Hi everyone. Today I got a Wils. Firecat Harmony orchid from the clearance rack today. I can't seem to find information on this particular cultivar. I was wondering what type of care does it need? I was also thinking about possibly growing it in all lava rock medium, since it's currently in all moss. Any advice and information would be greatly appreciated.

What you have is Oncostele/ formerly Wilsonara Firecat 'Harmony'.
If you are looking for conditions, typing Wilsonara Firecat will be sufficient to bring up results.
Surely some of us here grow this plant or similar?
In the similar department, I would take it out of the Sphagnum and move it into Orchid bark of my choice, don't let it dry out and keep it in similar light as Phals. My minimum temp is ca 60 degr F.

Wow I didn't know they had changed the name. I'll look up Wilsonara Firecat. I'll also take it out of the sphagnum. I think it's a bit dehydrated I think because the pseudobulbs are very shriveled. Could I place it on the side of a south facing window?

Perhaps someone here might answer that question regarding your window.

It depends.....is the plant used to straight sun, what is the temperature, would you keep a Phal in that window and so on....

I grow a Wilsonara but not the one you have, so far I find it like any other Oncidium, really likes being kept moist, water hungry here in our area. I just use typical bark mix, smaller type, not the very chunky ones. It actually taught me just how much of a water hog it can be. During the long hot and dry months, I water it freely everyday here. My orchids are positioned in my growcamp so they get more air around and easier to water them. But as seasons change, slowly scaling it down and I bring it indoors during winter. But it still gets watered, but with intervals now, about once a week. It actually blooms here during the cooler months, since the hot and dry temps here is just excessive. Seems to be happiest at 85F max and low temps at 45F to 50F.

During late Fall to winter, it is by our south facing window upstairs. Actually I have even let this plant sit in water for a couple of days, but it was done in Spring to early Summer, and the dehydrated pseudobulbs actually plumped back, though there is still the sign of wrinkling, but it recovered. That is how I found out just how much moisture Oncidiums needed.

On the very hot days outdoors, it is protected by the shade from the canopy of city trees here. Outdoor temps of 100F and more it survived very well provided it gets watered thoroughly early in the day and lots of air around. It is not like a vandaceous orchid or dendrobium which can tolerate much higher light levels, and will prefer more light than one provided for a Phalaenopsis. That is what I have seen with my Wilsonara Hilda Plumtree 'Purple Wings' Everything will be rather subjective too, just depends on your ambient growing conditions there..you may have better humidity levels than we do here.

This is mine in bloom last Jan 2016 indoors:

Thanks Ursula and Tarev. I'll make some room on the side of the my south facing window for it. I'll also remember to get some smaller orchid bark and that it's a water hog. I may just grow it indoors because I sometimes forget about watering my plants outdoors. It's amazing that yours sat in water for two days and is still thriving. I'm hoping the pseudobulbs plump up again though I see a new pseudobulb that's developing and it's plump. Your Wilsonara is beautiful! I can't wait until mine blooms. I appreciate the info and I'll write everything down in my garden journal. I really hope I'm successful, especially since I don't have much success with phals. Thanks again Ursula and Tarev.

Welcome to the club, my husband claims Phals shudder with fear at the sight of me....

That makes me feel a little better. I've probably killed at least 10 phals in my lifetime, one I managed to keep alive for a couple of years before it died.

I can only grow them indoors...outside is a quick death sentence.

Same here!!

Same here. I tried one time growing a mini phal outside and it burned even in full shade.

I can get 2 years out of them indoors, but when it comes time to repot, it's all over. I also think outdoors is a death sentence for them.

I think that's when I lost a couple, when I trimmed off the dead roots and repotted them.

Phals I can grow here only indoors, though I have also my fair share of failures before. But now I understood just how much air those fat roots like. It will not be able to endure our excessive dry heat here during the long dry months, so it is always indoors here. Before I was so concerned potting up those fat roots, then I realized I am throttling them, so I allowed them to be on a more loose set up while still in a container, so those roots can roam anywhere it wants to.

I may try phals again one day preferably the mini ones. I think I saw a brassavola orchid that I have my eyes on. I'm waiting for it to go on clearance too.

@TexasPlumeria87, are you sure the psuedobulbs on your Wilsonara Firecat aren't supposed to be wrinkly?

Daisy I think you may be right? Even after I gave it a good soaking, the pseudobulbs were still wrinkly so maybe that's normal? When I got it, the sphagnum moss was bone dry and the roots were too, but as soon as I misted them to remove the moss, the turned white and plump again. Tomorrow I'm getting some orchid bark, I'll try to look for fine orchid bark, though I think they only have the coarse grade available.

Its easier to break up the big stuff than glue together the small stuff.

That's true Daisy. I'll get the coarse bark then.

I finally was able to get some orchid bark today. I think it looks a little happier in the orchid bark mix lol. The offset has been growing pretty fast too.