank you White Rabbit for the words of encouragement.

Still not sure when i should split off my keiki, if anyone has any advice.

Regards,
Nick

[nenella]

Hi Nick, Welcome to OB!
Why do you want to split it? if it was mine I would leave it

[nms24]

Originally Posted by nenella

Hi Nick, Welcome to OB!
Why do you want to split it? if it was mine I would leave it

Thank you for the advice.

I thought it might be fun to try my hand at propagation. Also, if all went well, maybe I could give a plant away to a family member or friend.

So you would keep an aerial keiki?

[nenella]

Only my 2 cts worth - I personally would not split it as it does not look that "big"... (but I like bigger plants so that you get loads of flowers... ) I would also probably fix that mount onto a bigger one.
Are all your roots 'live'? do they change colour when you water?

[billc]

Hi Nick, I don't think what you're seeing is a keiki. Plants in the oncidium alliance will throw out a new pseudo bulb as part of their natural growth. As one p-bulb blossoms, the newer p-bulb starts growing and gathering energy for the next years blossom. The plant needs the old p-bulbs, because that's where the food is stored.
I'm a few miles up the Hudson from you and unless you want to water every day, I would suggest putting the plant into a pot. The humidity is good in the summer and the plant can draw some moisture from the air, but come fall and winter the air is very dry in our area. Plants in the oncidium family do very well in a medium/ fine bark mix.
If you want to divide it, make sure you have at least 3 p-bulbs in each division. If it was me, I'd leave it as one piece and enjoy the flower show.

Bill

Bill

[nms24]

Originally Posted by nenella

Only my 2 cts worth - I personally would not split it as it does not look that "big"... (but I like bigger plants so that you get loads of flowers... ) I would also probably fix that mount onto a bigger one.
Are all your roots 'live'? do they change colour when you water?

Thanks for your advice regarding a bigger mount. For my old roots, they are a dark white when dry, and when I water them, they become darker. They all seem to be in this condition.

For the roots on what I thought was a keiki, they are bright white and when I water them, they turn green.

[nms24]

Originally Posted by billc

Hi Nick, I don't think what you're seeing is a keiki. Plants in the oncidium alliance will throw out a new pseudo bulb as part of their natural growth. As one p-bulb blossoms, the newer p-bulb starts growing and gathering energy for the next years blossom. The plant needs the old p-bulbs, because that's where the food is stored.
I'm a few miles up the Hudson from you and unless you want to water every day, I would suggest putting the plant into a pot. The humidity is good in the summer and the plant can draw some moisture from the air, but come fall and winter the air is very dry in our area. Plants in the oncidium family do very well in a medium/ fine bark mix.
If you want to divide it, make sure you have at least 3 p-bulbs in each division. If it was me, I'd leave it as one piece and enjoy the flower show.

Bill

Bill

Thank you for your response. I suspected our climate might favor a mix. This particular plant didn't seem to mind the NYC winter on a mount, but i did have to water her frequently.

As for my new growth, would just p-bulb have aerial roots like mine? Also, my particular hybrid does not seem to have p-bulbs per se as far as i can tell. unless they are just very tiny.