I recently bought an Oncidium. I'd had a Phal which bloomed for 7
months. It's not blooming now and I couldn't find another Phal that I
liked so I got the Oncidium. I know little about orchids.

The Oncidium has two flower spikes. I can't tell if it's a single
plant with two spikes or more than one plant. The planting medium
appears to be some kind of moss - no soil. It's in a clay pot. It's
in the same place as the Phal. I water it when it feels dry with
Orchid food - same as I did with the Phal.

One spike is flowering beautifully. The other has many buds but has
not flowered. I noticed the buds were covered with black specs.
Almost like very small poppy seeds. I wiped the all off with a damp
cloth. The other spike is not affected.

What are these? What should I do?

Thanks

wrote:
The Oncidium has two flower spikes. I can't tell if it's a single
plant with two spikes or more than one plant. The planting medium
appears to be some kind of moss - no soil.

On an oncidium, most commercial growers will use sphagnum moss. It is
not particularly well suited for oncidiums in the home environment.
Most new growers have a tendancy to overwater. The moss stays wet
around the roots and causes rot. With the exception of some
teresstrial orchids, regular potting soil should NEVER be used. After
the blooms fade, you should repot into a looser orchid mix. This will
allow the media to drain and give more air around the roots.

It's in a clay pot.

If there is no plastic pot inside the clay and the clay is unglazed,
this will help to offset the wetness of the moss because the clay pot
is porous and will help it dry faster

It's in the same place as the Phal. I water it when it feels dry with
Orchid food - same as I did with the Phal.

In the future it will need brighter light than the phal. BTW, if you
can get a night time temperature drop down into the 50's for your phal
it will help initiate the spikes for its seasonal bloom. It's a good
time of year to leave the window open or take the plant outside for a
couple of weeks. Don't let it get too much sun or down below 50F.

One spike is flowering beautifully. The other has many buds but has
not flowered. I noticed the buds were covered with black specs.
Almost like very small poppy seeds. I wiped the all off with a damp
cloth. The other spike is not affected.

Did the black spots appear after you brought the plant home? Did they
move? When you buy plants from retail stores, the plants may have an
infestation of insects. There are a lot of plants, some exposed to the
outside, a lot of handling, and crowding, etc. I usually recommend a
quarantine or isolating the plant for observation to avoid migration of
a pest to other plants in the house.

What are these? What should I do?
For right now, enjoy the blooms and observe the spots. If they return
it may indicate an active infestation. Sometimes, it is "nothing" fly
spots (excrement) from flies or spiders attracted to the nectar or
sweet stickiness of the buds. Look at your phal carefully, too.
Because you put your oncidium in the same place it may be the source
and you missed it because it was out of bloom.

It will probably need to be sprayed for insects in the future anyway.
When you spray, use an insecticide for plants. Delivery should be via
pump or spritzer bottle. Do not use an aersol or spray can.
Thanks

Best wished, and happy growing.

Nancy

Thanks for the information Nancy.

I looked this morning and there were a few more black specs. I watched
them and at first nothing moved, then suddenly one seemed to jump off.

They are only on the unopened buds. Nothing on the flowers.

I checked my Phal and it's fine, at least the leaves look fine. There
are no flowers or buds on it.

So I guess I need to treat it with something. I have an excellent
local nursery. I'm sure they can help me.

As for the pot - I rechecked and there is a plastic liner in the clay.
I will be very careful not to over water. My Phal is in something that
feels like peat moss. It's easier to test for moisture than the hay
like stuff the Oncidium is in.

One more question: My Phal - I cut the flower spikes down a bit but
not much. Should I cut them all the way down?

Thanks again.

Nancy G. wrote:
wrote:
The Oncidium has two flower spikes. I can't tell if it's a single
plant with two spikes or more than one plant. The planting medium
appears to be some kind of moss - no soil.

On an oncidium, most commercial growers will use sphagnum moss. It is
not particularly well suited for oncidiums in the home environment.
Most new growers have a tendancy to overwater. The moss stays wet
around the roots and causes rot. With the exception of some
teresstrial orchids, regular potting soil should NEVER be used. After
the blooms fade, you should repot into a looser orchid mix. This will
allow the media to drain and give more air around the roots.

It's in a clay pot.

If there is no plastic pot inside the clay and the clay is unglazed,
this will help to offset the wetness of the moss because the clay pot
is porous and will help it dry faster

It's in the same place as the Phal. I water it when it feels dry with
Orchid food - same as I did with the Phal.

In the future it will need brighter light than the phal. BTW, if you
can get a night time temperature drop down into the 50's for your phal
it will help initiate the spikes for its seasonal bloom. It's a good
time of year to leave the window open or take the plant outside for a
couple of weeks. Don't let it get too much sun or down below 50F.

One spike is flowering beautifully. The other has many buds but has
not flowered. I noticed the buds were covered with black specs.
Almost like very small poppy seeds. I wiped the all off with a damp
cloth. The other spike is not affected.

Did the black spots appear after you brought the plant home? Did they
move? When you buy plants from retail stores, the plants may have an
infestation of insects. There are a lot of plants, some exposed to the
outside, a lot of handling, and crowding, etc. I usually recommend a
quarantine or isolating the plant for observation to avoid migration of
a pest to other plants in the house.

What are these? What should I do?
For right now, enjoy the blooms and observe the spots. If they return
it may indicate an active infestation. Sometimes, it is "nothing" fly
spots (excrement) from flies or spiders attracted to the nectar or
sweet stickiness of the buds. Look at your phal carefully, too.
Because you put your oncidium in the same place it may be the source
and you missed it because it was out of bloom.

