Winter rest?
 

Hello orchidboard friends, I’m really nervous because I don’t know if or how to put zygos and ocidiums to a winter rest. I do not winter rest my phals. I’m not really sure about what I call my exotic orchids if and when and how to do this. Can anyone help me? I appreciate any feedback and thank you for taking the time to reading my thread.——-B

No winter rest necesssry. Worry about something else.

Zygos like to be evenly moist year round but not sogging wet. Oncidium also like to be evenly moist, but let it dry out a day or two before re-hydrating.

In the land of Winter (Northern Indiana), water early in the day and place in a warm, bright space with plenty of fresh ai.

I’m not sure if plants time things differently growing indoors but a number of my Zygopetalum and Oncidium growing outdoors are either in full bloom or spike right now and those that aren’t blooming are pushing new growth. Winter seems to be their season.

My Zigo is finishing its blooming season right now and it has a new growth with a considerable size already.
When the flowers fade and the spike gets dry, which might happen in two weeks, I'll repot it.
Cooler season it's their time.

An orchid needs a winter rest if it comes from a habitat with a seasonal dry period. Zygos and most Oncidiums don't fall into that category. All the more reason for knowing and understanding the species (and all hybrids go back to some combination of species). For most genera, there is enough variation that it is necessary to dig deeper, to the species level, to know the habitat that you're trying to mimic enough to keep your orchid happy.

Blooming season may depend on the breeding if you're referring to hybrids.

While there is still some variation in blooming time within a species for those that have a defined blooming season, species orchids that are of blooming size tend to be somewhat more predictable as to the season by which they will bloom provided they aren't force bloomed, (if that particular species can be forced to bloom out of season). For example: if you know that orchid species 'A' blooms in winter, and you own 10 individuals of that particular species, not every single individual within that group will necessarily bloom at roughly the same time. It is entirely possible that 5 out of 10 will bloom within mid-December, while 3 out of 10 will bloom within late December to early January, and 2 out of 10 will bloom in early to mid-January. And if you look at when they bloom in the year by season, well, 10 out of 10 have bloomed in what is considered the winter months here in the northern hemisphere.

I have a mix of species and hybrids. For the hybrids, this is their first "natural bloom" (they were in bloom when purchased over a year ago and this is their first re-bloom under my care). They seem to be matching up with the species and blooming in winter. I'm thinking they'll continue to be winter bloomers from here on.

My hybrids are NOIDs so their genetic background is unknown. I have no idea how closely they're related to the species plants I'm growing, but maybe they do share some genes in common since they seem to have put themselves on the same schedule.

Thank y’all so much for your welcomed advice. I appreciate the feedback. I learned a lot. So I’m pretty sure what do now. I have not stopped watering any of my orchids common sense tells me not to force into a winter rest. I have cut back on frequency and no fertilizer for the moment. I really want them to bloom next bloom season but more importantly is a healthy orchid. My 2 zygos, 2 ocidiums are hybrids according to the tag they came with. So I guess that makes them “noise” because I have no idea what other species is mixed in. I just want them to thrive and bless me with there beauty. Again thank you all I appreciate all of your knowledge and passing it down to me.

I wouldn't cut back on watering unless the media is taking longer to dry. I'm not sure about the Zygo since I've only grown these outside, but the Oncidium hybrids I have really do seem to need good light and a cold snap to trigger flowering. If they're indoors, growing them somewhere like a windowsill that gets chilly can work.