Australian cymbidium species
 

:hello :waving :help Will an Cymbidium that native to Australia thrive under my conditions? I'm looking into acquiring a Cymbidium Australian Midnight Black Beauty orchid. If anyone has a division of this plant I'll be happy to take it off your hands.:cheer:

I believe your desired Cymbidium is named Australian Midnight 'Black Beauty' - it is a primary hybrid of the species Cym. canaliculatum (which is native to Australia) x Cym. atropurpureum (native to areas such as Thailand and the Philippines). The culture for this hybrid is as follows, from OrchidWiz: "Grow this hybrid in cool to hot conditions, or 58°F (14°C) to 85°F (29°C) at night", in bright light, 50 - 60% humidity. You might be able to do this as both species tolerate warm conditions. Hope you can find this, it is an interesting cross!

Cymbidium Australian Midnight at Santa Barbara Orchid Estate

its amazing..though a touch pricey!

That's the one
 

Hip Hip Hooray :banana: :cheer: I saw this beauty on ebay auction but the seller doesn't export :_( By the way, what is OrchidWiz?:scratchhead:

:yikes: :whew that is pricey :pray: to the orchid God that it's availabe someplace else a bit cheaper. I'll add it to my wanted list.

Hi Chococotte,
Have lots of cymbidiums up in Jacksonville - a note of caution about growing anything with canaliculatum in Florida. I grow most of my cymbidiums outside and mist to keep them from freezing - but not canaliculatum hybrids. They like to be pretty dry in the wintertime so but them inside and only give them a light mist once in a while. Do not water until spring. I quit watering in Late Nov and dont water again until April. I almost killed my "Little Black Sambo" (half canaliculatum ) before I found that out. Its done fine every since.

Thanks for the advise,:bowing Little Black Sambo is on my Wanted List as well:cloud9:

That is a rediculous price for this plant. Anyway, if you are going to grow this plant, here is a pic of Cym canaliculatum growing in nature. Australian Midnight like it parent, canaliculatum will not flower off small plants and requires lots of light and a drying out through the cold months and LOTS of water will light food during the hot months.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...dex_001-14.jpg

OrchidWiz is an orchid database software:

OrchidWiz Orchid Database Software Home Page

A great place to find parentage and species composition of hybrids, thus assisting in culture requirements.

jeanne

Orchid wiz is the best program I have seen for determining what makes up a Hybrid - and there are pictures. It is loaded with useful information. It gets my vote as a top notch aid in studying Orchids. Worth the price.

What about Cymbidium suave or Cymbidium madidum. These are both tough plants and will tolerate wetness and humidity and quite a range of temperatures. Much better than the dry loving canaliculatum which grows in drier areas of tropical/subtropical Australia and doesn't like the humidity or wetness we have here. suave and madidum grow closer to the coast in wetter areas. These two are both abundant where i live and well worth growing. should thrive in florida climate. A well growin suave in full flower is quite a sight and they develop these long pendulous stems up to about a metre long (hence the common name snake orchid).

I guess it really depends on where Chococatte will be growing them. Given that Australian midnight and canaliculatum are being thrown up as options for someone indoors, I'm going to assume they going to be grown indoors or in a heated greenhouse. While suave or madidum will grow well in a greenhouse, I would think Cym madidum is probably a better option for growing indoors. It tolerates lower light than the two other Australian species. Unlike suave (or canalicultum for that matter) it's happy to be repotted so you can grow it like any other Cym assuming you keep it on the intermediate/warm side. The only problem I see is that, for a plant with such tiny flowers, it grows into a monster so space is a necessity indoors.

Most well grown Cym suave I've seen are grown in either long pipes or hollow logs to accommodate the root system and this is certainly how I grow mine. I can't say I've seen a good (large) plant in a pot. No doubt most people stick it in a log and leave it to its own devices so they don't have to deal with its intolerance of repotting. Growing it like this is fine outdoors or in a greenhouse but if Chococatte grows indoors, a huge, immovable container may not be particularly convenient.

I got to have Cymbidium Australian Midnight 'Black Beauty'

Cymbidium madidum and suave are ok. I'm drawn to color :blushing: on canalicultum. What are your temps & relative humidity in your area? We've been getting some decent rain showers here in Central FL lately, it will get pretty dry here on, out until November.

I don't have a greenhouse for now :-P, I grow 'chids outdoors. I'm looking for orchids that will tolerate high temps 90's and humidity (50%-70%).

haha ok, yes canaliculatum does come in a range of colours. I just wish it would grow better where i am (Our summers are just too humid.) and it never seems to thrive here. It likes a dry climate and can tolerate extreme heat and cold.

