Cymbidium Orchids: How am I doing?

[josienf]

Hi Guys!

I thought that I would upload some pictures and describe my conditions just to get an idea of how I'm doing. I have two cymbidium orchids and I'm really trying to keep them healthy and help them thrive! The first photo is of the newer and healthier of the two and the orchid in the second photo I've had for right at a year. It's looking a little rough but I think that it's still has some hope!

Position/Light:

Both are placed near a southwest window (it's the brightest in the house), but they are not directly in the windowsill. I believe that the light level is ok, but not certain. My leaves are a light green (you can see from the picture) and have a few crispy brown ends. Also, there is no fan in the room, so no air movement. Should this be an issue?

Watering:

I believe that I may neglect them when it comes to watering. They never seem to completely dry out so I'm scared of over watering them. I've placed a wooden skewer in the mix to help me tell if they are dry. I usually only water once every two-three weeks. When I water, I take them outside and use about one liter of water per orchid (is that enough). I do not let them sit in water or even a catch pan.

Humidity:

I live in Georgia, where humidity is usually NOT a problem. I believe that out average is 86% for the day and 56% for the night. Of course, this is outside humidity and I'm not sure how this effects the inside. I've closed off the vent to the room that they are in (guest bedroom) to save energy and to possibly raise the humidity? I'm not sure if that helps or not.

New Ideas:

The healthier plant has finished blooming, so I am going to cut the spike down to about an inch, is this correct?

I thought about starting with a fertilizer every couple of waterings. Is there a specific type I should use for cymbidiums? I found a basic 20-14-13 at the store, would this work?

I've also thought about making a humidity tray to set them on, but I'm not sure if I'll even need more humidity. Does anyone know how I can judge my indoor humidity without buying a gadget?

Finally, I think that I might start placing my plants outdoors (in the shade) for a few hours during the afternoon. I would leave them there, but I'm afraid that someone will steal them. I don't believe there will be that much of a temp change for the plants just because we don't run currently run the air in the room. In the summer time when the temp is 90+, I'm sure there will be a 10-15ish temp change. Does that sound healthy?


Thank you soooo much for reading this super long post! I really hope that I'm off to a good start, but I honestly have no idea what I'm doing! Hopefully the pictures will show up! If not, I'm really sorry! Thanks again!