Help with Cyms

[SashaBear]

Not sure I've posted in the right spot but I need to ask about a couple of cyms that I have. I have not been able to concentrate on my orchid hobby much in the last year so i haven't been here very much.

What is the trick to get them to rebloom?
I've had both of these plants for pretty close to two years. They are both potted in deep unglazed clay pots in your basic orchid bark medium that you buy at Lowes. I repotted them in these pots right after they stopped blooming. They are slightly larger pots than they were potted in when I bought them.
They are both sitting in front of large south windows so they get bright warm light during the day. I fertilize them once a month with orchid fertilizer.
They just sit there. They haven't put out any new growth. They are green and look fine but something must not be quite right.
What can I do differently to help them out?
I have no problems with phals but these cyms don't seem to be real happy.

[kid a]

Hello! This might help you out AOS | Cymbidium there is a downloadable pdf at the bottom of the page

[myorchid]

Hi, for my Cyms I keep them outside until frost. I understand for other Cym growers that they need to cold to set the spikes.

I live in Washington state and just brought them in the house last week. I let them spend all the time outside except winter. When the weather gets better I will put them outside again.

This is my first year for Cyms so we will see how they do.

Good luck!

[PhalPal]

Do you grow your cyms inside all year??? They are one orchid that reallly will not adapt well to growing indoors for a long period of time. Except for winter, our climate is very similiar, dry and sunny. They tolerate temps between 35 and 105 quite well if well watered and not in direct sun. They require very high light; mine get between 5,000 and 9,000fc. Except for summer I give them direct sun.

More than anything, cyms need a big difference (diural) change between day and night temperatures. This is what initiates spiking. In addition, they like to be VERY potbound. CROWDED. It's possible your cyms are putting their energy into filling their new pots with roots instead of giving you buds.

Enough for now!!! Get back to us with more information!

[SashaBear]

Thanks for the info!!

Yes, I've kept these two plants indoors. I had set them out on my covered deck last summer and they didn't seem to like that. I figured it was too hot and too dry so I brought them back inside. It took awhile but they started to look better so I've just kept them indoors.
I wasn't aware that cyms prefer the temperature drops at night. All my orchids are in my south facing livingroom. It has lots of glass so there is quite a bit of light and it does get cooler at night because of all the glass but only to 68 degrees. The phals seem to like it and they are all spiking.
Both plants are probably not pot bound. I repotted them after they quit blooming but only into pots that were pretty close to the same size. I'm guessing they still were a bit large.
I'll have to try to set them outside again this spring and see if I can do any better with them.
Thanks for the suggestions.

[Ron]

Hi Shanna.
Colorado, i do not know if the weather is warm enough to leave out side all year around!
a minimum of say 40 to 90 f would be an ideal range.
A photo would help a lot if possible.
1; Cymbidiums NEED fresh air so I would move them out side in late spring and all summer.
2; Fertilize once a month is starvation diet. Cymbidiums are one of the quicker growing and hungrier orchids, I find slow release applied several time a year eg. Late spring after repotting again in mid summer and then in early autumn. I like to use a 12N 5P 15K

3; They will take full sunlight once hardened off but like light shade to do and look best.
If given the right conditions they will reward you with blooms each year.
Best of luck
Ron

[kmarch]

Sasha, you mentioned that your Cymbid didn't like it on your deck and though maybe it got too hot and dry? Here in Australia our summers get really hot (40C+ or 105F+) and really dry (afterall, we're mostly desert). Many of us put saucers under our cymbid pots and water frequently (as often as every few days) so they never dry completely out. The cymbids I have that are under performing are the ones I've let dry out too much.

[Anton]

Another idiosyncrasy of cyms is to "go to sleep" for a couple of seasons.

I had several flower this season for the first time in 3 years, whereas others flower every year.

ALL get the same treatment, ALL in the same place, same light, wind, rain etc.

Also if you have repotted or separated them they may sulk for 2 seasons before reflowering. I don't worry about them any more, when they flower, they flower.

[kmarch]

Good point Anton. I hadn't thought of that. Not every one of my Cymbids flower every year. I had one that flowered 3 yrs in a row and this year, nothing, while another that had not flowered in 2 years, flowered this year.

[Ron]

Hi Anton

Also if you have repotted or separated them they may sulk for 2 seasons before reflowering.

