Basic "Cambria" care?
 

I have an orchid which was sold under "Cambria" which I have read is a commercial name for Oncidiums so hopefully this is the right place to ask about it.

Firstly I would like to confirm that it is an Oncidium: when it was flowering (recently finished), it had two flower stalks with only flowers on it, spaced in the same way normal Phal flowers are, with no branches off the main stalk. Is this possible with Oncidiums? I have previously only seen ones with multiple branches off the main stalk which had the flowers on them. The leaves grow in the same manner and look almost identical to those of Oncidium "Sweet Sugar".

Secondly if it is an Oncidium, what are the basic care instructions? Water and light requirements would be good.

And finally, is there a good photo resource I can look at to try and ID this orchid? Unfortunately I do not have any photos of it flowering.

yeah - cambria is from an intergeneric hybrid - cambria 'plush'
but I believe it is used sometimes as a catch-all name for other onc intergenerics

In general I give my oncidiums med. light (west window) some need to stay slighty moist while some can dry out a bit more inbetween waterings.


if you can post a pic of the plant (even out of bloom) might be helpful at least in determining how much water the plant may like

a new member has a photo gallery - this is the link to onc intergenerics - maybe have a look there
http://orchidsamore.com/photo_galler...%20gallery.htm
good luck

Thanks for the info! Here is the orchid... click to see a larger image.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3543/...f836c36986.jpg

Thanks for the link to the images, I've managed to find one which looks similar here. The image is labelled as "Wils Balam 'Huina Road'".

Hello Kittykat :-)
This is how I grow mine:

during the winter they get light from a south window, I let them absorb all the sun they can get then. I had them on the window sill and didn't seem affected by the heather under the window sill.
As we had an extreme cold winter I got cold damage on a leaf that touched the window (despite double glass windows). Be prepared for that!
They like intermediate temperatures, let's say between 13,5 en 18 C

Now, April, I still have them close to the South window but not in de window sill anymore. In the window sill it would get to hot and the sun is shining too long and to strong. I have them in dappled sun light. The light exposure is regulated with blinds.
Probably end of May they move outdoors. In my case on a North faced balcony were they receive early morning and late evening sun. I protect them from heavy rain fall. Hanging them in a tree would be great!
As night temperatures during fall drop, bring them indoors again. You'll might notice a new spike by then.

After they flowered I make sure I let the medium dry up more than during flowering and active growth. You'll notice soon after you removed the flower spike that finished blooking, that it will start a new growth on the base of pseudobulb that matured last.

Proper watering: this is what I do

I use a skewer to monitor the moistness of the medium in the middle of the pot.
I let the medium become almost dry (skewer cool to the touch, but not wet anymore, especially during winter is this important for our climate). Once the new growth get's it's own roots, you might considder repotting. Because you don't know what the middle of your growing medium looks like, I would advise you repot this season.
During active growth you have to make sure the medium never dries out completely, otherwise you might get pleated leaves on the new growth. Not harmfull but also not a pretty sight.


Nicole