Cymbidium round two

[Bobits]

Trying again with cymbidium after my first one "didn't go so well"

I'm back after a long hiatus when I couldn't login and didn't have the time to figure out the issue. I'm very novice. I have about 4 Phals and 2 mini Phals. I killed my only dendrobium and I'm trying not to let my new cymbidium be my next kill ! So please help???

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This baby was purchased for me by my mom for my birthday at a local Chinese grocer. It has no tags. Appears to be potted in bark but hard to tell if there is other stuff in here as its so tight. I can't even fit a moisture probe in there. I don't know if that would even work if there isn't soil in there like my other cym had...

By way of a back story, my prior cymbidium was purchased at Sobey's grocery store. It had beautiful green flowers but never flowered again and seemed to die a slow death over about 4 years. Having read the cymbidium culture sheet, I think I had it potted "wrong" -- a mix of bark, sphagnum moss and soil as recommended by the lady at Sheridan nursery. My suspicion is that the soil kept everything too wet.

It never grew bigger. As soon as new leaves started to grow, old leaves died and turned yellow/brown. I tried putting it outside for most of summer into late fall ~10 degrees C. It might've been "burned" after a really hot time period when it was newly moved into a sunnier spot. Oops. The leaves looked stained brown like a burn and gradually fell off. It kept trying to grow new leaves but was never successful.

I parted ways with the old one a week ago.

This new one is going to be better.

My questions:

1) must I repot or can I wait until flowers are done? The plant seems really tightly packed into this wee pot. Also how big a pot?
2) I am concerned about my prior watering schedule and wonder if my moisture meter lied to me? It said moist for really long times after watering (a couple of weeks) -- maybe due to having too much soil? So I barely watered. Should I use the skewer method like my Phals?
3) what are those spots under the leaf in my photo?
4) is it ok that the one leaf photographed is turning brown or am I killing the poor thing already?
5) since it is so tight, I had to partially water from the bottom. Is this ok?
6) the greenery of this one is MUCH taller than my old one. Is it Different age of plant? Different species? Healthier?
7) is this fertilizer ok?


You guys rock.

[silken]

I would wait until spring to re-pot. I use a mix of bark and moss and some Leca balls. But they do need a fair bit of moisture for all those leaves. Soil can be OK and some people do that with Cyms. Use a pot an inch or two larger in diameter than what you have and reasonably deep. Cut off any hollow or rotten roots. Make sure it has good drainage. Then you can water it well and let it drain. Those spots are likely OK unless they start spreading. Some just do get some spots. I don't recommend that plant food for using year round since the middle number is so high. It is called a bloom booster rather than a balanced fertilizer. Just get one that is 20-20-20, or 10-10-10 or a closer balance than what you have. In summer if they are out getting lots of sun and air, they are heavy feeders compared to some orchids. Fertilize them with each watering except for a clean flush every few weeks. They do need to get down to close to freezin to stimulate blooms. Then they still need a fair bit of light when they come in for the winter.

[Bobits]

Thanks silken. I appreciate your suggestions! I was also wondering about watering now while it is so pot bound. There is literally no room for the water to reach the potting medium as the pot is so full. I've watered it once so far and ended up letting it flow over the edges into the saucer and let it drink up the water from below. I know not to let plants stand in water too long -- discarding after about a half hour. I can't tell very well how much to water. It's kind of big to bring over to the sink a couple/few times per week to soak and let drain through as suggested in the tip sheet and I don't want to risk breaking the flower stems either. Maybe I'm paranoid.

[silken]

I keep mine fairly cool all winter (it currently has 2 lovely spikes ). So then I don't give it a lot of water. Definitely no more than once a week and usually less. If yours is in the house at fairly warm temps, it likely needs more. But I doubt it needs it more than once a week. Is there nowhere to slip in the skinny bamboo kebab skewers you can buy at Dollar stores? That is what I would do and then you can pull it out and feel if its wet before you decide to water. Then I think you just have to soak it in a pail or the sink and let it drain. By soaking, it should be good for a week or 10 days unless your house is very dry. Make sure your flower stems are staked and then they will be fairly safe.

[Bobits]

I could find anywhere to stick a kebab stick. I was afraid to puncture the green bulbs/back bulbs.

[Bobits]

This is what the space in the pot looks like.

[silken]

I think I se a spot on 3rd photo from the top. they are the very skinny ones, about 100 to a pack for $1.00 at Dollarama. There has to be a spot. Always put it back in the same place so you aren't poking different roots every time. Otherwise I guess you can try and judge by the weight of the pot but it can still be wet down in the centre and bottom and weigh a lot less. I find the skewers work well for all my orchids.

[jcec1]

Originally Posted by Bobits

Thanks silken. I appreciate your suggestions! I was also wondering about watering now while it is so pot bound. There is literally no room for the water to reach the potting medium as the pot is so full. I've watered it once so far and ended up letting it flow over the edges into the saucer and let it drink up the water from below. I know not to let plants stand in water too long -- discarding after about a half hour. I can't tell very well how much to water. It's kind of big to bring over to the sink a couple/few times per week to soak and let drain through as suggested in the tip sheet and I don't want to risk breaking the flower stems either. Maybe I'm paranoid.

Could you get a basin or bucket and bring that over to the plant and dunk it in that?

[Luizacft]

Nice plant. Skewer method for watering helps a lot! I don't have any cyms, but I suggest to repot only when new growth shows up. I didn't follow that rule in the past and some of my plants struggled a lot. You don't need to get paranoid, we learn! Good luck with your plant! :-)


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Do. Or do not. There is no try.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Bobits

I could find anywhere to stick a kebab stick. I was afraid to puncture the green bulbs/back bulbs.

Oddly I just bought one quite like this. My general rule with orchids is, I repot it as soon as I get it it home. This probably means that with some the blooms don't last as long as they might, but equally, that technique has save the life of several plants, so I figure I'm ahead. This one I bought was so pressurised in the pot that when I had cut partway down the pot, it burst. The roots were a solid plug, and no way could I have stuck a bamboo skewer in.

I drop potted it into a much larger pot, partly to stop it being top heavy, and partly because it was so grossly potbound.