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Sep 4, 2015 11:46 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
Hey everybody!
I got this today! It's a new orchid I've not seen before!
What kind of orchid is this?
Do I put it in the same place as my 3 Phalaenopsis?

The roots look dry to me but I am not knowledgeable with this orchid.

I've spotted a rotting pseudobulb so how do I go about stopping it from making the rest of the plant go bad?

It was sold to me in some kind of coco fibre. Does it need a normal orchid potting mix or shall I refresh the coco fibre?

Thank you for reading and as always sharing your wonderful knowledge :)

Here's lots of photos for identification purposes and any comments on condition and what to change!

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[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]
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Sep 4, 2015 12:11 PM CST
Name: Jim Hawk
Odessa, Florida (Zone 9b)
Birds Master Gardener: Florida Hibiscus Greenhouse Charter ATP Member Garden Photography
Bromeliad Region: Florida Orchids Roses Tropicals Region: United States of America
Looks like an Oncidium hybrid to me. Perhaps an Aliceara or Miltonia. The roots look good. Put it in a clay orchid pot with fresh bark. It likes a little more light than a Phal but not much.

Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
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Sep 4, 2015 12:14 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
I've removed the rotting pseudobulb and sterilised with hydrogen peroxide. When it dries I shall add a little cinnamon and hope that's stopped the rot.
[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]
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Sep 4, 2015 12:20 PM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
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Looks like some type of Oncidium to me, Pia-Louise. But I'd like to wait for others to chime in with their opinions. Onc's will like more light and less water than your Phals, but after you re-pot it, I'd keep it in the shady area with the Phals for a couple of weeks to let it recover. Then gradually move it to more light - or just move the curtain aside a little bit for it?

Those shriveling, weeping pseudobulbs do not look good to me, although otherwise, the plant has nice healthy looking leaves and roots. I'd be cutting out those pseudobulbs with a sharp, sterile knife asap, and dust the cuts with cinnamon after you're through. Again, though, please wait for the experts to chime in here.

Normally, Oncidiums shrivel up their pb's when they are asking for water, but they wrinkle lengthwise and stay the same color green, not like those. Are they squishy, too?
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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Sep 4, 2015 3:49 PM CST
Name: Jim Hawk
Odessa, Florida (Zone 9b)
Birds Master Gardener: Florida Hibiscus Greenhouse Charter ATP Member Garden Photography
Bromeliad Region: Florida Orchids Roses Tropicals Region: United States of America
Hey, Elaine, do I qualify as one of the others? Hilarious!

Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
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Sep 4, 2015 4:22 PM CST
Name: tarev
San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b)
Give PEACE a chance!
Adeniums Cat Lover Garden Photography Region: California Houseplants Plays in the sandbox
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Agree, it is some type of Oncidium. I have always found Oncidiums to be very water needy. During summer, at times, I can let them stand in water for a couple of days and then allow water to drain. Our summer temps are exceedingly high and dry, so I can freely water them even everyday here, as long as there is good air ventilation around it.

I have used fine orchid bark mix on some, on others I use coco fibre they are okay with it. They like a bit more light than Phals, more water than Phals. Their pseudobulbs are really prone to that much wrinkling, it may have gone too dehydrated in the store where you got it. I have done that before by accident leaving the plant in water, and the pbs plumped up much better, though not all the wrinkled marks straightened out. That is how I found out how thirsty they were here in my area.

During winter, I bring them indoors by my south facing window. Then I water them once a week. So I had some nice blooms come winter time.
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Sep 4, 2015 4:54 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
Okay then I will have to move my plants around I've got a living room with south, North, and West windowsills. I removed the rotting pseudobulb and really watered it for half hour and let it stand on a tray of water with pebbles on it so it's not touching the roots and promoting any more rot.
I've gone for mostly bark and a little coco fibre to keep some moisture. Here it is now I've had a snip and a tie ha ha Smiling
The pseudobulb that's left now is not squishy at all. Just hard. The store had it reduced half price I'm guessing because they didn't water it and it had one dead flowerstalk. I agree with you all. Hopefully I've not done too bad a job tomorrow morning I'll dust the cinnamon on because it's wet from watering but it was desperate. Lol Thumbs up

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Here they are all together my orchids!
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[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]
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Sep 4, 2015 6:21 PM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
PiaLouise, you did a great job. It looks much better.

Jim, you qualify as one of the experts, of course. We sort of cross-posted up above, see the times on our posts? I was busy typing away when you posted.

Glad to see we all agree what the new baby is, anyway. But I'm still a little bit worried about that one wrinkly pseudobulb. Keep a close eye on it for softening, the leaf wilting, or any weeping like the other one had, PiaLouise.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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Jan 27, 2016 4:36 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
Here is an update of the oncidium five months later.
Two new shoots, and plump pseudobulbs!
It is end of January so I've got one month until the spring when the weather warms up.
Any idea why the leaves have gone a lighter green color?
I water all my orchids with my aquarium water.

