Cymbidium flowering in june at 34°C

[tamara]

Hay

Two of my cymbidiums are gone mad. They are flowering in the middle of the summer. It is 34°C outside but they look great.

Don't you think?

[fred]

Congrats with your Cym flowering tamara
the plants look good
You are lucky I am still waiting for mine to flower.

good growing

[robb]

wow! beautiful flowers, i hope mine look half so good!

i have noticed all the cym's are extremely crowded in their pots, and mine are quite sparse, does the crowding promote blooming? i remember reading some posts to that effect, in which case i shall have a long wait indeed! i attached pictures of mine from the gallery, if anyone could comment on density/crowding?

[kmarch]

8 of my 10 Cymbids are in bud. One (3 spikes) should open in about 3 more weeks, the others will be another month at least. I'll post some pics when they open.

It does strike me as odd that they're blooming in summer but there are some miniatures (like Golden Elf) that are warmer growing. Maybe yours contain some of the same species or parents. Is this flowerign typical for your plants or do they have more flowers when they bloom in season?

[tamara]

The yellow one bloomed in february, the white one never before (I bought it on sale). The yellow cymb. had 3 spikes in february. They are not nimiature and they are cold growing.

[Hummer344]

Last year I repotted a cym in May and it flowered in Jul/aug. I have no idea why but I looking carefully to see if the same plant spikes in Jul again.

[kmarch]

Well, I suppose it's possible that the one spike just came really really late. I do have a Cymb with 2 spikes that are showing their buds and a third just starting so the spikes don't always all come together. As for the other one. I'm stumped as to why it's blooming out of season. If it's happened to both you and Hummer, maybe it's not as uncommon as I thought. I've never had one do that though.

I suppose it doesn't really matter though, a flower is just as enjoyable out of season as in, infact maybe more so because it is unexpected! I really like the white one It looks, by the patterns on the lip, like it might have some Cymb erythrostylum in it. It's one of my favorite Cymbid species.

Cheers

[prisana]

That's awesome ! congrats...I hope my only cym survives me long enough to flower this year...I want your plant..nice and healthy and blooming !

[pikevi]

very nice, tamara.

The plants and the flowers are gorgeous.

[fyd96]

I'm hoping ya'll can help me with this one. I have a cyb that has new groth but the older leaves aredying and the tips are turning brown.what Is causing this? I have It In a bright location with not a lot of sun. I thought that a lot of sun would burn the leaves. help!

[robb]

fyd96: as far as i know, that is normal behaviour for cyms, unless you have a net loss of foliage, there isn't likely to be a problem. many of the oldest leaves on my cyms are dying off, but there is lots of new growth to replace them.

[fyd96]

thank you for the help. as I understand, the new growth will take over as the oldre leaves die off. so I dont have to really do anythind except just follow the proper care right?

[Ellen]

FYD96, I keep my cyms outside almost 9 months a year, March through November, in full sun, southern exposure, all day, morning to night. When they first go out, there's always a little sunburn on the leaves, but it's nothing serious and the new growth quickly makes up for it. I also grow them "crowded" in their pots, with the growth filling nearly the whole pot. I give them a scattering of Nutricote and plenty of watering through the dry season. They stay outside until temps go near freezing in the winter or until they bloom, whichever comes first. This treatment seems to promote both healthy new growth and blooming. You should be able to keep your cyms in full sun for much of the year in the Chicago area, and certainly in Alaska, although I don't know how cold it will be where you are moving. We seldom go much below freezing here, so I can get away with putting the cyms out early and bringing them in late.

[PhalPal]

robb - your cyms look quite a bit overpotted to me; they like to have their roots very crowded. I would move them to a smaller pot maybe 1" larger then the root ball.
fyd96 - I have perpetual brown tips. My cause is lack of humidity growing outdoors. Another cause could be over fertilizing or not flushing salts out of your media from time to time.

[robb]

[quote=PhalPal;24305]robb - your cyms look quite a bit overpotted to me; they like to have their roots very crowded. I would move them to a smaller pot maybe 1" larger then the root ball.

i agree! when i first got the cymbidiums (my first orchids) i had no idea how to pot them, and figured i would leave room for them to grow. they also came in huge pots (for their size) so i only potted up 1 size anyway! but i think it will be some years before they fill out those pots. you mentioned you grow yours outside in full sun, but i think for me that would be too intense. our heat and humidity are more like Anton's i think, desert-like conditions in summer. mid-30's all june-september! and barely any rain. i might try one outside for a bit, on the north facing deck, just morning and evening sun, shade during the day.

[chefatplay]

Hi, Robb! I just bought a cym Golden Elf, on Tuesday. My orchid doctor said it wouldn't need repotting until next year. There is a lot of room in there, potted to the side to accomodate new growth. I do have a few brown tips, he said I could snip them without any consequences. I can't help you with why yours are blooming right now since mine is a warm grower, but maybe the pictures of a cym straight from a good nursery will help you with your potting question.

I picked this one from a large nursery. They were in the same room as the phals.

Mine is a Golden Elf, which, as Kevin says, is a warm grower. The yellow flowers smell like lemons, heaven!



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[Vivienne]

Ellen - that is gorgeous!!!

[chefatplay]

This is my first cymbidium. I promise to do my best. Although, right now I feel like I could fill my house up with them.

[fred]

awesome pic a very nice cym you are growing the plant well

[fyd96]

good morning Ellen. I'm now confused. most Info I have looked up says no miday sun. you leave yours out In full sun all day. and this will not frie your leaves. this Is very Interesting. I'll give It a shot and let you know how It goes. thanks all. hope every ones 4th went well.