Cymbidium Aloifolium - PLEASE HELP WITH DIVISION???

[TOMMYMIAMI]

So, I did order this cymbidium because I read about it in Kevin's thread and it just looks amazing, than I found it is worm grower, and than I found actually seller from Florida selling the only division on the ebay. I went for it and order one. Seller was quite nice and sent me 2 divisions. They are REALLY BIG first of all, nothing I did expect, and they are divisions, and I have no clue what to do now. Seller wrote she grows them all outside, in Florida, full sun, and using Hydro pebbles charcoal mix. I really do not know what to do with them now - I did not expect this giant division, it has some 25" plus. First of all - should I pot it already, even it has no roots (seller said these have just small root system)? If I should pot it, than please help me with the mix and also what pot to use, they are huge, clumsy and not holding, so it will need support, but I do not want to ditch them too deep, I am afraid they will rot??? For now I did just put them into the pot with little pebbles on the bottom. Many thanks for any tips, I love this one, and would love to see it bloom here at my balcony.

[Bud]

Cymbidium aloifolium is found in dry decidious forests in tree trunk and branches, mossy rocks, rotting wood, and leaf litter of open areas with partial shade. The plant is found endemic to Guangdong, China; Hong Kong; Bangladesh; eastern Himalayas; Assam India; Nepal; Sri Lanka; Andaman Islands; Myanamar; Thailand; Laos; Cambodia; Vietnam; Malaysia; Java and Sumatra. The plant is also found growing on trunks of palm trees and on rocks.

This should be grown in intermediate to warm temperature(which is ideal in FL) with medium to bright light. Pot this plant with small bark, perlite or sponge rock and charcoal. Plant prefers dry periods between watering. Reduce watering during the winter to every 7 days. Do not give this drastic winter rest. Protect this from frost but it can withstand below 35 to 40 F overnight. Since you have just repotted it=put it in a shaded light and wait for a week before watering = it will trigger the plant to grow roots first and get accustomed to the new media.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Thanks Bud, so I will do this mix, and now what kind of pot would you recommend and also how deep should I pot this??? I will need to figure out how to stabilize these guys, since they are so tall, they really do not hold inside the pot well.

[Bud]

a tall cymbidium pot (5inches diameter and 7 inches tall conical shaped) make sure to tie it with a rubber coated wire to that stake in the picture so it will not wobble.....and make sure half of the bulb is under the mix ....when the roots are established the bulb will be pushed upwards exposing some of the new roots that will fill up the pot in a year....the roots are not fine it can grow into pencil thick size so I am disturbed why your plant doesn't have any roots at all but it has a new growth coming out of the bulb

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Ok, went to our home depot, the worst one ever, they have absolutely nothing there at all times, so the pot section with clay pots totally empty, was forced to get not my favorite plastic tall pot. This one make me work for it, truly, to stabilize it I did make metal bridge contraction, bamboo stick in the middle, and it seems to hold it somehow at it's place, the pot is filled over half with mix of charcoal, perlite, sponge rock and bark with coco chips (pretty much the Dendro mix I have plus added some perlite). I did put on the bottom shipping peanuts. I won't water for another week and will hope both divisions will start to make some roots:-)

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Thanks Bud, this reply came after I left already. Our home depot was just horrible, the worst supply HD in the Miami, I swear God, nothing there, so I got the only pot that looked ok to me for this one. Once more, both divisions are truly huge, some 25-30 inches tall, and wide also, it might be little bit over potted but there was nothing smaller, only tiny little ones, not tall, or huge once. I did put some half of the bulb into the mix, as you could see from the picture. I am not sure why there were no roots, I did expect something completely different when ordering, much smaller, and with some roots, she is growing them everywhere in her garden, straight in the soil and in the pots as she wrote me, and one of them is separate division without any cut side, one was cut division from mother plant, there are just no roots. Will see, I love this Cymbidium, the blooms are just amazing and it is worm growing and I was looking for some warm growing Cymbidiums for some time now!

---------- Post added at 07:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:04 PM ----------

Ohh, the pot I got is 8" diameter and 8" tall, the divisions are pretty much as big as my whole hand, it might not seem from my pics, really huge

[Bud]

if you can find a 5 inches pot....its ideal...8 inches is just too much but I hope you someday find the right pot=these kinds of plant are not picky as you saw the mother plant they can grow on the ground....

[TOMMYMIAMI]

I'll have to drive to other home depot, so I will look there. For now it must do the trick, and seller said they are growing like a weeds everywhere in her garden here in Florida, so I hope they will grow for me too:-) Many thanks Bud

[smweaver]

The seller said this species has a small root system? Well, not to dampen your enthusiasm, but I don't think he or she did you any favors by chopping off a piece of a plant that doesn't have a root system (or one on which the roots were removed for some reason). I have a large plant of this species and it produces a robust and extensive root system (nothing like Cym. tracyanum's, thankfully, but still quite an impressive amount of roots). I don't know if using a rooting hormone might do any good for your plant, but maybe someone else with more experience using a rooting hormone on orchids might provide some input (I've only used it on cacti).

I would keep the plant (in its current rootless state) in a relatively shaded location. It's probably already stressed out enough right now. Maybe you could also use a little NZ sphagnum around the base of the plant. The moss supposedly has some anti-fungal properties, and it will provide consistent moisture (just don't keep it soaking wet) to whatever new roots the growths may produce.

Good luck. I hope it turns out well for you.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Well, it was the impulse buy on eBay and did not cost arm and leg. It was the only one I could find. I usually do not buy any cuttings or divisions, I like to have plants potted with roots, or mounted with roots. After the exchange of few messages with the seller, I pretty much think she just has whole garden of worm growing cymbidiums and she is separating/cutting divisions and than sells one eBay. In first message she wrote she has over 50 worm growing cymbidiums scattered over her garden, and she keeps them fairly wet. In second message she wrote "loifoliums don't grow many roots" and "They are very drought tolerant so I just let nature water them", so little confusion already here right? Anyway, I purchased one division, she sent one extra for free, and I just hope it will produce some roots. I do not have any root hormones, the only think I use is a seaweed extract, which I will apply next week, I will follow Bud's advice now and after potting it I will not water for a week. Many thanks for the advices.