Oncidium Twinkle 'Jasmin'

[theflowerbread]

Hi! So I have received my Oncidium Twinkle 'Jasmin', a lot smaller than expected (even if the seller said it can bloom at the end of this year - I doubt).
Anyways. Here it is. Actually two of them. I have no idea why he sold me two instead of giving me a bigger exemplar, maybe to get rid of two small babies no one wanted? Ok ok I'm gonna shut up now and stop making conspiracy theories in my head. For sure I will never buy from him anymore.
So the question is - they both are in sphagnum aaaand I have no experience with growing orchids in sphagnum moss. This is spagnum epiweb mix it seems. I'm quite struggling the past week to monitor the humidity and watering. I think I'm overwatering them *sigh*.
Anyways, I do not want to kill them and would like to place them in a bark instead. I know oncids usually do better mounted I'm just not sure I can follow up the watering schedule due to some "weekend getaways". But as I have two of them I'm giving a try mounting one of them. The other I'd like to move into bark. What do you say guys?
How small should be the medium? I have never had an experience with that small oncid babies. But I've read Twinkle in general is kinda mini plant.
Posted via Mobile Device

---------- Post Merged at 01:00 AM ----------





The plants itself look healthy imo. I did not manage to kill them yet lol (bad experience with orchid baby plants here)
Posted via Mobile Device

---------- Post Merged at 01:03 AM ----------

I still can't decide is that epiweb or just simply plucked washing sponge
Posted via Mobile Device

[ksriramkumar]

Oncidium Twinkle is a mini oncidium and pseudobulbs are almost an inch. You could mount them or grow them in bark. I grow mine in a bark + LECA + very little sphagnum moss

[theflowerbread]

Thanks for your reply! How big is the bark? 1/3 or 1/4 inch?
Posted via Mobile Device

[Chris in Hamilton]

The mix appears to be charcoal, sphagnum and largesh perlite. Not a bad combination for these little guys. Mounting would be good as well but you will have to water two or three times a day when its hot. In my area they flower mid-winter so I would think that yours will flower within the next year. I posted three in bloom January of last year. When you run into problems with them is just after they bloom. They are very susceptible to spotting on the leaves then and that can be bad enough to kill them. Treatment with a fungicide just before the buds open seems to help with this and be sure to not allow them to be in a cold and damp situation when in bloom. You are really going to like these! It has been 4-5 years since I last saw them for sale in my area. If I found them again I would mount them as Jack and Harvey said.

[78Terp]

My experience with Onc Twinkles is that they do better mounted. None of mine in pots grew well at all until I mounted them. Then they took off.

[JDT]

He might have sold out of the larger ones and sent you the two instead, if that is the case I would be very happy, hopefully you only paid for one. I also have mine mounted and like Harvey's do better for me that way then potted.

[theflowerbread]

The mix appears to be charcoal, sphagnum and largesh perlite. Not a bad combination for these little guys. Mounting would be good as well but you will have to water two or three times a day when its hot.

But what is that white sponge? Sorry from the pic is not that clear I'll make one pic with the flash on.
Is it to keep more moisture in the media (like with the sphagnum is not enough already )

Yeah the watering is my main concern. Or I will have to travel with a mount in my travel bag...just kidding...or to find for it an orchid-sitter (isn't it a great job btw? mm kinda like a dream one )

[Chris in Hamilton]

But what is that white sponge? Sorry from the pic is not that clear I'll make one pic with the flash on.
Is it to keep more moisture in the media (like with the sphagnum is not enough already )

Yeah the watering is my main concern. Or I will have to travel with a mount in my travel bag...just kidding...or to find for it an orchid-sitter (isn't it a great job btw? mm kinda like a dream one )

In the pic it appears to be large perlite but it could be some type of foam. There to help with drainage and allow air into the mix. A lot of growers are using whatever is cheap to bulk up their medium. One I know is using styrofoam sheets from packing boxes. He puts it through a leaf shredder however number of times to get to any size he needs.

[theflowerbread]

He might have sold out of the larger ones and sent you the two instead, if that is the case I would be very happy, hopefully you only paid for one. I also have mine mounted and like Harvey's do better for me that way then potted.

Actually is my bad. I asked him How big is the plant and he replied Almost blooming size.
I had to ask him to specify in cm the size but it didn't come into my mind (I'm still a dummy with buying plants from private sellers on forums) - I somehow imagined it a bit bigger

Anyways, as I did not ask him the size in cm, inches... I can't complain to him now.
I can only guess I got two of them as by mistake it happened I paid one € more so yeah I got two for one's price. I did not ask why 2 instead of one as I was not happy in the way I had to cooperate with him
(basically he was supposed to ship it on 26th of April so on 28th I should have received my order, as I haven't I wrote him and only then he said that he has shipped on the morning of 28th.. Later I saw he has shipped it only after I wrote. What if I haven't written him?)
Anyways, I'm just happy the plants are still looking healthy and just doing fine, I'm just trying to figure out how to keep them alive longer... for sure not in sphagnum I s%ck at watering with moss.. Can't wait to see them blooming!

[78Terp]

They look healthy to me! Good luck. I usually try 2 different methods when I have duplicates. Then after a point, you know which one they prefer and can make the move to match the better one.