A VERY Long Long Chat About Oncidium Types

This video includes some more viewer's requests. It includes looking at and assessing the actual health of orchids (rather than just what they look like). There are some tips on looking after and growing the Oncidium Alliance successfully - they are not all the same.
As always, thanks for watching.
You can contact me 'privately' via my channel email address which is : [e-mail]
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I've now set up a new "Closed Group" on Facebook called "Roger's Orchids". If you watch my channel, you are welcome to apply for membership where you can post photos, ask questions and generally join in with orchid related things.

[@nicoleallen3079]

I love your long videos!!! I love listening to you while I poke around my orchids.

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Thanks.

[@theveggievlog9064]

This was a great one! Thanks! (And some of us don't mind the long, chatty ones... They contain the best information in my opinion!) 😊

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Probably too long for many?

[@anitabruce3717]

Great content and knowledge shared. Learned some more . Thanks Roger over in the old country!

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

You're welcome.

[@krisschmitz2167]

thanks for all of your videos. I've learned a lot. Up to 12 plants now.

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

You're welcome.

[@jokennedy2943]

Excellent stuff!

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Thanks.

[@summerrobinson8411]

Good tips and information, thanks Roger! (My Miltoniopsis are still alive! Although I took a day of rest today so I'd better go check...;) )

[@patsfreund9164]

Good video. My oncidiums are currently just sitting. Normally plants in general begin to grow again once we have passed the high summer temps. That's when I am happiest as well! LOL

[@barbaradessel2625]

I have an mini oncidium which was not a happy camper for almost 9 months. In February of this year, I took your advice and cleaned her up and got rid of a lot of roots and popped her in a very small pot with small bark and moss. She has been going bananas this summer. She has two lovely new growths and a bunch of lovely new roots. The pot is just crammed with roots also. Even though I just repoted in Feb. I would like to repot this one again. I would appreciate any thoughts and comments on this.Thanks bunches!

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

If the media is new, you could just pot it on. Gently lift it out of it's pot with all the media attached and put it in a larger pot with new media around the edge.

[@barbaradessel2625]

Super! Will do. thank you!!

[@ThreeRivers2014]

This was really, really helpful for me. I am new to Oncidiums and have five of them. Fortunately they seem to like my environment and are doing well. One of them is an Odontoglossum and I will be watching out to make sure they stay cooler. Thanks!

[@kimdreyer4970]

Always nice to see an update on you Odontoglossum crispum. I've put mine outside under cover. This summer has been a mic of cool, rainy days and hot dry days here in Denmark. On the hot days I mist and water with chilled rainwater, hoping it will do the trick. My Oncidium Samira has pushed up a new spike, but seeing as I received it in March, I'm not sure I can attribute the spike to my care.

[@MelissaWalker82]

My favorite topic! I actually yelled ‘oh yay!’ Out loud to my boyfriend when I saw the title 😂 thanks, Roger!

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

A bit too long really - but sometimes, they just end up that way.

[@MelissaWalker82]

Roger's Orchids well I learned something! My milt sunset is quite yellow and set several buds and is starting to shrivel so after watching this I ratcheted the blind closed more to give it a bit of a break from the sun. So thanks for that valuable tip :)

[@galecunningham1250]

This was great! I have four oncidiums now so as an avid fan, and with your inspiration, I plan on having more. Most recently, I acquired Wildcat (Bobcat) with gorgeous deep purple blooms that I am patiently waiting to see. This video was very interesting in that it gives me the "extra eyes" to see the different growth stages and how to tell the good and bad aspects of root development. Please continue with your orchid project series. My collection is varied and consists of cattleyas, phals, phrags,paphs, lycaste, bulbophyllum and vanilla planifolia. I Would love to grow zygopetalum, vanda and masdevallia, but alas and alack, my environment is not able to give them what they need; coolness and high humidity! Onwards and upwards, Roger, and many thanks for imparting your wisdom!!! Gale

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Oncidiums should be easy according to all the books - but when it comes to the real thing many are not.

[@mariakohlstrom8695]

Thank you Roger for sharing your knowledge! ❤️

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

You're welcome.

[@yourteacher458]

Most of my orchids are in oncidium alliance so I was looking forward to watching this video but..I had my four year old grandson on holidays with me..he wouldn't approve of my watching anything different from Aladdin😊,now my time has come,thank you!!!

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

You're welcome (hope you enjoyed it).

[@yourteacher458]

@@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai I loved it.

[@helenhawkins4054]

Nice one, and very helpful going over individual plants. Thanks 🙏

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

You're welcome.

[@richardwilliams3302]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

You're welcome.

[@galecunningham1250]

As you have so clearly pointed out, books can be disregarded when compared to practical experience! My first love in orchids are phrags and paphs but despite the fact that patience is a virtue, I'm leaning heavily towards the oncidiums.

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Paphs have never done well for me so their all gone now - I've never tried Phrags.

[@galecunningham1250]

Phrags are said to be easier than paphs. I have two: one is red, 'Yelva Myhre' and is pictured on pg. 947, photo #12 in AOS ORCHIDS December issue because it won a judge's award at a show in Toronto. My other phrag is 'Gigi" in purple. Neither of them have bloomed for me yet but hope springs eternal, I've had them less than a year. (I must start a journal!) Today I bought some cocoa husks (organic so no chemicals and the seller claims no soaking needed, though I will soak anyway) in an effort to provide more moisture. They are reputed to like water but not soaking. So it's all an experiment, but I love it!