Well if mine did that after repotting they would only last one season then into the bin.
if they are of flowering size and have flower, then they should flower every season if water and fertiliser program is working.
I rarely go into the 10 inch pots so most of my 8 inch pots get broken up and repotted every 2 to 3 years, mostly every 2 years.
They flower regulary each year after repotting.
I only use slow release fertiliser as I recon the powered types mixed with water mostly just run straight through the mix.
Works for me
Cheerio
Ron

[PhalPal]

Ron I use Osmocote slow release fertilizer one time in the spring. I wait until they are literally climbing out of the pot to repot them and so far all have bloomed every year. An exception! I have three that were under a eucalyptus tree this year and so far none of them have spiked. I'm beginning to think there is something to the rumor of cyms not liking euc leaf litter????

Cyms would do fine outdoors in Colorado for three seasons (assuming you are not high in the mountains).

In summer I water every other day and drench them thoroughly.

[LouisW]

I live in New Mexico and I keep mine outside untill it starts freezing(essential for blooming) then I bring it in.

My location which works great for my is under a tree. The dappled light and air movement is perfect. Im not really concerned about humidity untill they start spiking and blooming but by that time they are usualy inside anyway. I believe that under the tree has slightly higher humidity and the psychological benefit of being by other plants, if you believe in that sort of thing.

[PhalPal]

Oh NO!!! Plant psychology!!!

[Ron]

Hi PhalPhal.
My mentor is a professional Cymbidium nursery owner who grows in excess of 50,000 Cymbids a year.
He breeds most of his own stock unless he need to bring in new stock.
His breeding stock is mostly in 10 inches and few 12 inch pots, these he breaks up on average every 2 years or so. I suppose to a certain degree the time factor
He DEMANDS from his breeding plants that they flower every year.
He need to pollinate the flowers for his seed stock.
He deflasks all his own plants and on average he sells the seedling with one flower spike with a very good count in 30 to 36 months from flasks.
All are fed with slow released fertiliser.
Another BIG secret is every spring give them a generous amount of common garden lime to keep the mix sweet.
Mine is fed with a generous handful per 8 inch pot and even by autumn the PH is around 6+

My slow release is a 6 months one at 21C starts to release the fertiliser.
I use this every 3 months except winter. Fert. in Early Oct/ Early Jan and mid to late march, depending on how much rain and hot weather we get.
Mine are under 30% shade cloth and no cover until winter.
They are about as easy to grow as tomartos in the garden
Cheerio
Ron

[Ron]

Hi.
Just an update on a flowering size Cymbidium.
this was repotted the previous year.(last flowering season).
Cheerio
Ron

[SashaBear]

O.k., so basically I'm a bad cym momma. LOL!

i'm in the high desert of Colorado so we have cold, cold winter, mild spring and fall, and HOT summers. They really did not like it when I put them outside last summer. I did set them in big saucers that had aquarium gravel in them to help with humidity but the would dry out practically everyday. They started turning brown and looking sick so I brought them back inside.
I would agree that these two plants are probably "sulking." They have just sat there and done virtually nothing but be green. I did notice last night that there is some new growth starting to come up on the one so that's a good sign.
So, I'll increase the fertilizer, throw them outside in the spring once its warm enough and we'll see what happens. I appreciate all the help.

[Ron]

Hi Shanna.
A big learning curve, bit like walking, once you learn how to you become an addict!

Great fun but!
Best of luck
Ron

[bloomorchidguy]

I'd like to add a bit of information on how I culture my Cymbidiums. I tend to grow mine very differently then most people. Most of my Cymbidiums are in 10 and 15 gallon tall plastic pots. They are so large they bloom almost year around for me. I have probably about 15 species and maybe 30 or 40 hybrids created by a good friend of mine John Dunkelburger. John's has done a ton of Cymbidium hybrids since the early 80s.

We tend to grow our Cymbidiums in straight clean horse manure. Water them everyday because otherwise the manure will burn the roots and cause the leaf tips to turn brown and begin to die back. Many people might think oh but that bad smell! Not really after about a week or two of straight watering the smell disappears. We add more manure as it will break down and settle in the pots. We really don't need to repot them given the break process of the manure and the addition of fresh maintains a great cycle of renewing the mix. They go outside in full sun right after our last frost usually around early May. They don't come back indoors until early October.

This seems to work best I have never seen Cymbidiums grow like this. I've had young plants and seedlings coming from bark mix and beginning to mature nearly triple their size in a year. After being potted in manure. It really works!!

Troy

[PhalPal]

Thank you Ron and Troy for your great growing tips!!!

[SashaBear]

Interesting! Dry horse manure. Well, I certainly have plenty of that around since I have 3 hay burners.
I'm not sure I could keep up with daily watering though.