New orchid needing resuce
 

EDIT:
Sorry! I totally forgot about adding a link. Here it is:

Orchid - Album on Imgur

Hello all!!

I just received an orchid that is in serious need of help. It's a very old plant, at least 10 years old, but it's care taker has aged, and couldn't keep up with it.

I do not know what kind of orchid it is, but it definitely needs to be remounted (or possibly re-potted?).

First, does anyone have any suggestions as to what kind of orchid it is?

Secondly, I originally assumed since it was mounted, that I should re-mount. However since I don't know what kind of orchid it is, I'm not second guessing that. If I re-mount it, what should I use?

PS I have some basic orchid knowledge. I used to collect orchids several years ago, but had to give away my collection when I joined the Navy. I do have experience re-potting, but I've never mounted an orchid, which is another reason why I'd like some second opinions on what to do.

Can u post a :photo: ??

Yes, we need to know more, and photos would be best.

Whitley, without a picture, or pictures, it's kind of hard to tell. Some types of mounts break down more quickly than others so a well-established plant on a mount can be a good thing. (My favorite mounts are sticks because they last longest.) Also, there at least as many different methods for remounting as there are types of mounts - probably a lot more, so the first step is deciding if remounting is necessary.

Hopefully you can share a few pics so that we'll have a better idea of what the plant needs.

Wow, since I grow mostly in the Phal family I'm not going to try to identify your plant. What I see, though, is some nice, vigorous new growth, which is a good sign, but the older pseudobulbs look pretty dried.

The mount itself looks like someone took a mesh tube and stuffed it with something. It kind of looks like sphagnum in the pics, though I hope not. Whatever it is, I don't think the plants like it. I think that I'd probably want to move the plant into a well-ventilated terra cotta pot with some extra room to grow.

I think it's an Oncidium. In fact, I think it's Oncidium sphacelatum. This is often grown mounted, because it climbs vertically. It's a very tough orchid, hard to kill. That fact also makes me think it's sphacelatum.

The tube mount should work well so long as the sphagnum moss isn't breaking down and slimy. If it is breaking down, just pull out the old and put in new sphagnum.

O. sphacelatum comes back well from bad treatement, too. Gently pull or cut off all the dead stuff you can see. If the new growing parts are not close to the moss in the tube, use something like fishing line or dental floss to tie them down, so the new roots are in contact.

Put the plant in the brightest spot you can. It tends to grow all year if it's warm and bright. Higher humidity is better than lower, but you can only do what you can do.

Look out for bugs, too, and treat if necessary. With some water and light, it should start growing quickly. Give it fertilizer to make it grow even faster.

Good luck! and Nice Save!

Yes it looks very dehydrated to me. Soak, soak and soak.

Can't add to the experts above but, I agree on Oncidium and WATER, my first thought was how dry it looked.

Certainly no expert but I agree with all of the above - the pseudobulb has wrinkled and tell-tale signs of dehydration are all over it. Nonetheless it looks like a hardy plant, to say the least! I look forward to an update on its revival :)