No flower yet, can it be named?

[Sandra75]

I bought this Cymbidium today. All the lady said is that it was a Chinese miniature Cymbidium ....

Do we need flowers to identify this Cym? Or someone would know by looking at the leaves? those leaves seem to have some white on the edges .... And she said the flowers are green with some red on the lip .... but Not sure how she'd know since there were no name tag and this one hasn't flowered yet

[tucker85]

You may not be able to identify it even with flowers.

[Sandra75]

ahh! I thought we could.

Is there a difference between a new spike for flowers and a new bulb forming? I see one shoot with my new Cym but am unsure what it is ...

[tucker85]

There is a difference between a flower spike and new leaves. I really can't tell from the picture. You'll know before long.

[stonedragonfarms]

Based on the pictures of the bulbs and the placement of sheath on the base of the bulbs, I believe that this is probably either Cym. ensifolium or Cym. sinense; I'd lean more toward ensifolium based on the sheathing that's covering the pseudobulbs, as sinense tends to have less in my experience. Both are variable bloomers, though both bloom heaviest in spring for me. Zip us a picture if/when it blooms and we'll do our best to help further.
Adam

[Sandra75]

Adam!!! Thank you for that info!! My pics werent clear but if needed, I can post more of the bulbs.

At least I can do some search on those 2 types. And yes! I will definitely post a pic if it ever flowers for me. Thanks Again!!

[Sandra75]

.........btw

Is there a special care for this type of miniature Cymbidium to keep its variegated leaves? And 'if' to keep the special type of flower? I read somewhere they can lose their variegated leaves or special type of flower without proper care.

Also, what is the best medium for those miniature chinese cymbidiums?

[stonedragonfarms]

Originally Posted by Sandra75

.........btw

Is there a special care for this type of miniature Cymbidium to keep its variegated leaves? And 'if' to keep the special type of flower? I read somewhere they can lose their variegated leaves or special type of flower without proper care.

Also, what is the best medium for those miniature chinese cymbidiums?

As far as special care goes, you need to be careful not to give them too much light, as this can wash the variegation out (the white areas will start to take on green hints). It is common for there to be some variation in the markings of new growths, some may initially have solid green lower leaves and grow variegated leaves as the bulb progresses, some may also revert to solid green, it's due to unstable genetics as far as I know. I don't know that the flowers of your plant will be any different from the standard "green" form of your cymbidium--some of these do have abnormal flower form or color, but are usually sold named (these floral abnormalities or variation in color generally command more money than just their "garden" variety counterparts)

The choice of medium is more related to where/how you are growing and personal preference. I grow in a greenhouse, so what I use tends to be a different mix than if I were growing under lights or on a windowsill.
I will tell you what I use, but there are definitely other mixes out there and myriad reasons to use them.
I generally use either straight Turface (it's a sort of expanded chipped clay material that holds moisture and does not compact down) or a 1:1:1:1/2 mix of fine tree fern, Turface, Perlite and shredded long-fibre New Zealand sphagnum.

Adam

[Libo]

I'm pretty sure that's a Cymbidium sinense. I saw that one a lot in China. So this one is a warm grower and needs less light than the average cymbidium. Flower has sweet fragrance that is different from any other flower I have ever smelled. Good luck growing!

[Sandra75]

Thank you!

What you guys think about this terrestrial mix from this web page? Is that something good for this Chinese Cymbidium and other big regular ones??

Orchid Mix, Potting Soil, Growing Mediums, Organic Orchid Mix