Re-potting Cym

[fisher60]

All the flowers are gone from my Cym. I am re-potting it using Phal mix with additional moss. Where do I cut off the old spikes? As low as I can or not?

[Hedge]

Yes, especially if it's brown. The important thing is not to cut into the rest of the plant. Good luck!!

[fisher60]

Thanks Hedge. It's not brown all the way down yet but I have to do something with it. It originaly came in a 7" pot and has drastically outgrown it. So I'm stepping up the pot size enough to give it 2" all around. I want to do this now so it settles enough for it to re-bloom next winter.

[Hedge]

A word of caution : Don't over pot - enough space for one or two more growths is plenty - too much space and cyms tend not to flower - as I learnt to my own deficit. They like to be root-bound to a certain extent. See other posts on this site about getting the best out of them.

[fisher60]

Hedge, here in our small town I didn't have much to choose from in the way of pot sizes. I was actually looking for a 10" pot but wanted it 12" deep. Could not find one. The one I settled for is approx. 12" x 12". I may be a little too big. Hopefully not too much. Time will tell. "Crowding" seems to be the norm for most orchids. After I get this potted, it will get anchored behind an Oak tree so as not to get sunburnt and wait till next fall to see what happens. It will get some water from a timed sprinkler system every couple days. I will try to remember to fertilize it every couple weeks. In the fall (December here in Florida) I hope to see a couple new spikes. Any suggestions/recommendations will be more than welcome.

[Randy]

Hi Fisher,

When I repot my Cyms. I use a mix that has a lot of organic material in it. No manure, but a good amount of peatmoss and some well broken up coconut husks in a regular potting mix. Once in the pot I put Nutracote on top. I get very strong growth and lots of spikes in the next few years until it's time to repot again. I like the Nutracote because it will fertilize automatically every time you water but won't burn like Ozmacote (sp) can.

Now, our weather here is much cooler year round than it is in Florida, but I got some fantastic flowers this year. Last summer I think I only had to water my plants while they were outside twice because we had that much rain. My largest Cym had 9 spikes this year, WOW! I got 2-3 on each one of the others, except the one I divided.

One other thing, when I repot, many times I will trim the bottom inch off the roots to encourage root growth. And, like you were advised above, don't overpot.

Blessings,
Randy

[Hedge]

Unfortunately for me in the UK nutricote has been withdrawn

[fisher60]

Originally Posted by Randy

Hi Fisher,

When I repot my Cyms. I use a mix that has a lot of organic material in it. No manure, but a good amount of peatmoss and some well broken up coconut husks in a regular potting mix. Once in the pot I put Nutracote on top. I get very strong growth and lots of spikes in the next few years until it's time to repot again. I like the Nutracote because it will fertilize automatically every time you water but won't burn like Ozmacote (sp) can.

Now, our weather here is much cooler year round than it is in Florida, but I got some fantastic flowers this year. Last summer I think I only had to water my plants while they were outside twice because we had that much rain. My largest Cym had 9 spikes this year, WOW! I got 2-3 on each one of the others, except the one I divided.

One other thing, when I repot, many times I will trim the bottom inch off the roots to encourage root growth. And, like you were advised above, don't overpot.

Blessings,
Randy

Hi Randy. Thanks for your comments. This is my first Cym ever. I added a generous amount of sphag moss to the mix and with the irrigation system hitting it lightly every couple days, I don't think it will lack for moisture. I would love to see this have multiple spikes next year. Where can I get some of this Nutracote? My intention was to fertilize every week or so with Orchid Plus. But I like the time release idea much better.

Jim

[Leisurely]

Originally Posted by fisher60

Hi Randy. Thanks for your comments. This is my first Cym ever. I added a generous amount of sphag moss to the mix and with the irrigation system hitting it lightly every couple days, I don't think it will lack for moisture. I would love to see this have multiple spikes next year. Where can I get some of this Nutracote? My intention was to fertilize every week or so with Orchid Plus. But I like the time release idea much better.

Jim

Nutracote is sold at Home Depot under the name Dynomite. It comes in a cylinder like container that is red in color and frequently displayed among the annuals.

[fisher60]

Originally Posted by Leisurely

Nutracote is sold at Home Depot under the name Dynomite. It comes in a cylinder like container that is red in color and frequently displayed among the annuals.

Jerry, thanks. I've seen that at Lowes. Much closer for me than HD.