Recommended Cymbidium Species

[skirincich]

Does anybody have any recommendations for particular cymbidium species and perhaps any warnings about particularly challenging species?


Thanks,
Steve

[estación seca]

It depends on your growing environment and how much space you have.

The standard Cyms you see are very large plants, typically needing a 3-5 gallon pot to look at their best, and very bright light all year. That's a lot of winter growing space, and your natural winter light might not be enough. They would easily grow outside during your spring-summer-fall seasons in close to full sun.

Standard Cyms need cool nights from early to late Fall to flower properly. They often don't flower in areas with warm fall nights. Your fall temperatures are probably fine for them. They can tolerate quite cool winter temperatures, so they don't need much winter heat.

Warm-growing Cyms don't need the cool Fall nights to flower. They do need bright light and warm temperatures all year.

Chinese Cymbidium species differ in how much winter cooling and light they need.

There are only a few smaller growing Cymbidiums.

The upshot is to decide which climate you can provide year-round, and how much space you have. Then go looking.

[Roberta]

If you focus on the more tropical, warm growing ones, you don't have to worry about the fall cool-down (warm days and cool nights) that is very difficult to achieve in your climate.

If you have [U]lots[/U of greenhouse space, the hard-leaved tropical Cyms such as floribundum (pumilum), finlaysonianum, aloifolium and related species can make spectacular specimens. But these can really turn into beasts.

Cym dayanum is smaller, very floriferous. Cym canaliculatum is very nice, and actually NEEDS warmth - in winter, needs to be much drier.

Of the Chinese Cyms, ensifolium and sinense need to stay on the warm side (and are nice and small). Some of the other Chinese species need cool and may be tricky.

[skirincich]

Thanks! I have had success with chilling my Cymbidium Dorothy Stockstill last fall. I grow outside in New England and begin bringing in plants later in September.

[Roberta]

Cym Dorothy Stockstill does have a lot of the warmer-growing Cyms in its background - floribundum, devonianum, madidum together make up about 2/3. So those would make it on the forgiving side. The species behind the large-flowered Cyms (insigne, eburneum, lowianum for instance) will certainly grow for you, but might be more of a challenge to bloom.