[kmarch]

Dear Farah,

I really recommend visiting the American Orchid Society (AOS) website and download or print out their culture sheets. These culture sheets are fantastic and give clear, concise, and detailed info on the cultural needs of various orchids. There is a culture sheet fo rCymbidiums for beginning growers. It's extreemely well written very easy to understand. Once you give it a read and understand the basic needs of a specific orchid you can then ask questons specific to your growing conditions. This will make it much easier for us to give helpful advice and the advice we give will then be much more useful.

Now some replies to your questons:

Originally Posted by DDS2007

1. i read they're not suitable indoors, but i really want to show them off in my living room with all the beautiful flowers they have. is it possible to grow a cym indoors? and what conditions should i provide?

In general your orchids do not know if you are growing them indoors or outdoors, they only know if they are receiving the conditions they need. Look at the AOS culture sheet for Cymbidiums. These are the conditions they must have regardless of whether you're growing them indoors or outdoors. Most of us grow them outdoors because there they get what they want.

As some have said before, you could grow them outdoors then bring them in when they are in bloom. Then when the blooms are gone, back outside with them. This would really give you the best results, the most healthy growths and the best blooms. I understand that's probably not what you want to hear. If you insist you want to grow the plant indoors be aware that the flowers last 6-8 weeks so for 10 months out of the year it will not be in bloom. Also Cymbidiums must have autumn nights in the 55-60F temperature range or they will not bloom. So you've got to get your house down to 55-60 at night in the sutumn or no flowers. Same for their need for high light (see next question).

Originally Posted by DDS2007

2. i have a western facing window with 4 hours of direct sunlight eact day(i have no curtains). is this enought for my cym and should i place directly in the sun-light?

Cymbidiums require bright indirect sunlight. In the house (northern hemisphere) that means in a south window with a sheer curtain or an east window (bright direct but not hot early morning sun). West may be ok but watch it for signs of leaf burn.

Originally Posted by DDS2007

3.what about watering , do they need more or less water then Phals? (i will use skewer method too)

Cymbids like to be kept moist all the time. Drying out stresses the plants. The answer to "how often?" is, "However often to keep them moist." You will find in the winter this may infrequent while in summer it may be almost daily. Anton mentioned every 2 weeks in winter and every 3 days in summer. I should like to add to that our winters (in southern Australia) are cool and wet and humid and our summers are hot, very dry and with low humidity (<10%) so this is what we need to do here to keep them moist. What we do in Australia or California or england may or may not be the same as what you will have to do. Use the skewer method to see fi you rmix is staying moist inside and water when needed to keep your cymbidium moist.

Originally Posted by DDS2007

4.the potting medium it came in was a mix of peat-moss and SPONGE???? yeah regular sponge like the one used to clean the dishes but in smaller pieces, is that suitable for my cym or should i repot after flowering is over. but the potting medium my cym is in right now doesn't cover the roots entirely , i mean i can see BARE rots in the top , is that ok or did the potting medium fall off the pot during shipping and i should add more?

I'll address these questions in reverse order: I'd add just enough mix now to cover the roots. I think mix did fall out in transit. You are correct in that you should wait to repot until the flowers have all gone off. The sponge....it's strange...I do see a kind of logic to it...it will retain moisture, but I would be in favor of a more conventional mix like the one Anton suggested.

Originally Posted by DDS2007

6.would a pebbles tray be sufficient to provide it with humidity?

Yes i believe it would.

Finally, in closing, I would gently but enthusiastically encourage you to research the care and culture of an specific kind of orchid before you buy one. Doing this will save you a lot of money and frustration with loosing plants because they're not getting the conditions they need. I encourage new orchid growers, as soon as possible, to break themselves of the "I bought it, now how do I take care of it" habit. In fact I used to give a talk to orchid clubs on how to look at your room and figure out what your conditions are then which orchids to buy to fit those conditions. Maybe a written version of this might be a helpful thread for me to start.

Happy Growing!