Orchid repotting help!
Found on the sidewalk and brought home, but I don't know squat about orchids! For starters: what should I trim off before repotting? (I have a terracotta orchid pot waiting for it ๐). Any help would be much appreciated! #Orchids

2ft to light, indirect

5โ pot with drainage

Last watered 1 year ago

Itโs not a cattleya as it doesnโt have canes. Itโs an orchid with rounded pseudobulbs, perhaps from the oncidium alliance or an intergeneric oncidium. This isnmt really my area - Iโm just starting out with oncidiums and orchids with pseudobulbs so itโs worth doing some research on oncidiums and intergenerics to see if you can identify this plant further. The info Iโll give you is for saving oncidium types: the only hope for survival is the new growth - the thing growing from the yellowing pseudobulb with the leaves - thatโs the new pseudobulb and the future of the plant. The only thing is, this orchid looks rootless and the last good pseudobulb is starting to yellow. The way oncidium type orchids work when they are sick and trying to survive is that theyโll draw the energy from the last remaining pseudobulbs and will divert it into the new bulb. When the new bulb is mature enough, itโll start building new roots and this will sustain the plant. The question is: does that last existing pseudobulb have enough energy stored in it to get the new growth to the point where itโs able to make new roots. Iโm not sure it has because itโs already yellowing and the new pseudobulb has some way to go before it reaches maturity but itโs worth a try. The plant needs plenty of sun to try and give it enough energy but not direct sunlight. It will also need a lot of humidity to slow down decay - when I attempted to save an oncidium, I made it a humidity tent and this seemed to work (until I had a setback and lost the plant, but thatโs another story). I would also repot in Sphangum considering your location - oncidium type roots prefer to stay evenly moist and donโt do well in bark, though if humidity is high, you can consider a bark/sphagnum mix. Donโt fertilise until the new root system comes in. You can also consider using a kelp solution right away as kelp has hormones in it that induces root growth - itโs not a given but may be worth a try. This Miss Orchid Girl video talks about the different types of oncs in the alliance which might help you identify it https://youtu.be/LCHLKBc-2B0?si=U2Iosj2tCHy5KPvW (from 11 minutes) and this is a video on saving sick oncidiums that might help - it also shows you how to repot and identify dead and living roots https://youtu.be/bwsRQG_F7jA?si=nWsU-uZpo60PVz8- when it comes to repotting, the only pseudobulb I would consider removing is the brown one on the right. Donโt remove the others yet as there is still energy in them. If you remove the new growth, itโll die. It needs to remain attached to the mother bulb until it is mature and has its own root system.
This I believe is a Cattleya orchid, @MotherOfOrchids is the orchid whisperer, she will have the best advice.
@stephonicle most of this plant looks like it is dying. I have marked it in the photo. You might be able to salvage the plant and propogate it. Quarantine it from your other plants lest any pathogens spread. If I were you I would get an orchid pot some orchid bark a cloche or popup tabletop size greenhouse to serve as an infirmary.
@MotherOfOrchids thank you so much for the detailed response!