how to save a cym with few roots?

[oscar freak]

Looks like no matter what i do im killing my cyms with water.i have a few big plants with very little roots,what is the best way to try and save them?

[AnonYMouse]

Are the pbulbs plump? What medium are you growing them in? Can you post a pic? Are they big hybrids or species? How much light? What are the temps and RH? Tell us what you have tried.

Try to keep them immobile with stakes. If the pbulbs are plump, they will sustain the plant. Use seaweed/kelp supplements if you have them.

[campchi]

I just simply pot em up with barks. Cym is a fighter. It will put out new growth and roots. I aggreee with anonymouse, stake it, so the new roots wont get dmg from wobbling around

[oscar freak]

i had them growing in bark watering once a week and the roots rotted,tried an inert medium with twice a week watering still rotting.there is new root growth but very little.pseudo bulbs are far from plump.had them outside on the verandah where they get morning sun.they are hybrids and species.iv moved them inside now into a finer bark mixture.i have some seaweed fertilizer and wormtea i can use,should i use it at every watering at a weak solution?

[AnonYMouse]

Doesn't sound like you've done anything wrong but something is going on. I had a fussy goeringii, never figured out what went wrong. At the same time, I had (still have) another goeringii that is perfectly happy with the same treatment and conditions.

Can't advise on worm tea use, not used it myself. Use the seaweed according to label directions.

---------- Post added at 01:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------

One other thought. If you changed media without letting new growth to develop roots, that would be a problem. It isn't unusual for old roots to die in new media (often cited in S/H but also holds true with conventional growing).

[estación seca]

oscar freak - I don't grow cymbidiums, but I can't help but notice it's winter where you live. You Northern Hemisphereans giving advice, how do you treat cymbidiums in the winter?

[oscar freak]

thanks guys,always thought cyms would be the easiest orchids to grow seeing as how they dont mind the cold here but im having more success with all my others catts,phals and dens.it is winter here but its the mildest in 30 years,not one day of frost or negative temps,the sun shines like its summer just not as hot.i water the indoor plants once a week and the cyms that were outside in the wind and sun and coarse potting media twice a week i think that might have been still to much.

[theloyalplum]

I know it's going to sound terrible, but I put most of my cymbidiums in an "orchid mix". It's fast draining, acidic potting soil amended with lava rock and perlite and in the sf bay area, they do exceptionally well. There's never problems with over watering or rot, and there's never problems with drying out since the medium stays moist for quite a while. For stripped, rootless backbulbs, we just throw them into a pot with the stuff and they all take within a week. It's strange because it's like I'm doing almost everything "wrong" with them and they grow and bloom like no other. Like leaving them outside in the winter even when it rains, watering sporadically, fertilizing all year round. If your climate is similar, I would suggest trying it!

[Cym Ladye]

It never changes, ask 10 people how to grow Cyms and you will get at least 10 different answers. Then you have to decide what will work best FOR YOU under your conditions, not for them. Everyone has a special "recipe" which they will swear by but may not work for anyone else because no one has the same conditions.

First: Learn how Cyms grow in the wild. The majority are epiphytes growing in bols on trees and therefore like to fast drain. They will stand lows of 28F and highs of over 100F for short periods of time with no damage. They prefer 50% shade and 50% humidity.

Second: Study your own conditions and your culture practices. They try to grow orchids which best fit into those conditions. That applies not only to the genera which fit best into your life style but the specific orchid types. For Cyms. Standard hybrids and the species from which they came can generally be cared for in the same manner. The small Asian species and their hybrids are quite different. So too are the warmer growing species and hybrids coming from the Australia species and the warm growing small flowered coriacious leaved group of atropurpureum, bicolor and the like. Most Cyms available on the market today are mass produced hybrid mericlones and can be cared for as you would the Standard Cym. Some of the plants and flowers may be a bit smaller but they are all mericloned because of color, number of flowers to appeal to the public and ease of growing.

Third: Keep it simple! Do not over water a Cym. Do not baby a Cym. and do not get carried away with anything but the basics for the sake of your pocket book. Use a high quality bark or coco chips with a bit of perlite and you are good to go. Learn when to water under your conditions and fertilize weekly with a good quality fertilizer. If you are a really busy person, consider using a slow release granular type which releases nutrients every time you water for a period of 6 months.

As a hobbyist grower, I have over 2,000 Cymbidiums from 2" seedlings to 3 gal specimen plants for exhibition. I do not use lava rock because of the affinity it has for salts in less than perfect water and then turns toxic to the roots of the plants. I do not use seaweed because all the necessary nutrients are supplied in the fertilizer I use.

[estación seca]

I was hoping somebody smart would enter the discussion. oscar freak, if you look up and read all of Cym Ladye's posts you will learn a lot about cymbidiums!