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Orchid


Question
Don't know the name of this one.  It has  two bulbous parts just above the surface from which the half dozen long pointy leaves grow. Flowers were  small, yellowish with brown spots, ocelot-like.  It recently finished blooming, and I see new growth starting to grow.  Don't know how to care for it at this stage.  Cut back?  If so, how.  What about water and feeding?  

Answer
Chuck: Sounds like you are the proud owner of an Oncidium.  Down here is Florida, Oncidiums flourish.  They are one of my personal favorites.  The snails are not particularly fond of them, they thrive in humidity and will tolerage more than average abuse and still perform.  The bulbs usually do not bloom more than once, so if they shrivel and die, don't get too worried.  However, check to be sure you don't have another problem: rot.  Check by gently unpotting your beautiful oncidium and smelling the bulb and surrounding potting mix.  It should smell wonderfully of moist wood, not old garbage.  If it smells bad, you will have to do surgery.  This is the time of year when oncidiums do a lot of growing--long days, warm evening temps, etc.  They could be repotted now, particularly if they are growing out of their pots, or if the potting medium is more than two years old.    They grow in almost anything so what you put them in should be based on your local, your plant habits, etc.  To learn more about your oncidium, you might want to check out the American Orchid Society @ orchidweb.org.  Your plant is probably pretty hungry now and should be fed at least every month with a well-balanced (7-7-7 or 14-14-14) fertilizer especially formulated for orchids.  In a couple of months, after you notice the slow down in growth, you can start a blooming food (something with a high middle number).  You can cut the inflorescence (the stem that held the blooms), as far back to the bulb as you want without hurting the bulb.  Oncidiums like it hot and steamy and can take a fair amount of light.  Put your plant on a tray of pebbles and fill with water if it is indoors.  Water about every 3 or 4 days.  Down here is the sub-tropics, we get weeks when it rains every day just a bit; then, at other times, we go weeks without a drop. Here's a tip: the more light, the more water.  But I'm just a novice, compared to the people at AOS.  If you need more info, just let me know.

Good Luck!

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