It will probably need to be sprayed for insects in the future anyway.
When you spray, use an insecticide for plants. Delivery should be via
pump or spritzer bottle. Do not use an aersol or spray can.
Thanks

Best wished, and happy growing.

Nancy

I looked this morning and there were a few more black specs. I watched
them and at first nothing moved, then suddenly one seemed to jump off.

They are only on the unopened buds. Nothing on the flowers.

I checked my Phal and it's fine, at least the leaves look fine. There
are no flowers or buds on it.

So I guess I need to treat it with something. I have an excellent
local nursery. I'm sure they can help me.

As for the pot - I rechecked and there is a plastic liner in the clay.
I will be very careful not to over water. My Phal is in something that
feels like peat moss. It's easier to test for moisture than the hay
like stuff the Oncidium is in.

The coarser mix for oncidiums is OK. It should contain more stems, be
packed with the stems more vertical instead of around the pot, and
looser than for the phal. Most oncidiums develop pseudobulbs (the
smooth bulge between the leaf and base of the plant) to regulate water
uptake to the leaf. They need extra drainage and air around their
roots to prevent rot. You may be able to water on more or less the
same schedule as the phal, just make sure that the onc. drains
thoroughly and does not sit in water.

One more question: My Phal - I cut the flower spikes down a bit but
not much. Should I cut them all the way down?

Some phals will start new growth at the nodes on the spike if the spike
is still green and live. These may be new plants (keikeis) or smaller
bloom spikes. When I don't know the habit of the plant, I will cut the
spike down and leave 2 or 3 nodes, usually about half the of the
original spike. That helps to keep the height manageable if it does
branch and bloom from there.

This is the best time of year to provide for the necessary temperature
drop to initiate blooms. Of course, I'm assuming now. Some phals will
bloom in the later summer, but most of the commercially available ones,
naturally bloom in the late winter / early spring, It's tricky to tell
because they "force" the plants to bloom year round. In your case I
would recommend aiming for a 15 to 20 F drop in temperature (70's
during the day, 50's at night) to stimulate the spike process. The new
spike may be confused with a new root for a while. The spike will have
a more square shape than the root, and naturally as it develops will
stay green and grow towards the light.

Happy growing,

Nancy

On 17 Sep 2006 05:54:32 -0700, wrote:
One more question: My Phal - I cut the flower spikes down a bit but
not much. Should I cut them all the way down?

Thanks again.


There are two schools of thought on that subject.

YES says that if you cut the spike the plant grows a new leaf and
works on its living resource base until it is triggered to grow a new
inflorescence.

NO says that if you only cut it back as it dies and dry's back, you
have a chance of more flowers from that spike. Now this does take
effort on the part of your plant and it does expend resources doing a
secondary (less size and less flowers) flush of blooms. So if you
plant is growing new leaves and roots and looking very healthy you can
take a chance of letting it bloom again. This secondary blooming will
be smaller flowers and less flowers than the original. It may happen
when the next inflorescence develops or it may happen sooner. If the
plant waits until the second inflorescence develops it does make a
very attractive and full display.

But note the health of the plant. It is possible to have a Phal bloom
itself to death. You can repot a Phal that is in bloom or in bud -
just be extra careful of fragile flowering parts that can break
easily. Keep your plant on its regular repotting schedule and enjoy
the flowers it gives you.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/orchids

Hmmm - I think I'm confused.

My Phal has two bare flower spikes. It also has two new leaves which
grew just as the last flowers were fading. It looks very health.

So - if I want it to bloom fully and be at it's best I should cut the
spikes, even though it may take longer that way - is that right?

Susan Erickson wrote:
On 17 Sep 2006 05:54:32 -0700, wrote:
One more question: My Phal - I cut the flower spikes down a bit but
not much. Should I cut them all the way down?

Thanks again.


There are two schools of thought on that subject.

YES says that if you cut the spike the plant grows a new leaf and
works on its living resource base until it is triggered to grow a new
inflorescence.

NO says that if you only cut it back as it dies and dry's back, you
have a chance of more flowers from that spike. Now this does take
effort on the part of your plant and it does expend resources doing a
secondary (less size and less flowers) flush of blooms. So if you
plant is growing new leaves and roots and looking very healthy you can
take a chance of letting it bloom again. This secondary blooming will
be smaller flowers and less flowers than the original. It may happen
when the next inflorescence develops or it may happen sooner. If the
plant waits until the second inflorescence develops it does make a
very attractive and full display.

But note the health of the plant. It is possible to have a Phal bloom
itself to death. You can repot a Phal that is in bloom or in bud -
just be extra careful of fragile flowering parts that can break
easily. Keep your plant on its regular repotting schedule and enjoy
the flowers it gives you.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/orchids

On 17 Sep 2006 15:24:24 -0700, wrote:

Hmmm - I think I'm confused.

My Phal has two bare flower spikes. It also has two new leaves which
grew just as the last flowers were fading. It looks very health.

So - if I want it to bloom fully and be at it's best I should cut the
spikes, even though it may take longer that way - is that right?

Not necessarily.
Fact. A second branching blooming off an old inflorescence is
generally smaller flowers and less flowers that a similar sized
inflorescence blooming for the first time.
Fact. As Nancy said - they can & sometimes do keiki from such an
inflorescence.
Fact. It takes plant resources to bloom. Any bloom.

Decision - You need to decide for your self.

You said - Plant has new leaves = healthy.
- You want lots of flowers - more than one inflorescence
can be expected to support.
- You have 2 bare spikes that have not died back

Chances are good that the 2 spikes would send out branches and thus
you would have 3 blooming inflorescences... At the same time??? Maybe.

You have the plant - you have the facts - you make the decision.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/orchids