Cyms ending blooming, now what?
 

Two of my cyms are allmost through blooming. I guess tomorrow the last flowers will fall off. When this happens, I will cut the spike and I'm planning on repotting them, since I don't know how long they have been in their pots and I've no idea on how the roots are (I guess fine because the plants look very healthy).
After repotting I'll put them on the balcony since the sun isn't so hot anymore here in Barcelona.
Beside this, is there anything else I should do in order to make them feel good and rebloom some day?
Thanks to you all for your great help.

Pictures would have been nice. Usually if its not yet coming out of the pot you need not bother to repot...cyms can sulk and wont bloom for a season if you didnt replant it well...you are right in putting it in the balcony but shade it for the leaves can burn ... let it feel the cold but put it inside if theres frost...the cells will break and it will turn to water mush. The cold will make it bloom better next season.

Thanks Bud for your quick reply. I'll upload some pictures before weekend.
There's no danger of frost here. Only very ocasional (every ten to twelve years) temperatures fall below cero for more than one night.

Sorry Bud.I don't know how this picture of an Oncidium got into my reply.

Do not worry...post the pictures whenever you can...I am glad theres no frost in Barcelona. But even overnight if theres frost that is enough to turn your plant into ice...and when it melts...it will be water

In my experience, Cymbidiums are far tougher than most people give them credit for. They will not turn to mush with mere frost. They actually will take temps down to 28 F for a period of up to 6 hours with little damage except to the bloom spikes. It is good to avoid these low temps but the plants will survive quite nicely.

I am more concerned with the lateness of your re-potting unless you are in the Southern Hemisphere. Division and re-potting should be done during the most active growing season in late spring and early summer, not just before winter and the cool temps start. The plants will not send out new growths, new roots will not emerge and often will rot out, and the plants will sulk until warm weather again sets in.

:twocents:

Cym Ladye

Then, I won't repot them. I bouht them is August, in bloom. I'll put them outside now they are done blooming and the sun isn't that hot anymore. In spring I'll see if it's necessary to repot or not.

Sorry if I keep on asking, but it's better to ask once too often than to regret not having asked.
The cyms that have finished blooming are outside now. Since I don't have the possibility of placing them in the shadow, when I think sun is too strong, I put them bak in again and take them out when the hottest hours are over.
What I don't know is if I should continue watering and fertilizing them normally or if they need a dry-out period.
Please, help me with this.

I continue feeding mine, because they continue growing all of the time. I find that they really love slow release fertilizer such as Smartcote or Nutricoat.

Check out the recent thread "Switching back to a balanced fertilizer..." on the advanced OB Forum. There are a lot of different thoughts on this topic.

Cyms can take full sun during the winter in most climates, short of burning or freezing. If shade in mid to late day is a problem, consider buying a barrel or large tub and plant a small tree in it like a maple or other deciduous tree. Use that as your filtered shade if you are on a balcony or in some other area with no natural shade. Moving plants around daily can get very tedious, very fast!:waving

CL

I've had them outside since summer is over. In the beginning they got rained a few times, but now I've changed them to another balcony that's protected from rain, but not from cold. They do not receive as much light as before, though.
Two of them are starting to show some new life. I guess it's new growths, but on one of them I have a doubt. The growth on the fourth picture (the first 4 pictures are from the same cym), could that be a spike?
Sorry for the poor quality. My camera isn't very good for close ups (not sure if it's the camera or the photographer).

It is difficult to tell if it is a new growth or a spike. They look similar but I have found that the spikes are slightly rounder and plumper. I can feel the difference by touching them. It is important to ripen the bulbs by giving them full sun in the fall.

These appear to all be new growths, which is good for the plant if it just recently finished blooming. What are your day/night high/lows? If your temperatures are not going below freezing, keep the plants outside in the sunniest area (short of burning the leaves) you have for the winter. Rain is good! Bringing them in and out totally confuses them. :scratchhead: Cymbidiums are not "Hot house petunias"!

CL

Our day hights are approx. 55-60, the night lows about 40-45. They are always outside, but under roof. Soon I'll be moving from my apartment to a house with garden, where I'll be able to put them outside under a tree. I'll just have to check where the shadow is on the hottest hours (though the sun isn't that hot anymore to cause sunburn). Won't the roots rot if the medium is wet all the time due to rain?
What fertilizer should I use right now? I'm thinking on getting some Growmore 30-10-10 and in late summer, or autumn change to 6-30-30. I hope I'll get a lot of new growths which would mean that perhaps I'll also get a lot of spikes.

Do not worry about winter rain if they can get sun. They will not burn in the winter. Mine are outside all winter long and thrive.

Skip the fertilizing for now or, if they are in the rain, give them a measure of a slow release 12-12-12 if it makes you feel better. I do not generally fertilize during our cold wet winter, but start again when the weather warms up.

CL

Like Cym Ladye, my Cyms are also out in the rain, and that can sometimes be a lot of rain fairly often, and unless the pots are standing in water, haven't had any problems.

I believe (tho could be mistaken), that slow release fertilizer isn't usable to the plants at temps under 70F. Mine get some of this type in spring, and seem to do fine with no fertilizer in winter.

I continue to feed mine in the winter because the plant continues to grow and they seem to be fairly heavy feeders. I give time release in the spring, but in the winter I feed them regular soluble once a month or so.
They don't seem as prone to root rot as some orchids, but I was given a pot of cyms that was wet and the roots were bad.

Great to learn they can withstand rain. Here, normally temperatures won't go under 32 F, so they will be outside all winter. I'll put them in full sun so they get plenty of light now the sun isn't strong enough to cause sunburn. I'll keep you posted.

Feeding lightly all winter is generally recommended on most fertilizer labels and for most fertilizer programs, but the plants will not be growing as rapidly during cold weather and therefore will not be absorbing any fertilizer at the rates they do during warm weather.

Because most of my plants are outside, I let Mother Nature handle the watering and therefore I cut way back on watering with fertilizer. There is generally a dry period in Jan and I will fertilize lightly then, but the temps are still cold.

CL

I agree. Most orchids should be fertilized less in winter. The only ones that I fertilize weakly weekly year round are the vandas.