cymbidiums not flowering

[nirsha]

Hi I have three large pots of cymbidiums given to me by friends leaving the country. None of them have flowered so far. what do I need to do?

[tarev]

Can you tell us a little more how you grow your cyms..like where is it positioned, is it being grown indoors or outdoors? How often do you water it? And post some photos so we can see how they look like now. How long have you had the cyms? Has it been repotted recently? What kind of media are they growing in? What is the temperature in your area, we do not know where you are located, so more background info will help.

[nirsha]

Thank you Tarev I will take photos tomorrow morning. One was re potted a year ago. they all are outdoors in direct sun but shaded by a tree or other plant. two have been given to me about two months ago. I live in Kampala Uganda where most days the temperature varies from 16C to 28c all throughout the year. It rains a lot but I water them when it has not rained for a week or so. They are growing in soil in pots with some charcoal and bark thrown in.

[WhiteRabbit]

Links to Cym culture in this thread http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ad.php?t=73502

[tarev]

Hi Nirsha, read the links provided above by White Rabbit, those are very informative links.

Your area is a very good area to grow your cyms. As with most plants, it is adjusting to your location, especially that one that was repotted, it takes awhile sometimes for it to adjust. Pretty much you have good conditions, though in my area, it does get a good cool down during Fall, which triggers a flower spike.

At least you got rain..I do not have a lot of that here. Rain is very good for the orchids, and Cyms are such toughies, they can take it very well as long as it drains very well too.

Do post photos of your grow area. It is nice to see how orchids are grown in different locales.

[nirsha]

than you both , here is one photo of where they are placed

---------- Post added at 09:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 AM ----------

sorry that too big!! tell me how to make it small

[cbuchman]

Cyms require several nights in a row at low temps (under 50F) to bloom. In addition, they want good bright light and lots of food while growing. Since the temp drop most often occurs in the fall, I feed mine heavily from Spring to about Aug 15 (or thereabouts) and then let nature do the rest. I leave mine outside as long as the night temps are above 40F which is early Nov here.

[nirsha]

Thank you Carrie! We will never have that Temperatures in Uganda for sure but I will keep trying. let me try feeding them more and then see.

[timurams]

i read somewhere that you need to put ice on them every night for 1, 2 weeks in tropics to chill the soil .. I got the same problem with mine so i am going to try the cold treatment this fall .

[Cym Ladye]

Having success blooming Cymbidiums where they were never meant to grow, will always be a huge challenge. Some Cyms are being bred to tolerate the higher temps and/or not require the 20 degree temperature drop of several weeks in the fall to help initiate blooming, but the majority of the plants available are cool growing and do best under those conditions.

Photos will help but I have to ask if these plants have EVER bloomed? They may just be intolerant of the lack of cool temps and just grow but never bloom.

My best advice if you are fertilizing well and watering correctly and the potting medium is fresh, is to experiment. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You may be successful and be rewarded in the late winter to spring with lovely blooms.