Cambria/Beallara/etc.

[journorchid]

So in the last couple of days, since joining this forum to ask about the unexpected wilt of my phal -- turns out my houseguest had misted the blooms, which i gather is a no-no -- I have discovered what most of you seem to know: This stuff is pretty addictive. So I spent the weekend making the rounds of some of the local stores looking for bargains (clearance at big-box or sales at nursuries), and have amassed a sort of instant collection.

The three easy (relatively) are the phals --
1. The original one, which is hangin' on with one tiny bud at the end of the original spike, and which I repotted a few days ago.... expecting dormancy on that one pretty soon... any tips on special care after I trim the spike (which has already sent off a branch once, per my earlier posts) would be great.

2. A new phal, small and lovely yellow flowers -- two, one of which is damaged -- but lots of promising buds. The only concern here is that the leaves are droopier than they should be based on what I've read. But I don't want to mess with her while she's blooming/budding (unless you advise otherwise), so I'm just giving her the southern light/cooler evenings treatment and hoping for a glorious burst in a month or so. Two stalks, y'all. $1.99 at the bigbox thanks to some damage which I have already pruned.

3. An enormous, glorious-looking phal with a spray of large white flowers, some in bloom and some about to burst, and from the same stalk, another branch with many promising-looking buds. Major concern here is that the plant isn't too firmly rooted in the medium. THere are a bunch of woody aerial roots but seem to be only two major roots in the medium. Again, don't want to pull this out int he midst of such a beatiful display, unless you instruct otherwise.

Now here's the problem child
I obtained at a Trader Joe's for shockingly cheap a plant that was labeled only "Orchid Intergeneric." It looks a heck of a lot like someof the odontoglossum pix I've seen but more than anything it looks like a pic I saw on some site labeled "Beallara Peggy Ruth Carpenter's Morning Joy." Somewhat thin petals, white with red spots on the blooms... Wish to high heaven I could post a picture. Anyway's it has 3 main bulbs and one tiny new one, with the spike off the central bulb. It's about 30" tall and has a bunch of buds yet to open. Not bad for five bucks. But.... the leaves do not look good. Some are wilty, some have brown/spotty discoloration toward the ends, some yellowing near the ends. I feel like the plant is is a crucial stage, because the flowering indicates some vitality but the leaves mean I must get the lighting and humidity situation correct for the transition to my house. So. With love to all of you, please -- send me some tips on what to do or think about the leaves, and on how to care for this plant. I'd post pictures if I could, but... you know...

And if you have thoughts on the phals, send those along as well.

Thanks in advance and a million times over.

Dan

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Light wise, oncidiums grow well with Phals. Keep checking your number of posts in your profile. Sometimes they pop up to 10 for no reason, the number needed to post pictures.

[jerrymeola]

Lots of questions so lets see what we have.

Your purchasing plants from the clearance at big box stores means the plants are more damaged then you think. These stores seldom water their plants correctly (the little hanging bags are the worst they never get watered). Lack of water (and to a lesser extend fertilizer) can can stunt plant until it will never grow properly again.

You have the plants now and not much money invested but a fair amount of emotional investment.

The first plant - you should cut the stem near the base. I would chop it off now sacrificing the tiny bud. Sometimes they never open and the plant can use a rest period to get strength for next year. Do not be tempted to try for branching and additional flowers it is too much for this plant.

The second one is harder. It was discounted because it was badly dehydrated and may not survive. Unfortunately the flower buds also may not open. I want to point out hear that water the plant DOES NOT rehydrate the plant. The roots have changed to where they take very small amounts of water into the plant. You should water modestly until you see new root growth. Full strength watering now is an invite for rot.

The third is the easiest just use a pot clip to stabilize the plant in the pot.

The Oncidium Alliance is typical of how the plants look when neglected. you should expect all those yellow leaves to die in the next few weeks. There is nothing you can do to stop it. The one new growth is your hope. I find unfortunately that these growths have a tendency to rot at the base on a damaged plant. Keep it in lower light do not fertilize (never fertilize a stressed plant), give it good air circulation, and hope for the best.

Everyone should remember their high school biology. Survival of the species is paramount. When this Oncidium is flowering so strongly it can be a sign of impending death (at least from the plants view) and the plant is trying for a last attempt at propagating. The new bulb is also an attempt at survival. However the two attempts conflict with each other. Both are stressful to the plant.

I would enjoy the flowers they cost you less than cut flowers, and maybe you will get lucky and have the plant survive.

[journorchid]

Thanks a million to both of you, especially Jerry, for your continuing advice. You're right about the money vs. emotion issue, but while I'm still figuring this out, I think there's nothing wrong with buying low. I'm a starvingly poor cub reporter, and will order a few more healthy and carefully-selected plants when I have the cash to do so. Also, Phal. (3), the one with no real problems -- I did pay some money for that: 60% off at a very reputable nursury, but still not cheap like the others.

