Question
hi-
i bought  an orchid at target with a care tag that read oncidium and another tag that read vuyl. linda isler 'red' and recieved an orchid with a tag that read odtna. yellow parade 'alpine' as a gift.  both have similar foliage.  i got them both over a year ago- have them in a southern window in my kitchen and have not seen another bloom.  my biggest concern is that the new leaves are coming out crinkly.  can you help me?
thanks megan

Answer
Hello Megan,

What you have are three orchid plants that have similar growing requirements.  You have an oncidium, vuylkesteria and odontonia orchids.  

You mention that the new leaves are coming out crinkly.  That usually indicates that the plant(s) were allowed to become very dry between waterings for an extended time during the growth period.  All three of your orchids should not be allowed to become totally dry, it is best to keep them slightly on the moist side.  But, do not keep them too wet between waterings or the roots will soon rot.  What I do is lift the pot and if it feels somewhat light, I water the next morning.  If it still feels slightly heavy I'll wait another day or two or more.  This will take a little practice but once you get a feel for "light" and "heavy" it will be easier.  

YOu didn't mention where you live so I'm not sure if the south kitchen window has enough light for them so I'll just give you some general guidelines.  I like to let the leaf color dictate whether my orchids get enough sunlight.  Many orchids, yours included, should have light to medium green leaf color when getting enough; dark green indicates too much shade while yellowish indicates too much.  They prefer temperatures between 55 to 85 degrees F and exposure to temperatures in the low 50's for 2-4 weeks in mid-fall to help initiate the bloom cycle.  It also is important to have them where they will have some light air movement, so don't place them in a corner unless there is a window nearby.  They will benefit if you can keep the humidity above 50%.  You can feed them a good general balance-type orchid fertilizer per the container directions all year round.  

Hope this helps.  Good luck and good growing.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.