how do i repot a Oncidium

[uffe3667]

Today i got this orchid (id'd as Miltonidium Bartley Schwartz thanks to the geeks).
How do i get about repoting this one. I repotted Phals before, but never a species with these bulbs. I read on these forums about the medium (will probably be bark) needs to be filled to accommodate for the newest bulbs (are these the bulbs that are the highest?). On this plant there seems to be several "newest" bulbs, some currently up to 2 inches above the medium.
So basically how do i identify the new bulbs and how do i repot this plant.
(or do i split it up somehow so i can get all the "newest" bulbs with there "parents" in a separate pot)
I hope you can help;
Erik
Copy of Bartley Schwartz-0004.jpg
Bartley Schwartz-0005.jpg

[dounoharm]

i dont think i would mess with it till it gets some bigger...it is in the appropriate size pot, maybe just check the roots and put some new media in with the roots....let it grow a bit....

[mehitabel]

Originally Posted by uffe3667

How do i get about repoting this one. ... I read on these forums about the medium (will probably be bark) needs to be filled to accommodate for the newest bulbs (are these the bulbs that are the highest?).

Mtdm need moisture, so use a moisture retentive medium. If you use bark, use finer bark than you would use for a catt, and add a little sphag on top to keep humidity in the bark. You don't want to water so often you keep it *wet*, but it needs to be kept a little moist. Don't let it dry out completely.

Do NOT bury any of the pseudobulbs. PBs need to ride just on top of the medium, the way it is potted right now. If buried, they will rot, and the rot can spread, destroying the whole plant. (Ask me how I found this out).

Originally Posted by uffe3667

On this plant there seems to be several "newest" bulbs, some currently up to 2 inches above the medium. So basically how do i identify the new bulbs and how do i repot this plant.(or do i split it up somehow so i can get all the "newest" bulbs with there "parents" in a separate pot)

How to repot? Get a pot one size larger, and put your plant in it at the same level it is now. DON"T bury the pbs, let them ride on top of the medium, just the way they are now.

I would not split it. A larger plant has more resources both for blooming and to withstand stress. You will get lots more flowers with a greater frequency from a larger plant.

New roots will form off the new pbs. So you may want to tuck a few threads of sphagnum moss around them to create humidity for the new roots to form. But repeat-- don't bury the old PBs

How to tell which are the new PBs-- are smaller and look new. New blooms will also come off the new PBs as they mature.

Read up on Oncidium culture

AOS | Oncidium

[Stelios]

i am pro repotting it, i see early signs of pleated leaves. That means you either do not water it a lot or the medium is not holding enough water.

When repotting it is not necessary to always get a bigger size pot. They like their roots to be tight. But fresh medium always help (make sure you will soak it overnight if you will use bark).

To repot it soak it so that the old medium will be easier to be removed and then pot it in fresh. If it is top heavy you will might want to use some wire to make it stay in place. It is better to use already shaped wire for the job or just make a loop enclosing the upper side of the rhizome (between the pseudobulbs - soft covered wire will be a better choice) and the to edges passing through opposite side drainage holes, then tight them under the bottom of the pot. Make sure that depending on the root system size you will have enough medium under it so that the pseudobulbs will not be buried in the fresh potting medium. The new medium should not be very tight to allow aeration and when filling make sure you will not press so hard that the roots will be damaged from the pressure.

Old pseudobulbs goes near the edge with the growing size having some space for it to grow new pseudobulbs. Although with the size of your plant it is common for it to grow towards all directions some times.

[uffe3667]

Hi all , thanks for the advice so far.
To indicate my dilemma i uploaded a new picture with my "Problem" indicated in a red oval. The new bulb in the oval is about 2" above the medium. how do i get this bulb "riding on top " of the medium without burying the older bulbs?
And indeed it looks like this plant is growing in all directions with a t least 3 bulbs as high up as in the picture, and most seem to be growing towards the middle of the pot.

Gr. Erik
copy of bartley schwartz-0004high.jpg

[mehitabel]

Originally Posted by uffe3667

The new bulb in the oval is about 2" above the medium. how do i get this bulb "riding on top " of the medium without burying the older bulbs?

You can't. You have to let the lower bulbs ride the medium. PBs that "climb" are common in oncid. It's their growth habit, and you can't defeat it. Just let it happen. Growing orchids, we have to resist impulses to excessive tidiness. Remember, the plant has done just fine and bloomed with those new pbs above the old. You can see the grower was at pains not to bury the original PBs. Don't change what isn't broken. The old PBs are what are supporting the plant. You don't want to lose them.

When roots appear on the new PBs, a single thread of sphag on them won't hurt, but bury the old bulbs at your peril.

The previous poster that was told to get a new PB down into the medium was told that because she said she kept getting new roots on it that died, and the old PBs were shriveled, brown and almost dead.

[uffe3667]

OK, thanks again Mehitabel. Seems clear to me now.
If i understand you correctly you would only bury the old bulbs when they do no longer support the plant.
I will repot at the same level since all of the lower bulbs seem real healthy.
At the moment these high bulbs only have very rudimentary roots. Will they stay that way or can i expect roots from these?

[mehitabel]

Yes, your whole plant looks healthy and great. You would never bury the old bulbs-- when they no longer support the plant you would cut them off. But don't do that til they are totally shrivelled and look really terrible.

I lost a whole, beautiful big oncid because I buried the old bulbs too deep. They rotted, and by the time I noticed (the bulbs hold their exterior shape while they rot from the inside out)--By the time I noticed, the rot had spread, and the whole plant was lost in a short time.

The high bulbs (new ones) -- these are the ones the new roots and also new flowers will come from. When you water, be sure the little root nubs on these get wet. If you have any sphag, a single thread of sphag tucked over the little nubs helps keep moisutre in, even when the sphag itself dries out.

You've got a beautiful big healthy plant there. It will do fine. Be careful to not use a pot too big. Go up only one size of pot.

Good luck

[uffe3667]

Mehitabel, thanks a million. With that last post i think i have the complete picture.
Will see if i can get my hands on some sphag, but i think i have never seen it sold here except some chopped up in bark mix.
Again thank you very much.

Erik

[maiseymoo]

Hope the repot goes well Erik, this has been very useful to me as well!

[uffe3667]

so after been given all the advice and mehitabel holding my hand for comfort i started the repotting tonight and basically my problem resolved itself. The high bulb including some 5-6 parent bulbs with roots and all seemed to separate themselves from the main plant all by themselves.
So i decided to give it a final push and repot as 2 separate plants. Lots of good roots and bulbs on both of them so i have good hopes.
The high bulbs with parents went into a smaller pot and slightly slanted so also the root nubs of the high bulbs are likely to get some moisture.
the main plant had some pretty even bulbs so this was a pretty easy repot .
again thanks to all for the information;
Erik