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Group hug
[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]
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Jan 27, 2016 4:42 PM CST
Name: Jim Hawk
Odessa, Florida (Zone 9b)
Birds Master Gardener: Florida Hibiscus Greenhouse Charter ATP Member Garden Photography
Bromeliad Region: Florida Orchids Roses Tropicals Region: United States of America
Move it into a little less sun and add some Magnesium to your fertilizer routine.

Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
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Jan 27, 2016 4:45 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
I've only got a north windowsill other than this protected west.
Shall I try them all on that?
How do I add only magnesium to the water? Any recommendations on what to buy?
[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]
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Jan 27, 2016 5:02 PM CST
Name: Jim Hawk
Odessa, Florida (Zone 9b)
Birds Master Gardener: Florida Hibiscus Greenhouse Charter ATP Member Garden Photography
Bromeliad Region: Florida Orchids Roses Tropicals Region: United States of America
Buy some Epsom salts at the pharmacy and dissolve a tablespoon of it into a gallon of water.

You are just going to have to experiment with light conditions until you get it right. Too little light and the plant leaves will be a deep green but you will get no blooms. Too much light and the leaves will yellow and perhaps sunburn (black spot with a yellow halo).

Jim
"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it." -- Steven Leacock
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Jan 27, 2016 7:27 PM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
Maybe not all that much light at this time of year, (Pia's in England, don't forget) so much as just the plant slowing down and not absorbing nutrients as quickly due to the short, cool days?

Are you adding any fertilizer to the aquarium water? It does have some, with the fish waste of course, but maybe not quite enough. You might give a pinch or two into your aquarium water to boost the nitrogen a little.

I sure do agree about adding some magnesium, though. It never does any harm and orchids like it a lot.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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Jan 27, 2016 9:36 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
So a tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon of water has magnesium in it? Is that right?
I've moved them all to the north facing windowsill now. We shall see what that does.
Here's to the next six months of orchid ownership!
I've looked up orchid feeds on eBay and I noticed they all have completely different primary nutrient numbers and I didn't know which ones to choose for my orchids.
[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]
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Jan 27, 2016 9:44 PM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
Yes, if you look on the label of the Epsom Salts, it is magnesium sulphate. Very soluble and plants love it (not just orchids). Magnesium is an essential nutrient for plants to make chlorophyll which is the green stuff in the leaves that collects the sunlight.

The orchid books I have recommend using fertilizer with a low middle number (low Phosphorus) but that is specifically for Florida where we have phosphorus naturally in the water. What I'm using right now is a formula with a nutrient analysis of 14 - 0 - 46 and it sure has done wonders for my plants since I changed from a "regular" orchid fertilizer. The old one had 20 - 14 - 13 and the Bloom Booster fert has 20 - 35 - 15. My orchid book doesn't recommend using the bloom booster formula except maybe once in the spring and once in fall.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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Jan 27, 2016 9:44 PM CST
Name: Daisy I
Reno, Nv (Zone 6b)
Not all who wander are lost
Garden Sages Plant Identifier
It looks like Odontoglossum Pacific Sunspots.
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming...."WOW What a Ride!!" -Mark Frost

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Jan 27, 2016 10:08 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
So I'll have to try different ones while watering along with my aquarium water and learn by mistake! I'll get three fertilisers with a different number highest each and try them throughout the year.
The tank water will have, in a week, added fertiliser and co2 booster for the aquarium plants I recently purchased.(by API)
Hopefully that helps them too. Can I use the magnesium on all my houseplants?
Got the regular, Crassula Ovata, Kalanchoe, Aloe Vera, Ceropegia Woodii and a Crassula hybrid of some sort. Hurray!
[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]
Last edited by PiaLouiseSourvi Jan 27, 2016 10:11 PM Icon for preview
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Jan 28, 2016 9:26 AM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
Yes, pretty much all plants can benefit from magnesium added to the water occasionally. Most fertilizers include a tiny amount of it as a "trace element" but tropical plants (which most house plants are) use more of it than other plants because they keep on growing year 'round.

Your plants that you mention above are mostly succulents, aren't they? So just a light spray or a small amount added to the water when you do water should be enough.

In tropical environments, usually there is a rainy season (June through Sept. here) when it rains torrentially and nearly every day. Soluble nutrients like magnesium are leached away very quickly in those warm heavy rains so I regularly use added Epsom Salts on my garden in the summer (whenever I think of it).
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
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Jan 28, 2016 11:33 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
I've added Epsom salts, aquarium fertiliser and some houseplant fertiliser to my basket Thank You!

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[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]
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Jan 28, 2016 11:42 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Pia-Louise
Romford, U.K. (Zone 8b)

Bulbs Region: United Kingdom Plant and/or Seed Trader Sempervivums Roses Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge)
Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Herbs Garden Art Frogs and Toads Container Gardener Cat Lover
DaisyI said:It looks like Odontoglossum Pacific Sunspots.


I am half Greek and that name made me giggle.
Means tooth-tongue.
So I had a little research and that's exactly what it means! They've got tooth like calluses at the base of the lip.
Looking at my older pictures of the flowers I can see a tiny spike at the end of the flower.. Dont know if that's them?
[...very passionate about Biology and Art. One day I would like to breed award winning hybrids.]

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