General description of the plant, an overview of the recommendations for growing, tips for reproduction and transplantation, possible difficulties in growing, types of orchids. Oncidium (Oncidium) belongs to the large family of Orchids or Orchids (Orchidaceae), which includes plants from 5 families. About 750 species of this flower grow in the southern and central territories of the American continent, the Mexican regions and the West Indies, where a tropical climate prevails. Sometimes this plant is taken into mountainous areas up to 4000 meters above sea level. Oncidium was first described by the Swedish botanist Peter Olof Swartz at the very beginning of the 19th century. The Latin name came about by the merger of two Greek derivatives that determine the structure of the lip of this representative of the orchids:
- "Onkos", which means tubercle, mass or volume, also swelling or swelling;
- "Eidos" translates to species, image, or specimen.
Popularly, the oncidium is often called the "dancing lady" or "dancing doll", which are so similar to the flowers of the plant, repeating the image of a girl in a wide skirt.
Basically, this orchid is placed as an epiphytic plant (growing on the trunks or branches of trees, like a parasite), very rarely as a lithophytic species (living on rocks) or leading a terrestrial lifestyle. The plant is distinguished by a wide variety of species, but you can still distinguish some features that are inherent in all representatives of oncidiums. All species of this orchid have aerial root processes, which are covered with a thick, numerous layer of spongy hygroscopic dead tissue (velamena). The type of growth in oncidiums is sympodial - there is a whole system of shoots that form a bush. Rhizome-rhizome is formed by shoots located horizontally, and vertical ones form thickenings (pseudobulbs or bulbs). When a new shoot begins to grow, it takes its beginning from the bud, which is located at the base of the previous growth (this can be a shoot or a bulb with leaf plates). Other nodes contain similar buds that will help the plant to regenerate if the conditions were extreme. Rhizomes in oncidiums are small.
Pseudobulbs are oval in shape and over time begin to wrinkle and become spindle-like. From them, as a rule, grow 1–3 long apical ribbon-like sheath leaf plates. There are also several basal leaves with wide-shaped vaginal petioles. Over time, they begin to die off and envelop the entire pseudobulb in the form of dried sheaths made of film.
The leaf plate can be either elongated-lanceolate or belt-shaped, with some fold along the vein running in the middle of the leaf, clearly visible. Flowering stems originate in the axils of the lower leaves. As a rule, peduncles are very branched, they bear inflorescences in the form of panicles of multiple flowers.
The flower has only one plane of symmetry, which divides it into two parts - they are zygomorphic. Symmetry is established along the perianth; the location of the internal parts is not taken into account. Sepals (three sepals, which are similar to petals in orchids) are the same size, but often grow small. Petals - two true flower petals and a large lip (3rd true flower petal) spatulate. The lip is three-lobed, with small "wings" on the sides. A weakly curved hook and a free form distinguish the column - accrete stamens and pistil, which form the reproductive organ of the orchid. The base of the lip has a clearly visible outgrowth with a very complex shape. It was because of him that the Latin name of oncidiums came from - the merger of the words "tubercle" and "view".
Overview of conditions for home breeding of oncidiums
- Lighting. Bright sunlight is contraindicated for this orchid. Window sills with an oriental orientation are suitable. If streams of sunlight get into them, then this happens only at sunrise and they will not be able to cause severe harm to the plant. But the windows facing west and north are not worth choosing for the pot, since there will not be enough illumination. On the south side, it is necessary to shade from the rays of the sun during the hottest hours of the day. If there is not enough light, then you will have to illuminate the orchid with special phytolamps so that the length of the light for (and this is a prerequisite for the winter maintenance of oncidiums) is at least 10 hours a day. Otherwise, it will be difficult to wait for flowering, and those buds that are already there begin to dry out and fall off.