[@ericaolmos3446]

Thank you for sharing

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

You're welcome.

[@Banano91f]

Thank you!

[@denisesorchidparadise1411]

great video Roger!

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Thanks.

[@Jojo-nk2qg]

Hi Roger, Thanks for sharing. Around 45 minutes of your video, you were showing what looks like a miltoniopsis with bright yellow flowers, you were explaining what might be the biggest pseudo bulb in your care that is smaller then the earlier one. What is name of this one? I love the color of the bloom so much. Thank you!

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

The name it had when I bought it was Oncidium varicosum rogersii 'Baldin' (but I believe the species changed to Gomesa varicosa but that wouldn't account for the variety name).

[@Jojo-nk2qg]

@@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai Thank you so much! i will look it up!

[@j.d.8075]

It all comes down to "know your plants" when you look at your plants every day and you have worked with them for a period time, you get a 6th sense almost for the individual health of them.

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Exactly.

[@dianeandorchidsatvictorharbor]

Recently got 5 small Tolumnia in net pots, I was going to mount them all but 1 has started pushing a spike. Spike has pushed on quite quickly....how long before I see the blooms? Just received 4 Wilsonara today, lovely big plants and a very quick look showed some roots growing so I should be able to pot them up as they arrived in a peat type mix. Just waiting for delivery of 5 twinkles. Need to get more mounts now, hopefully my local club will have some at their Spring show later this month. 🤞

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

The spikes on Tolumnias seem to appear from nowhere but then take quite a while to grow on and produce the buds/blooms.

[@dianeandorchidsatvictorharbor]

@@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai The spike has grown a lot since I first saw it. Looks like the mounting them will have to wait. Might be for the best as I've just heard we are due to get a really cold spell. As you say plant first.

[@laurafedora5385]

Great timing for this vid! I have an oncidium sphacelatum that has a soft brown spot on a pseudobulb. It does not appear to be spreading, but happened rather quickly over the last couple of days. Should I cut the pseudobulb off, try to resect just the bad part, or just monitor it? ☹️

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Personally, I would cut it out. Maybe better 'safe than sorry'?

[@laurafedora5385]

Roger's Orchids yeah, that’s what I’m leaning towards. I’m bummed because it’s been doing really well since I got it and split/repotted it, but it will have 3 more Pseudobulbs on that part, so should be ok

[@YnseSchaap]

How do you keep the roots so neatly tucked on the mounts, mine are all over the place

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Roots do their own thing - new roots usually attach and don't 'need' to grow as long - the aerial roots are always searching for moisture.

[@YnseSchaap]

@@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai It's getting a bit annoying with some, you can only add so much moss

[@larryjones558]

This got me thinking of a related but side topic and wondering your (and everyone’s ) thoughts. So facts say calcium is an immobile nutrient. But when we are starting with a rootless pseudobulb, how is the stored calcium mobilized and used for new roots and shoots? When you mentioned old bulbs/canes and storage of energy it got me thinking. If you have a rootless structure, where does the calcium needed come from. I assume there is a limited amount available for new growth. Which may explain why if new structures are lost from a rootless psbulb that may be the last straw. The calcium reserves are gone?

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Calcium is not the only 'building block' - and worth remembering that the plants have stored 'converted' energy it can use. A plant will never grow as well without adequate suitable Calcium, but it can still grow all be it 'poorly'. For years, my plants did ok without worrying about Calcium and in those days, the only Calcium they got was in the tap water I used (which is Calcium Carbonate - not even in a suitable form for plants to use). It's only in more recent years that Calcium has been moved out of the micro elements into the secondary elements along with Magnesium. Something we growers often forget - in nature plants get rained on - Calcium and Magnesium are in rainwater which can be absorbed through the leaves. The way we grow, this probably doesn't happen.

[@bigboxorchid2017]

I don't grow oncidiums anymore in my climate. Used to have many when I was in Europe. ...wait...I have tolumnias..😅

[@KAMJKJ]

Psychopsis is not mentioned in oncidium I'm sad my profile pic is very very sad since psychopsis is one and only exclusive type of oncidium ally which has beautiful mottled leathery leaves and has long sequential blooming activity and beautiful blooms which has both normal and peloric blooms which is very big and strange looking to someone and beautiful to others

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

My Psychopsis is very poor. It still blooms but just won't grow. I will replace it when I find another good one.

[@KAMJKJ]

@@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai can we see the plant in a short clip of any near upcoming video and analyse why it is poor and a rescue it and learn something from that poor fellow and talk about that 😕sad orchid

[@YnseSchaap]

Oh come on, I'm already two hours behind 🤣

[@denisesorchidparadise1411]

30 minutes is all I can give him now, will have to finish this evening

[@YnseSchaap]

@@denisesorchidparadise1411 😂

[@martinspijker8952]

je bedoelt 2 jaar??..:)

[@YnseSchaap]

@@martinspijker8952 nee twee uur, zoveel blow ik nu ook weer niet, toch ?

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

A bit at a time?

[@martinspijker8952]

my varicosum also never made more then 1 new groth..:)

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Seems a slower grower.

[@YnseSchaap]

Aphids leave honey dew that's why ants love them

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

The real oddballs of the Oncidium alliance are the Trichocentrum. Some of them (such as Trt. stacyi) are virtually unrecognizable as even being an Oncidium type until they bloom. And you left out your poor Psychopsis.

[@RogersOrchidsGardenandBonsai]

Not even sure why that Psychopsis is still alive.