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Lighting Requirements For Oncidium Orchids
You will be able to tell if your orchid is getting enough light by the color of the leaves. Dark green leaves indicate inadequate light, while yellow or reddish green leaves indicate too much light. Ideally, the leaf color should be a nice, grassy green color.
Watering Your Oncidium Orchid
Before watering your Oncidium orchid, check the potting media first. Use a finger, a chopstick, or a pencil to see how damp the potting media is and whether the orchid needs water. Check the potting media about halfway down the pot, at least 8-10cm deep. That will give you a good sense of the orchid’s watering needs. If the potting media is still wet, don’t water your orchid just yet.
Rot is a very real threat for Oncidium orchids. Therefore, allow your Oncidium orchid to mostly dry out between waterings. Then, when it comes time to water, give it a good thorough soaking.
To water your Oncidium, allow the pot to sit in a bucket of luke-warm water for about 5 to 10 minutes, then lift the pot out and allow excess water to drain out. Do this early in the morning to give the potting media a chance to dry out before nightfall.
After watering your orchid, be sure to allow the potting media to drain excess water out. Empty out any trays or saucers under your orchid pots to get rid of standing water.
During growth periods in the spring, the Oncidium orchid is growing new shoots and roots. It will need more frequent watering at this time.
If you notice that the pseudobulbs are starting to get wrinkled or shriveled, this is a sign that the Oncidium orchid is dry and needs more water.
Pseudobulbs are the orchid’s water-storage organ. A healthy, well-watered Oncidium will have plump, green pseudobulbs. It may take a few weeks of proper watering for a dry, wrinkled pseudobulb to return to normal.
Humidity Requirements