Cymbidium Fever

[bigroth]

I'm in very temperate and sunny CA. I've put them outside and was worried because it gets a bit "chilly" (albeit spring weather by east coast and midwest standards) in the early AM and late at night. I came across some literature saying cyms in general do alright year-round outdoors in CA, but then again, the leaves are awfully thin and reminiscent of my oncidiums and miltonias...So I wonder. They are ginormous though in comparison- if size matters when it comes to the great outdoors.
I've put them in a spot where they get shade for most of the day. Soon enough, I'll be in NYC and then I think the more gigantic of the cyms will need to stay back with family in CA.
I have about 50 plants, mostly mini catts, some medium sized catts, a handful of miltonias, numerous oncidiums, about 6 phals, 10 paphs (many seedlings but one large rothchildianum hydbrid), 1 myrm/schom, 1 den. I manage to hang them from all sorts of places (including a bathroom with skylight) to get them the light they need, but it will be a challenge in NYC due to smaller spaces, smaller windows, and overcast skies. I haven't even begun to think about how to ship. I suspect the phals and paphs will do better, but really worry about the light lovers!!

[Vanda lover]

You can always get some artificial lighting.
Cyms are pretty tough. My neighbour left hers on her back porch all winter, not realizing that you have to bring them inside around the end of October for them to bloom. Her cyms survived just fine. The porch has plastic on the windows and that's all. I was surprised they looked so good after being outside all winter.

[RJSquirrel]

heh your moving from orchid heaven to orchid hell

Ive moved 4 times in 3 years. Im done moving for a very very long time...

here is a tutorial on how to wrap them up..

Kawamoto Orchid Nursery Packing - YouTube

[bigroth]

Originally Posted by RJSquirrel

heh your moving from orchid heaven to orchid hell

Ive moved 4 times in 3 years. Im done moving for a very very long time...

here is a tutorial on how to wrap them up..

Thank you...This is perfect.
Regarding orchid hell, yes, I know, I'm riddled with guilt!! But at least there are times in the year where they might like the extra humidity in NYC, whereas there is far less of it in my part of CA and I'm not a pebbles kinda person for the moment...Some of my orchids feel like they get enough light and not enough moisture. I need a creative indoors apartment appropriate greenhouse, that is vertically inclined! It all started in NYC anyway, where I picked up my first orchid at the NY Botanical Garden show...

[Ashleyma23]

I should leave this cymbidium forum ' cymbidium fever ' is attacking me !
Lovely

[NYCorchidman]

Those pure yellow and cream white flowers are beautiful!!!

[kindrag23]

Lol. It's hit me 2. I have a green one with some red on the lip and a bright yellow one both NOID both huge and both are sitting on my porch happy as larks.

[Cym Ladye]

I think if I were you, much as you might love the big Cymbidiums, I would leave them behind in California where they can be grown outdoors in the temperate zones where the lows do get below freezing for more than a few hours or above 100F for any length of time. If you still are hooked on Cyms., there are smaller varieties closer linked to the Asian species which do not take up as much room and lend themselves better to apartment/windowsill growing.