Got new Onc. Sharry Baby and Cym. Lady Sheridan!

[orkidea]

I'm a happy owner of two new orchids!!!! One is an Oncidium Sharry Baby "Sweet Fragrance", which is still a baby, and the other Cymbidium Lady Sheridan "Bayswater". I mostly want to just share my excitement but I also would like to know that what I'm doing is on the right track.

My baby Sharry Baby will probably take ages before I'm able to smell any chocolatey whafts in the house but that's ok. The baby S. Baby is now in a 5.5-cm-pot (2"), planted in tiny wood chips. I have it on the south-west window where it gets a couple of hours of direct late afternoon winter-sun and the rest of the time it is in bright but not direct sun. I understand it should stay moist and not dry too much before watering it. Any suggestions on how to fertilize it? It's growing new leaves and the bulbs look plump, green and smooth.

The cymbidium is nearing flowering size though. I can even see a pointy tip of a flower spike coming from underneath one of the pseudobulbs. It's inside the house right now in an area where night-time temperature may fall to 10 C (50 F) or even a couple degrees lower on some cold winter-nights. It gets day-time temperatures around 12-15 C (53-59F) and even a bit higher on nice sunny days. I have read Cymbidium likes it cool. Perhaps I can take it outside to get some extra sun on some nice winter days. It's potted in medium-size bark. I was planning to water it when it's still a bit moist but not wet. How should I fertilize it now that it's about to spike? What kind of fertilizer? It has some white powdery stuff mixed in with the bark which I believe is from some kind of fertilizer pellets.

I post some pictures of my latest pets for you to see. The others are Phals and they are pregnant - but that's another thread!!!

And lastly, thank you for a great, informative forum

[Puddy1]

Very nice babies Orkidea!

[cable]

I've never believed in "bloom booster" fertilizers. Doesn't happen in nature, and doesn't make much sense to me in cultivation, either. (Too much phosphorus can actually inhibit blooming!) Just use a normal orchid fertilizer, following manufacturer's recommendations or a bit less. (The usual advice is to fertilize "weakly, weekly".)

Looking at the photos, I think the white powdery stuff might be salt buildup from previous high fertilizer levels. Ignore it unless you start seeing fertilizer burn, but repot after the plant is done blooming.

[orchids4me]

Nice pick ups ! Good luck with them
@cable. Thank you for the tips

[bearded orchid]

Congrats on the lovely orchids! Interestingly, I just ordered a baby Onc. Sharry Baby "Sweet Fragrance" and baby Cym. King Arthur "Green Giant" yesterday. Great minds think alike, eh?

I don't think my Cym will be anywhere near that size, though. Good luck with the new spike! (Though, are you sure it's not a new pseudobulb?) Regardless, new growth is good growth

[Liberty White]

Congratulations on your two new ones, they both look healthy and happy. What makes it even more interesting is that I too, just got a Sharry Baby, no Cym. though.

Thanks for the tips cable .

[BGGraham1]

Ha ha! I got a Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance' a little over a month ago. I cheated, though, and got a larger one. Its throwing up a new growth right now, so hopefully I will get to see some blooms next year.
Congrats on your pick-ups. Nice choices!

[orkidea]

Thank you, thank you for all the compliments! How long do you geeks think it takes for my baby Sharry Baby to produce even one little flower stem? I may have to get an adult plant to enjoy the blooms earlier...

Cable: Thanks for valuable info. I also say 'no' to any special "boosting" products. I have been using a generic orchid fertilizer (9-6-13) for my Phals, slightly more diluted than directed. Based on your reply, it appears that the same product will do for the two new ones as well. I "rinse" the plants with clear, clean water before fertilizing them. Perhaps that will eventually wash out the powdery build-up.

Bearded Orchid: You are right, I'm not 100% sure that it's a flower stem. Maybe it's just my wishful thinking . I just compared the new growth to the pseudo-bulbs beside it. It looks flatter and pointier than the bulbs do. I guess I have to wait and see. Any sign of new life is good - so true!!!