Cymbidium Culture

As epiphytic, terrestrial or lithophytic plants, cymbidiums inhabit the large area from Japan through China, the Himalayas to Australia, always in loose, well-draining substrates in bright light. It is important that the potting mix we use tries to duplicate this; our mix for example consists of:

To choose the right new pot-size, you must remember that cymbidiums bloom better when thoroughly pot-bound. If you put the plant into a container that gives it much room to grow, it will grow more pseudobulbs and leaves and it may take a long time before you see flowers. Choose a container with good drainage that will just accommodate the plant – don’t give it too much open space. With this in mind, make sure that your cymbidium really needs repotting and not just grooming:

Cymbidium San Francisco

Yes to any of these? Then un-pot the plant; for large plants, this may be a job for two people with strong hands; for very large specimens an axe may not be amiss. Untangle and clean off the old roots by cutting away all the dead (brown) tissue with a sterile cutting tool. Trim off old flowering stems and all tattered, old or brown leaves. Shake or rinse off all old mix and debris and then let the base of the plant dry off for about an hour. If you want to divide the plant, leave at least three pseudobulbs per division, preferably more or you will have to wait forever to see it flower. Any leafless bulbs which are still solid and have green tops could be cut off cleanly and may be placed in a pot that is filled with damp peat moss. These old bulbs may sprout new growths and then you can make gifts to your friends. Please, do put a label into each pot. When there is a label in the old plant, just write more labels with the same name. If you divide an unnamed plant, pick a number or choose a name for the plant and that name or number must go into each piece of your divisions or back bulbs. You can just call it something like ‘Mother’s red Cymbidium’ or #100, but please, do this.

Place the cleaned plant over some drainage materials (Styrofoam chips or crocks), centre it well and fill the open spaces between roots and pot with the new mix (try the recipe above or make your own), packing it medium-firm to stabilize the plant and leaving the tops of the pseudobulbs exposed. All this is best done in the spring, before any new growth has made long roots and tall leaves. Try to have the re-potting done by May so that the plant will have the summer months to make good growth.

You can start watering and fertilizing right away, placing the cymbidium in light shade for a few weeks, out of harsh winds’ way; after that time, you should give your cymbidium all the light you can provide: from early morning until 11AM is ideal. If you can only provide midday or afternoon sun, add some light shading – you don’t want to burn the leaves. Please note that windburn can happen quickly. Whether you keep your cymbidium indoors or out, do keep up with watering and fertilizing – they are hungry and thirsty plants but abhor wet feet. They also need to be warm during the growing season. In nature, most species grow in sub-tropical surroundings. In the fall, when the leaf growth is finished, cymbidiums need about a month or more of cool nights (10°C) to set spikes. (You could ask the weatherman to please keep night temperatures above 4° Celsius). Here on the West coast of BC, these temperatures are quite normal, in colder parts of the country it can become a problem. Cymbidium leaves may withstand a little freezing but the flower spikes cannot tolerate frost. See to it that molluscs (slugs and snails) do not have a chance to get at your plants. A saucer with beer or yogurt or squeezed out orange- and grapefruit halves placed as little golden mounds around the yard will attract these beasties and you can collect them every morning to dispose of them.

Before frost arrives, bring the cymbidium indoors; perhaps a cool and sunny porch, unused bedroom or bright basement can be found to maintain the plant cool, bright, fed and watered. Don’t over-water and over-feed, but do not let your cymbidium go dry like a Christmas cactus. Please make sure that there always is good air circulation. Once you see the round, pencil-like flower stems around the base of the plant, often by January, keep the plant facing the light the same way all the time – do not turn it (like an African Violet) to make sure the flower stems grow straight – you may even need to stake them for a better display. There are some cymbidiums that have pendent flower stems – read up on your treasure to know what it will look like.

Sometimes, cymbidiums get spider mites: the underside of the leaves get all silvery and sticky. Wash all the leaves with plain soapy water (Kelthane is a poison that works on spider things); you may want to wash those long leaves regularly, to make them look fresh. When the flowers are open, you can bring the plant in the living room for all to see – keep it on the cool side and watered well, out of direct sunlight in order to make the flowers last. We used to see mainly the very large, standard sized cymbidium plants. Now there are many smaller growing hybrids that will be easier to maintain in your home. They can last over two months, some are fragrant and they come in many colours.

Oriental cymbidiums are species that have been appreciated by orchid enthusiasts in Asian countries for over thousand years. Mostly, they are grown and cherished for their interesting foliage. All of the different species are rather small, their flowers are often fragrant and to display them properly, you must put these plants into the special, tall and narrow cymbidium pots. There is a good amount of literature concerning these particular plants, their lore and how they are to be cared for and judged.

Ingrid Schmidt-Ostrander - Canadian Orchid Congress