cymbidium

[early]

A friend said she has a cymbidium, and since I have the time, I said I would research it for her here.

light needs, water, ph (prob has a well in NM) and other culture needs..just basic please.

[Roberta]

High light (protect from direct noonday sun), aim for grass-green to lime-green leaves (dark green, probably not getting enough to bloom). Pot in small bark - likes to stay on the moist side. Water well (so it runs out of the pot), then let it drain - don't let it sit in water. Most are not at all fussy about water quality, if watered thoroughly (so that pot is flushed to prevent salt buildup), they can do fine with very hard water. (Major commercial Cymbidium growers on the southern California coast have "liquid rocks" coming out of the tap, and that's what the plants get watered with, no problem.)

Most of them require a period in the fall where days are warm and nights are cool to start the blooming process. Otherwise, acceptable temperature range is about 32 deg F - 110 deg F. (Not fragile!)

I have found that they do very well with time-release fertilizer (either 6 month or 9 month type) sprinkled on top of the medium in the spring.

If grown under a deciduous tree, light is handled nicely... in the summer when it is hot, the tree provides sufficient shade. In the winter, the loss of tree leaves gives the bright light that the Cymbidium wants when sun angle is lower.

[Ray]

Hang on there, Roberta.

Do we know if it’s a standard cymbidium, warmth-tolerant hybrid, or Asian species? The care can differ.

[Roberta]

I'm assuming fairly generic based on the question. Note that I referred to "most" Cyms, since the OP was looking for uncomplicated response. (I'll always hedge, because there are exceptions to all blanket statements) If one had a miniature Asian Cym species I think the question would have been asked differently, those are mostly owned by experienced growers. And a so-called "warmth-tolerant" Cym won't be harmed by the given conditions, it just doesn't need the cool-down to bloom. (I have never met a hybrid Cym that couldn't handle that temperature range, and I have met a lot of them, the miniature Asian Cym species are a different animal) For water, even those Asian Cyms are pretty forgiving - where I live, lots of people grow them, RO systems are quite rare and city water is here ranges from "not wonderful" to "rather horrid".