Oncidium_ Kalihi Big

Gang,
I just got a nice Oncidium Kalihi in spike for my bday and am excited, but I can't find very specific care guidelines for this guy on this site or others. Does anyone have several year experience with this plant and can tell me what kind of light, moisture extra to give it. Should I treat it like a phal...or can this guy take Texas heat in the shade? Should it ever get direct sun like my small oncidiums? This guy has big thick leaves like a mule ear oncidium and I have one of those in part sun and keep it on the dry side.

That oncidium falls into the psychopsis gang.
In general they can handle varying degrees of light and prefer a medium that drains fast but frequent watering.

The leaves may be able to give you an indication on the light levels.
If the leaves are all green but healthy, then it is getting just the minimum amount of light that it needs.
If the leaves produce a very vivid mottling of green and purple on top (and the bottom turns purple with green dots) then it is getting sufficient light.

In my greenhouse (50% humidity most of the time), I was able to achieve this mottling on another psychopsis at around 3500fc-4000fc. Anything more and the leaves start to wilt.

I wouldn't put it outside here. I tried growing my Psy. papilo outside here last summer and it almost croaked. A nice bright window would be better--preferably west.

In my experience, these plants need no more light that a catt too bloom. They like it on the DRY SIDE--make sure the compost is almost completely dry before watering it again. Mine is planted in aquarium gravel and loves it.

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Leave me...with your Borneo...I don't need...that much to keep me warm.

Clint,
It's always great to hear from you since I know your growing conditions are pretty identical to mine. Only problem, the dang thing won't fit under my grow lights because of this stock and none of my windows are very bright. I try moving it to the front of the house where it gets the the setting sun. Do you keep any of your phals outside? Yesterday, I placed this plant in the same protected light as my outside phals.

*GRIN* I only have three Phals (all species plants--schilleriana, equestris and amabilis). They are all at my office in my big East facing windows. I tried some NOID phals outside here a couple of years ago. The leaves seemed to turn all rubbery and unhealthy looking come August. (I never put Phals outside again after that.) They don't mind temps up to 90, but anything over that even in the shade they seem to sulk (at least for me).

Just watch your plant carefully. You may have to water it more often than you think considering our humidity is not that great this time of year. When temps hit 95+ our humidity is like 30%, which can dry out a plant rather quickly. Good luck and let us know how it goes in about a month.

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Leave me...with your Borneo...I don't need...that much to keep me warm.

I would not place it outside, and they do not require high light. Mine grows in a North facing window and has been in bloom non stop for 4 years !! Like Clint says ,do not overwater. Mine is in a clay pot with very little mix and lots of styro peanuts in the pot for drainage.

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< Gilda >
"Master of the Moth"

Holy Gilda! That is amazing! What in the world are you feeding that monster?!! It must be like a swarm of butterflies moving around your paphs. BEAUTIFUL

Cheers,
BD

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We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box. ...Hmmm? .

LOL Bruce ! I have Dynamite 13-13-13 in the pot, so it gets fed when I water. I will occasionally give it a drink of fertilizer water , maybe once a month if I remember.

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< Gilda >
"Master of the Moth"