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Thread: 'Cambria' - What is it and how do I save it?

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  1. #1
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    Default 'Cambria' - What is it and how do I save it?

    Labelled as a Cambria, this produced nice flowering spikes for the first couple of years. It got more and more squashed and 'wonky' in its pot and the most recent flowering spike was stunted, curly and had only a small single flower.





    Having done a bit of research I was hoping to split it but was a bit surprised at the roots when I took it out of the pot - not quite what I expected.

    Can anyone tell me what it is or, more importantly, what I should do with it? Should I just put it back in a pot a bit straighter, or something more complicated?

    And as a slight aside, could this (or say a phalaenopsis0 live in a jar like in this pic - and would it need compost etc. ?



    Looking forward to any help which will enable me to get these roots back into some compost
    Thanks in advance.

  2. #2
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    very dehydrated and looks bad.

    You could soak it in RO/rain water with low dose of glucose (tablespoon to a liter) or a rooting harmony to attempt to recover. You should pot it a bark mix and keep misting the roots to get it back to life. all the very best

  3. #3
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    The glass doesn't allow for air exchange for the roots. I, personally, would shy away from potting in glass.
    Last edited by 78Terp; May 13th, 2015 at 10:09 AM.

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    Should I cut off the shrivelled bits and/or any of the roots?

  5. #5
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    Personally, I rarely, if ever, cut a healthy root.
    Dead, rotted, squishy roots are OK to cut.

  6. #6
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    Cambria has become a generic trade name for various kinds of Oncidium intergeneric hybrids. Detailed culture for these should be easily found.

    The plant has obviously become very dehydrated over time. If the roots are healthy (firm, white or tan, not empty, squishy or brown) then it has been regularly underwatered. Pseudobulbs that are brown rather than green probably can't be saved, but any green tissue will probably live and give rise to healthy new growth if proper care is given.

    Any roots that are alive are worth saving, so keep trimming of live roots to a minimum. Any that are dead should be removed. I wouldn't divide the plant at this point. Let it recover first.

    Potting in a bark mix is probably the best bet. Vandas are sometimes grown in empty glass vases with no media, but this probably isn't a good choice for Oncidium types with their finer roots, or Phals that generally want more even moisture.

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