Are these orchids having any problem that needs to be treated??

[tgkhang]

I just bought 2 Oncidiums (one is The Sweet Sugar Dancing Lady, the other one is the Taige Tail Dancing Lady) for my collection yesterday and I notice some stuffs that are quite concerning.

The first orchid has a weird looking pseudo bulb, not sure if it's dead or not, but it's definitely not good. There are some black spots on the leaves that I'm still trying to find out exactly what it is (looks a bit like black rot...can I just spray hydrogen peroxide on the black spots?? Or should wait for a little bit more to see if it should be cut or not?). The plant itself is a bit wobbly so I don't know if it's a planting problem or a root problem, the plant is blooming at the moment so I'm a bit hesitant to repot the plant. Though I did spot a bug in the pot, couldn't recognize what it was, and I don't know if there are more of those in it, I couldn't catch the thing because it ran back into the pot before I could touch it. Maybe I should try to repot to see if there's anything wrong with the roots because again, the plant is pretty wobbly. The pot has drainage holes, which is a good thing, but the bottom is completely flat, so there were 1 or 2 roots got squished under there, it might have affected the rest of that root inside the pot as well. Other than that, the blooms are looking fine, there's nothing wrong with the spike, the soil looks pretty airy.

The second one is older and it has really great leaves and pseudo bulbs, except these 2. One of them I think got biten in the centre, and I don't know if I should do something about it or just leave it as it is. If it was biten by a bug and the pot is the original one it was grown in, then I should probably try to repot this one as well, although it too is blooming beautifully at the moment. Both the bulbs has very bright green color, along with some water spots and lots of tiny tiny little brown spots on both their leaves and bulbs. This plant is not wobbly at all, and given that it has quite alot of bulbs, I can safely assume that the root system is probably quite healthy, though the only way to find out is to actually repot the plant. Same as the other one, the flowers are fine, the blooms are fine, and the spikes are fine.

So let me know what you guys think. Are those symptoms need to be treated or are they just minor symptoms that I don't need to worry about?

Thanks in advance.

[Ray]

I see nothing drastically unusual for oncidiums. The pseudobulbs in question may have received some mechanical damage and/or are aging normally, and the big spot is similar. The fine spotting on the leaves may be residual mite damage (wipe the undersides with a paper towel, and if you see a Rd/brown smear, it's time to treat) but might also be nothing, as that can be common for plants grown in less-than-ideal humidity.

[PaphMadMan]

I agree with Ray. Nothing looks serious, but watch carefully for a while. If dark or soft spots are spreading you will need to take action. Do check for mites, as suggested.

A note on names. Dancing Lady is a common trade designation for any kind of Oncidium or related orchid. It isn't part of the actual name.

Oncidium Sweet Sugar is a very well known hybrid. Write the name like that, Oncidium Sweet Sugar. Your question was very general, but sometimes the best answer to a question may depend on having the right name. You may also see this plant called Oncidesa Sweet Sugar. Many orchids have had name changes like that, but usually either name will clearly communicate what the orchid is.

The other name - Taige Tail - doesn't seem to correspond to any known hybrid. If you can show a clear picture of that tag I might be able to connect it to an official name.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Depending on your climate, that kind of soil mix can stay wet for a long time. Different kinds of orchids have different watering requirements. Oncidiums prefer not to dry completely, but they also don't want to stay wet. Try to water just before the medium becomes dry.

There is a thread in the Beginners forum about using wooden cooking skewers to determine when to water.

[tgkhang]

So just wondering, if the spot turns out to be like what Ray said, then what should I do to treat it? Also I just looked back at the tag and the name is actually Moonshadow Taige Tail, or Tiger Tail as suggested online. I can't seem to add any images using the Insert Image function. What's up with that???

[estación seca]

Most people have to make 5 posts before posting photos. Even replying to other posts will count.

Most of us ignore the spots on our Oncidium leaves unless they're spreading.

[tgkhang]

That's just non-sense....why would anyone has to make 5 posts in order to post pictures???

Also I'm just curious, if the bulbs are aging, then if they die, do I just leave them there or do I cut them off???? If I have to cut them off, how would I do it?? Of course, nothing here is dying from aging, but I'm just asking if it happens

[Ray]

Leave them there until the rest of the colony resorbs the stored water and nutrients. Then you can simply pull it off.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by tgkhang

That's just non-sense....why would anyone has to make 5 posts in order to post pictures?...

Spam avoidance. There was apparently a lot of spam some years ago. And I forgot you already posted photos.