watering cyms
 

I have put my three cymbidiums out onto my deck. It has a roof, but is open on the three sides and gets eastern sun. It is in the 60's and 70's here now, well mostly anyway, and the nights are still in the 40's. I need to know how careful you have to be watering them. Is it important for the leaves and the centers to not get too wet. I am used to the phals. When I water do I have to just water around the edges, or is it O.K. to get some in the middle of the plant? When it rains and wind blows they do get wet.
Thanks, Becky

It doesn't matter as much with Cymbidiums as it does with Phals. It all goes back to how they orient themselves when they're growing on or in whatever it is they grow on or in in the wild.

Remember, Phals don't grow upright in the wild, they grow horizontally or pendulously. Water doesn't usually get into the crowns of Phals as much in the wild. Then you've got the air circulation and temperature to allow the water to evaporate from the Phal's leaves, axils, and crown.

Cymbidiums clump in all sorts of directions in the wild. They can hang off the side of a cliff. They can grow upright on a boulder or a tree, it doesn't matter. Some water will collect within the leaf axils, but the temperatures and air circulation will dry them off. A lot of the water will dribble out of the leaf axils as well.

If you really wanted to not take the risk, just water the potting media only.

I'd also try to avoid getting water onto the flowers. They last longer if water doesn't get on them.

I had my Cym outside last summer and plan to put it back out this when the nights are a bit warmer. It didn't mind the rain we get here in the UK.

The only problem I had was I couldn't fertilise it enough because the rain was keeping it wet without need of much watering by me. This year I've bought some slow release fertiliser to solve that one.

That's what I did as well. I just used slow release fertilizer on it and it had several new growths through the year. However, it did not flower this year for me but I think that was due to repotting it.

My cyms are in the rain all winter here. I only try to protect them when they are blooming.

Last April I got 2 divisions of Cym. Golden Elf from a member on another forum. At that time I knew absolutely nothing about orchids and I have not found this forum yet. I read what I could and potted the 2 divisions up, left them in my backyard over the entire summer until early November, through scorching humid NY summer with the requisite thunder storms, and when the temp started to dip into the low 40's. One of the division spiked and I am now looking at 7 beautiful blooms. I guess those cyms are pretty tough to last through my care and still managed to bloom!

Hello! I am a fellow South Jersey girl lol! I just bought my first Cym a few weeks ago, I haven't put it outside yet because I thought it was too cold. Is yours still doing ok? And does yours have flowers on it, or did they drop already? Mine was in full bloom when I bought it, and still is, so I'm wondering when to expect the flowers to dry up.