Noid Cymbidium not spiking ? - Orchid Board

The Orchidist · #1 10-09-2014, 12:42 PM

I purchased this Cym last fall , and was told it had flowered at some point , but i took it home repoted it in small bark mix with perlite , fertilized during summer months as it stayed outside and got rained on all season , i gave it a weekly weakly routine , I am leaving it outdoors as long as i can , since i read that the cool temps trigger spiking .

question for the cym specialists , do i just leave it out until frost warning appears , can i bring it in and place it under my HPS light as all my other plants are in the house now , what more can i do to get this to trigger spike , I have tons of roots and new growth , lots of old bulbs in the center of the plant , should i just leave it and hope for the best or bring it in and continue grow phase under lights.

thanks

Cym Ladye · #2 10-09-2014, 05:40 PM

When Cyms are readied for sale, they are pushed to their limits to produce flower spikes. It is often normal for them not to spike the following year, unfortunately.

Leave your plant outside until frost forces you to bring it in under grow lights. Keep fertilizing it on a reduced basis (1/2 what you fed during the growing season) and let it send out new growths to bloom in 2016. You might get lucky and get a late spike for the 2015 season. Do not count on it but it you get one, just enjoy your good fortune!

I noticed you potted the plant "high in the pot". It will be happier if you add some more bark to cover the lower 1/4 of the bulbs. I do not know if you removed the old roots from the leafless bulbs, but do so in the future as all they do is rot and hold excess water in the media.

The Orchidist · #3 10-09-2014, 11:45 PM

Thanks for the advice

didnt realize they have a 2 year waiting period after it has spiked and flowered , ah well , its my one and only cym , I brought it in tonight as temps here were gonna hit + 2 c , i am keeping it separate from the others in case any critters decide to jump ship , Would you suggest a repot and separate the entire plant at this time as it has many older bulbs ( 4 or 5 ) located in the centre and all new growths are coming out of the sides , Just thought i could create 2 plants out of one , but the root mass is very huge . so i may not . thoughts ??

WhiteRabbit · #4 10-10-2014, 09:48 PM

I have had cyms that spiked the following season after I got them, but they may not. Some do spike earlier or later than others ...

I'd wait until spring to repot unless there are issues.

To divide or not - personal preference. I like to let my Cyms get as big as I can manage (including repot, because they can be a beast!). I wouldn't chop it up too much ... maybe just split in two. The old leafless pbulbs do help support the plant.

Cym Ladye · #5 10-13-2014, 12:56 PM

The best time to repot/divide a Cym is in the Spring as the weather starts to warm up. If you have a lot of leafless bulbs, back bulbs they are usually termed, in the middle of the pot with new growth around the outside, it tells me you have a typical "commercially potted up" plant. This is when the smaller plants are simply dropped into a bigger pot with no root disturbance. The mix breaks down in the center because it stays wetter than the new mixes, the roots die and the leave fall off the pseudobulbs creating the BBs you now see.

When you repot in the spring, remove all the roots from those BBs and leave only one BB on each division. All other roots should be shortened to 3" to 4". Dividing the plant in half is a good idea in your case.

If you are looking for some complete instructions on repotting Cyms, I recommend the Repotting instructions put out by the Gold Coast Cym Growers, a branch of the CSA. If you will send me a private message incl an email to which I can send the pdf file, I will send you a copy. Many of the serious OB forum readers have sent for it and have found it very helpful.

The Orchidist · #6 10-13-2014, 01:44 PM

Thanks for the replies,i did what you mentioned and topped up the bark around the base , looks much better now and yes there is lots of newer growths still emerging on the outer edges , i wasnt aware of the root trim proccess ,but will hold off till the spring , for now its back inside under 400 w hps and seems to like it there, until spring comes back . Cheers