- The moisture content of the oncidium. The plant, although it comes from tropical regions, is not at all demanding in terms of humidity, 40–70% of moisture in the air is enough for it to grow normally. It is necessary to spray the orchid only if the temperatures are hot enough in summer or the plant is in the winter next to heating devices or central heating radiators. Dry air has a very negative effect on the overall appearance of the orchid. For the concept of moisture, it is necessary to put humidifiers next to the plant or install a flower pot in a deep and wide pan, which is filled with water and moisture-retaining materials (expanded clay, pebbles). However, if the air temperature approaches 18 degrees, then the spraying is stopped. It should also be borne in mind that the oncidium is very fond of the flow of fresh air, so you should often ventilate the room in which the pot with the orchid is located. If you do not adhere to these rules, then with stagnant air and low temperatures, the plant can be affected by fungal diseases.
- Orchid watering mode. Moisturization directly depends on how developed the plant is. As soon as the orchid begins to grow (a young sprout has developed from the bottom of the pseudobulb) and before it begins to form (thickening of the sprout from the bottom), it is necessary to water abundantly and regularly. It is important to form a good outflow of excess moisture, since its stagnation can provoke rotting not only of the roots, but also of the lower part of the flower. The easiest way to moisturize is by immersing the pot with the plant in well-settled water. The substrate must be sufficiently dried between humidifications, but not brought to drought. As soon as a new pseudobulb begins to form, watering is stopped, since the orchid may not bloom. About a month later, a new flowering stem will begin to move away from the pseudobulb from below. As soon as it becomes clear that this is a new stem with future flowers, the moisture is resumed. After the flowering process is over, you can water less often until new growth begins. If, instead of the peduncle, a vegetative shoot began to stretch, then this means that the rest time was not maintained and the oncidium is developing incorrectly. If the curtain has no more than three pseudobulbs, then the orchid does not have the strength to bloom. Sometimes orchid bulbs are shriveled, but this is not a reason to increase watering. This is due to the growth of young shoots, since they do not have a sufficient number of root shoots, then nutrition occurs at the expense of the mother pseudobulb and this causes some drying out. If you water too much, the roots of the oncidium may start to rot, but the bulb will remain shriveled. Also, a pseudobulb can wrinkle during flowering or during a dormant period.
- Top dressing. Oncidium needs to be fertilized only when new shoots are growing. As soon as pseudobulbs begin to form, then watering must be completely eliminated. New dressings begin at the time of the growth of the peduncle and until the buds fully open, and again watering is canceled until new shoots appear. The root system is very sensitive to soil salinity, therefore, it is recommended to greatly reduce all doses of fertilizing for orchids. It is necessary to alternate root fertilizers with foliar dressings. For foliar application, spraying should be carried out in dosages 10 times less than those recommended by manufacturers.
- Transplantation and choice of substrate for oncidium. The orchid does not like transplanting, therefore it is recommended to carry out this operation if the pot has become small for the root system or the substrate has completely decayed. The soil mixture is prepared on the basis of chopped pine bark, pieces of charcoal, chopped sphagnum moss. You can also take a ready-made mixture for orchids. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the container, it should be 1/3 of the total volume of the pot. Oncidium is placed closer to the edge of the pot, leaving space in front of the last shoot. The container for transplantation is chosen from the usual plastic and wide, you can take special blocks for small plants. To prevent the roots of the orchid from drying out too quickly, a layer of chopped moss is placed between them and the block. It is also recommended to put a small layer of dry or live sphagnum moss on top.
- Rest period. For the cultivation of this orchid, the dormant and growing periods are the most important in keeping it. With the arrival of autumn, as soon as new shoots have ripened, the plant has a pronounced rest time, especially for those species that do not have pseudobulbs. In this case, if there is not enough illumination, then the heat indicators can be lowered and humidification can be almost completely stopped until growth begins again. In this case, the bulbs are only sometimes sprayed a little. If the orchid's bulbs are completely atrophied or too overdeveloped, then the dormant period is practically not pronounced and plants of such varieties do not require soil drying in winter.
All types of oncidiums, according to the temperature of the content, are classified into 3 groups:
- heat-loving species, orchids growing in tropical climates, summer heat values should be in the range of 25-30 degrees, and in winter 15-18 degrees. The difference in heat per day should not be 3-5 degrees;
- flowers with moderate temperatures, choose foothill forest areas for their growth and prefer temperatures of 18–20 degrees Celsius in the summer months, and in the winter months the thermometer should not drop below 12–15 degrees Celsius;
- cold-loving species, plants that mainly grow in mountain forests, and during the summer withstand heat values not higher than 22 degrees, and with the arrival of the winter period they can feel normal at 7-10 degrees of heat.
