Hey...what do you know I have another problem :P

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

Hey everyone,
you've been so helpful up to now...I thought I would "quiz" you again
Only this time its a plant I bought for my mother in-law 2 years ago.
Its an Oncidium of some kind. Its a great healthy plant, that has flowered reliably since I bought it for her.
This year it put up a stem that is only about an inch long with 4 silly flowers from it. Otherwise the plant looks great, I can't tell whats wrong with it. She's a meticulous woman who takes good care of it from what I can see.

Any thoughts on what is going on here? She keeps calling me asking me if she is going to kill it. :sob:

Thanks again,
Christine

 

[NYEric]

It's kind of difficult to try to diagnose a problem w/out seeing a photo. Is the stem from a new pseudobulb?

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo & wont be near my mother in-laws anytime soon.
Its much lower on the pseudo bulb than any of mine have ever grown. It was actually buried under the potting medium & I had to move it out of the way to see where it started. I thought maybe this stunted the growth?
Its a bizzare little thing.

 

[NYEric]

What, you mean the plant on top of the new growth!?

 

[Candace]

Oncidiums typically need a lot of light. If there are few flowers it's a good bet she needs to increase the light level.

 

[SlipperFan]

I also wonder if it needs repotting. If it hasn't been repotted in 4 years, it is likely the roots are bad because the medium has broken down, and can support strong new growth or blooms.

 

[cnycharles]

Any thoughts on what is going on here? She keeps calling me asking me if she is going to kill it. :sob:

[answer] get an answering machine, leave message saying you will only talk if it isn't about orchids! just some poor humor; tell her plants are just like people, some good days some not so good, and that she could join or visit a local orchid society or vendor and ask lots of questions. also sounds like there may be a bit of obsessing going on, a cure for that would be to get her more plants so that she can't focus just on the one! that way if one does die the attention can be shifted to the others

 

[Paph_LdyMacBeth]

Solution, move further away from mother in-law, disconnect all phone contact & insure contact through carrier pigeon only.

I think I am going to tell her it needs more sunlight. Seems plausible since it is currently in an east-facing window.

& in the future I will not share my passions with her...too exhausting.