Maybe some time in the future we can trade divisions but Little Black Sambo is not ready to divide yet. I usually do the Gainsville show (display for Jacksonville) ask for the guy that grows cymbidiums. I wish we could get an orchid society dedicated to cymbidiums somewhere in North Florida even if it involved several cities and moved the meeting around each month. They are such neat plants.

Madidum grows well in Florida. Have not tried sauve but have recently aquired "Val Peck" which is 50% sauve. I understand it is very similar to a pure sauve. Am really interested in how it does. It will be a while before I know. What is hard to grow somewhere else may just be the plant for Florida.

High temps aren't really the problem. It's the winter lows that can cause difficulties. I assume, as you've put zone 8b in your details, your temps get down to 15F hence why I assumed you'd be growing your other cyms in a greenhouse of indoors. All 3 of the Australian species are warm tolerant. As far as winter, Cym suave is the most cost tolerant and mine take take brief temps down to 32F. While I've had Cym madidum take temps down to 32F they can go backwards if you're not careful about the watering. A bit more warmth in winter will definitely make it happier. Cym canaliculatum prefers warm to intermediate conditions although as others have said this species favours drier conditions and low humidity especially in winter. It can take winter temps into the 30's but you have to keep it very dry to avoid it rotting.

I will add to my wish list for christmas present.

I'll keep that added advise in mind. Winter temps dip down into the 30's here in Gainesville, FL. I will be moving my collection indoors during the winter to protect them from the bitter cold and frost. Thank everyone for their advise and recommendations as well.:bowing

Chococatte,
My cymbidiums stay out all winter - I could never put 2000 plants in and out at the whim of the weather. Culture under the N. Florida conditions does take some preperation and know how. Suggest you read the following. Loren has detailed very well how to be outside - no use reinventing the wheel. Basic Cymbidium Culture and January 14 Freeze I have exhibited in flower - after they had icicles on the flower spikes. It will make you nervous but you can grow a lot colder than you might think.

i thought florida was warm and frost free :( we don't get frost where i live but we do get cold nights sometimes down to near freezing temps. Winter days are usually quite warm.

Canaliculatum in my opinion is quite cold tolerant and can tolerate frost. I have seen them growing here southern queensland in areas that get frost and very cold in winter nights in exposed situations but they like a dry atmosphere. The species does have a large distribution so it may be the ones from the southern part of its range are much more cold tolerant. Suave is quite cold tolerant but not as tolerant as canaliculatum. It doesn't really like frost and needs to be protected from it but can tolerate quite low temps. Madidum is definitely the least cold tolerant but would still do well if you protect it from the frosts i would think and prolonged cold periods. Its a hardy and robust plant and grows huge. I have seen plants 2 metres across.

It's a big state. The north can gets quite cold (by Australian standards)

My suave handle temps down to a couple of degrees below 0oC with light frost and no noticeable setback. It also doesn't mind Melbourne's winter rainfall. I believe my plants are of NSW origin so this may have something to do with the cold tolerance.

grow australian cymbidium in china
 

hi,i am from china .i want to grow cymbidium in south east part of china. any suggestion,which species would be suitable over there.the climate condition in china is similar ro florida.

the best Australian species for you would be Cymbidium madidum. I likes tropical and subtropical areas.

Cymbidiums in China
 

I'm curious as to why you would want to limit yourself to the Australian species. There are many sinense cultivars that should do well for you as they are native to China. Also if you have a warm climate, then I would definitely look at the many hybrids made from ensifolium or if you just want species then keep to ensifolium itself. There are many cultivars native to China.

thanks
 

i have looked ur website.found useful information.
i have paeternership with an australian,and want to be comercial grower in china.so i have to choose the right species to grow here. the climate here is 38 drgee during today,and 30 degree during the night.very humid.if u don't mind i will keep in touch with you.thanks

I've got a cymbidium madidum with loads of seed pods on it. If you are interested in seed PM me. The pods should be ripe in another month.

peace

help !!!!my cymbidium leaf turn brown.it is sarah jean. one year old .

Which of the leaves is it. One of the centre new leaves or one of the outer old leaves or all leaves ????

all leaves.except the new leaves.

Here's a pic of a huge specimen of madidum growing wild not far from where i live. Its a monster.

[IMG]http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/9104/img1560ky9.jpg[/IMG]

Sound very bad, check the root system could be rotten.
The new leaves / growth are probably feeding from the bulbs they are from and dont have roots themselves.
Pull the plant out of the pot, check the roots, clean the root system up and repot into new mix and pot. Check that the bulbs haven't rotted also.

I agree with Roy, that is a ridiculous price but it might be normal for the USA.

If anyone is considering buying Orchidwiz I can't recommend it more highly, it's an awesome product.