But some bred varieties of oncidiums (hybrid) grow normally in a wider temperature range - 14-26 degrees, but if the threshold is exceeded, the plant will begin to stop growing. Daily temperatures should not fluctuate more than 3-4 degrees.
Reproduction of oncidium at home cultivation
There are two ways to get new plants - dividing the bush and jigging pseudobulbs.
You can divide the bush when the plant has at least six pseudobulbs, since each part must contain at least 3 sprouts, only in this case the plant will grow normally. With the help of a sharpened knife, it is necessary to incise the stem that is underground, the place of the cut should be powdered with crushed coal. In the process of dividing, the substrate must be completely dried and after planting it is not complicated for another 7-10 days so that the wound can dry out. This process is performed at the beginning of March.
Orchids with this type of growth (sympodial) can often share on their own. The main thing is that the plant is sufficiently developed. Each new plant should have 3 fully formed pseudobulbs. When dividing, the oncidium is taken out of the pot and the soil is separated from the roots. Using a sharpened knife, divide the rhizome between the bulbs. For disinfection, the incisions are powdered with crushed charcoal or activated carbon. Each of the divisions is planted in a separate container. In order for the flower wounds to heal faster, it is recommended not to moisturize during the crescent, but only to spray the leaf plates.
Problems when growing oncidium and possible pests
When cultivating a "doll" orchid, the following problems can be noted:
- with very intense lighting, the leaf plates become a pale green hue, and a small-dot spotting from sunburn will appear on their surface;
- if the humidity is low enough, then the tips of the leaf plates will begin to dry out in the plant, its growth will slow down, new shoots will have a crumpled appearance, in the form of an accordion;
- the appearance of spotting on the petals of flowers or rot on the stems indicate an increased humidity of the substrate;
- root rot can be caused by drafts and excess moisture.
Among the possible pests of oncidium, there are mealybugs, scale insects, thrips, mites of various species. The first pest manifests itself by the appearance of white cotton-like lumps. They can be manually removed from the plant with a cotton swab moistened with alcohol. The scabbard is given out by waxy plaques on the leaves - they are also removed. If silvery stripes appear on the leaf blades or the presence of black discharge on the back of the leaf, then this means a defeat by thrips. Spider mites manifest themselves in the form of the appearance of thin cobwebs, enveloping leaves and stems. To combat these pests, modern insecticidal agents are used.
Also, this orchid can be affected by various rots of bacterial or fungal origin. If brown spots began to appear on the leaf plates, then the lesions should be removed, the substrate should be allowed to dry and the room should be thoroughly ventilated, the temperature of the content should be increased and any water procedures should be canceled. The plant itself must be treated with a systemic fungicide.
Types of oncidium
- Oncidium Lance (Oncidium lanceanum) is the most beautiful of all oncidiums, it bears its name in honor of John Henry Lance, who described this flower at the beginning of the 19th century. The native land of growth is the northeast of South America. There are no pseudobulbs, there is only a large rhizome. The leaf plates are leathery, linearly elongated, their color is bright green with the presence of purple or red-brown specks. The flowering stem is powerful and slightly branched, it can contain up to 20 bright, beautifully colored and fragrant flowers. The purple lip at the base to the top of the petal changes to an almost white tint. The background of the petals is green-yellow all covered with brown speck. Flowering occurs in May-September. If the orchid is grown in a greenhouse, it can bloom 2 times a year, and the flowering process will last for a whole month.
- Oncidium spendidum also called Tiger Oncidium (Oncidium tigrinum var. spendidum). An epiphytic orchid, which has very close pseudobilbs, from which one leaf plate grows. The lip is kidney-shaped, lemon-yellow, the petals are oblong, with a bent wavy edge. They are painted yellow with brown spots. Bloom during the winter months of the year.
- Oncidium moth (Oncidium papilio) is sometimes called a butterfly orchid. The peduncle can reach 80 cm. On the chestnut-brown background of the lateral petals, there are large transverse stripes or spots.
For more details about watering and caring for the oncidium, see here:
