Gorgeous New Cymbidium!!!

[InspirChid1712]

Hi Everybody,

I am totally new to cymbidiums, so I'm hoping I can grow this! I just couldn't resist it at the grocery store! It was one of those immediate, drop-it-in-the-cart situations, without the slightest hesitation or regret! (AND a great deal for $20!!!) I took some great photos with the tripod today! So, my expertise is with cattleyas... how do I grow this plant successfully?!

[Vanda lover]

These are easy if you give them as much light as possible without burning them during the summer and leave them out until towards the end of October. Protect them from frost, but they are pretty tough. It is important to give them some direct sun, especially from August onward, because it ripens their bulbs. Feed well all summer. Usually a few weeks to a month or 2 after you bring them in you will see the spikes appear. They are easy and well worth growing. I love the colour of yours. I find Smartcote slow release fertilizer is a big help. Nutricote is another brand.

[Cym Ladye]

I am always amazed by people who buy an orchid on pure impulse and then want to know if it will fit into their environment. I would truly like to see more people say "I think I want to try growing orchids and these are my conditions". Far fewer lovely plants would die and the novice owners would not become so frustrated when their efforts fail, not because of lack of trying, but because one generally "cannot fit a square peg in a round hole".

My advice here is for Inspirchid to read every post on the OB Cym alliance forum and then, if there are more questions, ask them specifically.

Call this "tough love" but it is just my two cents on this topic.

Cym Ladye

[InspirChid1712]

I have years of experience with orchid culture and had been thinking about trying to grow a huge Cymbidium for months. I just happened to stumble across a beautiful plant in the right place, and at the right time. You'll never know unless you try, after all...

[WhiteRabbit]

beautiful!

lots of light - avoiding direct midday sun especially during hot weather

don't allow media to dry out

fertilize well spring-fall, making sure to flush the media well once a month

a period of cool night temps (50ish or lower) for at least a couple of weeks in fall - many people just leave them outside til first threat of frost

gl!

[silken]

It's a beauty! I do about the same as Vanda lover and WhiteRabbit do. I let mine get fairly close to the freezing point but never risk frost. It hardens the bulbs and initiates the blooms I think. Mine get a lot of sun and they are fairly heavy feeders in the growing season. I start using some bloom booster around mid to late summer.

[Charmkp]

That's a lovely plant Elliot. Just do some extra reading and follow the advice given by the experience growers and you won't go wrong.

Cymlady, I guest alot of us fall prey to buying orchids for beauty and the love for it without even thinking of the growing requirements.
I have done this over and over, most time with good end results. Not a good practice, we know but there are times when we just can't help it.
A personal testimony. Not all Cymbidiums do well in the Caribbean as our temperature tend to be too high all year round, but I have taken my chances and bought a few online in 2008. One bloomed for me late last year 3 yrs. later and another one spiked but got blasted, however it is spiking for me and this time with 3 powerful spikes. For me that's a happy ending, as now I know it they will bloom here even though they came from up north. So I do understand Elliot's situation.

[InspirChid1712]

SOOOOO.... I got some Shultz orchid mix for repotting after the blooms fade, and a cool looking green plastic pot. But, I am wondering if it would grow better in a tall clay pot instead? I only use plastic pots for lady slippers and a few phals, finding that nearly any plant is happier in a clay pot. What do you guys think? Paper or plastic? I mean... CLAY or plastic! :-D

[silken]

Mine are in plastic. They are large plants and clay will make it a very heavy pot to move around in spring and fall. They do OK in a fairly deep pot which you can't always find in a clay pot. But clay is likely fine too! Whatever works well for you!

[Cym Ladye]

Originally Posted by InspirChid1712

SOOOOO.... I got some Shultz orchid mix for repotting after the blooms fade, and a cool looking green plastic pot. But, I am wondering if it would grow better in a tall clay pot instead? I only use plastic pots for lady slippers and a few phals, finding that nearly any plant is happier in a clay pot. What do you guys think? Paper or plastic? I mean... CLAY or plastic! :-D

Elliot,

Your environment will dictate what media and what pots to use. The more humid and warm your climate, the more draining the medium and more porous the pot should be.

CL