Do you have names? Could be something to do with your growing conditions or perhaps the potting mix. Also, some are easier to grow than others with perhaps Oncidium Sharry Baby being rated by many as being easy and Oncidium twinkle being more difficult.

I had no success at all growing Oncidium in England which is roughly the same latitude as PA. Here in Brazil they grow like mustard and cress. The key difference is not temperature but light (I assume you have a heated greenhouse) most Oncs are medium to high light plants. They grow very well mounted ( and are harder to kill that way). I'd try growing them without any shade. Now in Winter would be a good time to start as there is less likelihood of them burning, if they have been used to shady conditions.

Thanks to both of you for the advice. :O)

I actually do not have them in a green house. They are under lights on a rack in my bedroom (classy). 2x T12 and 2x T8. They get 13 hours of light a day at around 71 degree F. Humidity is fine as I have them next to open trays of water for the ferns also on the shelf (whole nother forum).

I did have three oncidiums when this all began but am now down to 1. She is a twinkle (do they come in anything other than mini?). As stated in my previous post the other two rotted. They were not mini's, but I do not have species unfortunately. Also included in the collection are what I believe to be 2 Brassidiums. I was told that they were Brassavola when they were given to me, but after the description of the flower and research, I think they are Brassidiums. They do not appear to be suffering the degree of bulb shriveling/crackling as my twinkle, but they do have a few that appeared after they came under my care.

Currently twinkle gets watered every other day as she is in an extremely small black plastic pot (1 1/2 inch maybe?). I will repot AS SOON as she is NOT in full bloom. IF I must before that please advise as I am aware of plastic pots and orchids. There are proper ones but this is not the case.

The Brassidiums are in 5.5 inch Dual Oxygen Core Pots. They get watered every other day also as their medium stays moist for a day or so. There is noticeable new root growth and a whole new bulb on the one plant. So I must be doin' somethin' right with them.

I guess the question with twinkle comes down to, is there enough light? Do I hack the flower for the sack of the plant and repot? Or is water the issue?

Wow, I can really narrow it down can't I (sarcasm). If anyone still has the energy left, please advise as to your experience with Oncidium and what were your Do's and DonÂts. Maybe I am just missing something small.

Thank you again so much !

If you were trying to fatten the wrinkled leaves or bulbs you would never have suceeded, as once wrinkled, these don't plump up again. It's the new bulbs that would show the benefits of more water. Here in NJ I had my oncidiums in a west window. They were in fine bark. Indoors during the winter I watered them every four days or so, and outdoors in the summer twice a week or even more often.

I treated the brassavola the same.

It is very likely that you are over watering. The roots stop absorbing water and rot. Read up on the pencil test that is described in the FAQ.

I grow mine in LFSM and wait until it dries before watering. I find Oncs. very easy. However, I AM a Phal killer.

LFSM???

I let mine dry out almost completely. In winter they can go a week or two before I water. They are in plastic pots, full South sun.

Jane

I think the diagnosis given in the above posts of over-watering is correct. I suspect that that is why Oncidium Twinkle is rated on the difficult side by many.

I have plants of Oncidium ornithorhynchum, one of the parents of Twinkle and the watering period of that orchid in winter is about once a week.

The other parent Oncididium cheirophorum might be best grown on a mount.

Amen stitz! Easy as they say Paphs are, I kill every one of them I touch. I only now have a multifloral hybrid that seems to be doing alright.

I have an oncidium Twinkle with two dozen+ pbulbs and it's been blooming nicely for the past 2 years (ever since I got it). This year, it put out about a dozen spikes, and I removed a couple of them because I didn't want to plant to get "too tired." Now the flowers all faded, and I realized over the course of one month, the bulbs have shriveled quite a bit. I have been keeping it on the dry side (maybe not good)...though I guess that spending energy on flowers can also deflate bulbs.

Also, you can do a root check. If the roots are hollow, then they're dead, meaning the plant can't absorb enough water to plump up its bulbs.

I have this same problem. shriveled bulbs. I will try watering less and putting them in more sun light. Thank You all for your input.

I guess my question would be; in the summer, wouldn't the heat of the sun pull all the water out of the planting medium and cause the bulbs to shrivel if you did not water more often?

Many years ago, I read that with many Oncidium species, the most common mistake made is that growers observe the pseudobulbs severely shriveling during late autumn and winter, panic and immediately water. The article continued to note that many species normally look like crap with a significant die-off during this period. Watering is often the last thing that these plants need.

--Stitz--

My Oncidium (Onc. Alliance, unknown what kind) is grown in LFSM, in a hanging wicker basket, outside in zone 9a. It is much happier in these conditions than it was grown inside in zone 6a (where I moved from and where it was purchased). It gets dappled bright light most of the day, and in the summer I water it every other day. Most of the p.bulbs look good except the biggest one, which has never resembled anything other than a raisin :)

In case you were wondering: I let it live outside until the temps get below 55 degrees or so. ( it only gets watered about once a week, if that when the temps drop).

I'm thinking of getting a paph. next spring to see if it will grow under these same conditions. I've never tried paphs before, but would love to if they're as easy and outdoor-friendly as my Oncidium...

~AOK