So here are my decisions:

1. Took your advice to sacrifice the bud. The plant means a lot to me and is fundamentally healthy, so I will use it as my first test in patience.

2. I guess I'll just have to hope for root growth and see what happens. You are definitely right about it -- lots of buds, but bud development is way slower than it should be.

3. Buds are bursting. Once the current spray is fully on the brink, I will bring it into lower light/cool environment so all can enjoy the blooms while they last.

Then the onc.
If what you say is true, I guess it's just too bad -- but given the healthy-looking roots, I'm not giving up hope. I Think there's either something fungal or something about light/humidity causing the brown spots near tips of leaves. I'll admit, though, that the leaves have gotten worse since I first wrote, and that I repotted in a bark mix that is likely way too coarse -- I think the roots may not be getting the water they need anymore, esp. since I brought the thing out of my humidified consdervator (worried leaves were sunburned) and into my less-humid living room. It is on a pebble tray with water, fwiw, but... well, take a look at the photos below and tell me what to do (other than "enjoy it while you can.")

Again, thanks a lot for helping out a newbie as I ease my way into this new world...

Photos:
excuse the mess -- i'm getting ready for a goodwill run. also note that this is not the plant's typical location -- just moved it here to enjoy it while it lasts, etc.
1. This is a recent brown spot at the end of a leaf that was healthy when I bought the plant.
2. These were the existing brown spots when I bought it. Problem seems to have spread.
3. The whole plant. Seems worth saving if possible, no?
4. Bloom and a nearly-ready bud, in case y'all are curious what kind of plant we're dealing with here. If you can, please tell me what the heck this thing is, and whether I'm right about its being an intergeneric, and what kind of care this type demands in general (humidity, watering, light)
5. The shrivelled main bulb. Some books call this normal; others say it's a bad sign. Either way, this is the source of my spike, so I'm going to have to do my best with what I got.

Thanks again for your generosity of time and attention. I hope it will continue now that you have clearer visuals on what's going on with this lovely plant. I am trying to remain optimistic; please play along.

With gratitude,

Dan

[journorchid]

As an update, I have added a layer of sphag moss over the coarse bark to try to maintain some moisture in the pot...

[winky]

I know you didn't ask for an ID but I have an orchid that appears to be identical to yours. It is Degarmoara Winter Wonderland 'White Fairy'

[prisana]

My Bllra. Tahoma Glacier 'Green' looks a lot like yours too--just a thought on the ID but when I got mine in spike (3 of them) the plant didn't look too bad, but as the buds opened up the plant got kind of stressed out, I finally chopped off all the spike when they were only half-way done, repotted it and gave it kind of a dry treatment for a couple of weeks with an exception of misting the top of medium a couple times a day and keeping it out of strong light and winds and now I'm seeing new roots breaking out of the old roots. I've had this plant since late Sept. The pseudobulbs plumped up to almost normal . That's just my story, if you think it's worth trying.. ( mine is grown outside in a shade, by the way ) Good Luck

[journorchid]

Thx to both for the ID ideas.

To be clear, I'm asking two main questions:

1. What's the deal with the leaf spots/shrivelled bulbs, and what should I do?
2. What class of plant is this (in newbie terms -- that's Gump-style) and how should I care for it.

Thanks again,

dan

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Leaf spots at leaf tips could be from bad water. Are you watering them with softened water? Maybe from somethig else, but not sure what. Tiny spots on Oncidiums is sometimes normal. Be sure the leaves are dry when the temp starts to fall.

Shriveled bulb is probably not a problem, as this is what they tend to do after their initial plumpness when first grown. Use the skewer method (search on skewer) to test wetness before watering to make sure you are not over watering and killing the roots.

This is an Oncidium family intergeneric, exact combination of genera we can not say, but grow it as an Oncidium sphacelatum, if you need something to look up, or any of the intergenerics, and average the results you get. This plant can be grown with Phals or a little more light, needs to be watered before completely drying out, but not kept wet.

[journorchid]

Thanks again, Cynthia, for the help on this. I will look up care instructions for the intergenerics per your suggestion.

Re: The water -- I think I do have mineral-rich water, because my (non-orchid) plants I'ave had for a while all have the white buildup on the outsides of their terra cotta pots. So I have looked around for info on water softness, but i haven't seen an answer to this question: Does a standard Brita or Pur water filter take care of it, or do I need to be doing something else. I remember something about not using deionized water, but what about just jugs of distilled water...? Brita would be ideal b/c cheapest, obviously...

Y'all are the best.

Dan

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Don't know if the filters you mention take out minerals. If you have hardwater, the best is to do your watering at the sink and run large amounts of water thru the pot each time you water. I used to raise the PH of my water by mixing with a little phophoric acid, which helps to disolve the old minerals out. Need to get the phophoric acid at a chemical supply house and you need a ph meter to get the mixture to about 6.0-6.5 ph. But just running a lot of water may be enough. Deionized, rain, RO, or purified water, but not spring or drinking water is OK.