Proper location/shade for my Cymbidium

[BirminghamGirl]

Hi all,

I'm new to Cymbidium and I have a little dilemma to solve, as I live in an apartment. The set up in my south-facing sunroom is fine for my Phals and Dendrobium, but I don't have a "zone" for something like Cymbidium. I'm in central Alabama and we just now have gotten temperatures cool enough. I'm willing to adjust the environment but I'm not sure what is best... Inside or outside.

Back story: I bought a Cym 'Cherry Cola' X dayanum about two months ago. It was in bloom at the time with two more small spikes. Of course within the next couple of weeks after I moved it, the blooms fell off and the two spikes turned brown and died. I wasn't too surprised that it didn't like moving while blooming, so I put it in a location I thought it would like: high light and constant semi-moisture.

Well, then the leaves started to look like they were burning, dark brown tips, and some of them yellowed. I put it behind a sheer curtain to block the Alabama September sun. It continued to slowly decline.

At this point I realized its top roots didn't look so good. Since it had just bloomed, I took it out of the pot to check its roots. Very bad news. There was all root, hardly any medium at all, and I guess I had kept it too moist in that tight black plastic pot. I did surgery and pulled out what mushy roots I could get to without destroying all the good ones. It was completely pot-bound and hard to target the roots on the inside of the root ball. I did what I could, thinking I could finish it in a few months when it recovered from what I did, and maybe it would grow new ones in the meantime. I put it in a clay orchid pot with numerous holes, mostly bark with a little perlite, sphagnum and a touch of sand to keep it draining.

It's decline seemed to slow down and now that I'm keeping it relatively dry, I believe it has perked up. It has lost quite a few outer leaves on most of the bulbs, and there are a few back bulbs with no leaves. It's much less leafy than when I got it. 😕

So the temperatures just rapidly went from daytime 70, nighttime 60 ... to now ~50 at night, 60ish during the day. I kept it inside by the window during the last couple nights to adjust during the weather change. I put it outside this morning to get cool.

My dilemma: my breezeway doesn't get sun during the day, just an hour or so in the afternoon. At night, the artificial lights around the building light it up, so it would actually get more light at night! I'm thinking about building a shade cloth? Should I 1) keep it there outside, to get a cool treatment, while shielding it from the nighttime light somehow, or 2) move it between inside/outside, or 3) just keep it inside where I can give it more light but it will be warmer? I want it to readjust to the natural cycle so it can hopefully bloom next year.

Thanks in advance.


Kelly in Birmingham
Orchids, herbs, succulents, Hoya... Never met a plant I didn't like.

[WhiteRabbit]

I think this is a warmth tolerant Cym, meaning it doesn't require a cool period to initiate spikes.
Registered name is Cherry Kisses The International Orchid Register / RHS Gardening

I have a dayanum, and mine gets a pretty good amount of sun in spring - summer, but this time of year is gets no direct sun (mine is outdoors). Hopefully in spring and summer you have a spot where it can get plenty of sun.

Links to Cymbidium care / culture here Basic Cymbidium culture (links)

[Cym Ladye]

As White Rabbit said, Cyms. need to be kept outside in bright 50/50 sun//shade as long as there is no frost or freeze, whether or not you consider your plant heat or warmth tolerant. As long as you have no freeze, keep your plant outside. When night time temps get below 40F, bring your plant inside to a warmer, bright area which will have lower night temps than day temps. Taking a plant outside during the day when temps may be 50 F and then bringing it in at night when it is 68 F is just the reverse and will totally confuse the poor plant.

As far as repotting, you are more or less on the right track but do not be afraid to shorten all the roots when you are repotting to no longer than about 3". That way you can get the interior of the root ball cleaned out and that is where most of the dead roots will be, under the bulbs without leaves.

[rbarata]

According my experience with them, as long as they don't get any frost, they'll be fine.
Mine, although not the same as yours, are always outside, with temps ranging between -3 to 40ºC during the year (26 to 105º F).
And where I have them located, they never get any sun.

[BirminghamGirl]

Thanks, that's really helpful! I will move it outside and won't worry too much about getting high sun during the winter. I get plenty of sun through my south facing windows all year. But during the summer I need to move the plants away from the sill and use heat mitigation!

Next time I repot I'll cut the roots back. I may need to divide it as well. There are 7 bulbs with leaves, plus three leafless in the middle.


Kelly in Birmingham

[Cym Ladye]

Kelly, the Gold Coast Cymbidium Growers, a branch of the Cymbidium Society of America, has a free repotting guide which they will be happy to send you. PM me with an addy and I will see you get it.

[Fairorchids]

In NJ I grow my Cymbidums outdoors from abt May 1st till first frost (which was early this year). We have the plants growing in full sun. With that much light, we do have to water them well.

I checked with Lois Duffin (in Philly). She has hers under 20% shade cloth. I consider 20% to be maximum shade.

Remember, a well grown Cymbidium should have yellow/green foliage. If leaves are medium to dark green, it is not getting enough light.

[rbarata]

One thing about sun exposure...do it gradually, if possible without changing too much the other conditions/location.

[Cym Ladye]

Please remember that full sun in New Jersey is NOT the same as full sun in Arizona or California, and may not be the same as full sun in Alabama either.

[rbarata]

Please remember that full sun in New Jersey is NOT the same as full sun in Arizona or California, and may not be the same as full sun in Alabama either.

Right! Very important! Gradually is the key.