It’s easy to fall hopelessly in love with Cymbidium orchids. Their gorgeous flowering spikes in a rainbow of colors ranging from whites, reds, pinks, oranges, browns, yellows, greens, coppers and purples as well as multi-hued freckles, stripes and streaks may look delicate, but can be grown outdoors year-round in mild winter climates. Upright Cymbidiums add winter-early spring beauty under the shaded canopy of a tree and can be brought indoors to enjoy their clustered blossoms. Miniatures are ideal for small spaces and cascading varieties are breathtaking in hanging baskets. And as cut flowers, they can last about 2-3 weeks and up to 4-12 weeks (depending on the weather and the variety) if left on the plant.
Every 2-3 years, a mature Cymbidium may become over-crowded and should be divided and re-potted after the flower spikes are spent (usually in spring). Small divisions may take a year or two to re-bloom, but larger divisions will likely produce flowering spikes the following winter or early spring. If your divisions yield too many plants, share with your friends and family.
- Cymbidium mix containing a combination of soil and bark because cymbidiums are terrestrial, not epiphytic (available at your local garden center)
- Broken piece of curved clay shard or wire mesh to place over the drainage hole (to keep the planting medium from draining out, but do not block the hole)
- Knife or saw to cut through roots
- Solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water or commercial product such as Physan to sterilize the cutting implement and to prevent the spread of any virus (dry tool thoroughly after using to prevent rust or use Physan because it sterilizes without rusting the tool)
- Sterile container with adequate drainage
- Newspaper or cloth to keep debris in place as pots are inverted
- Label for plant
- Root stimulator containing indolebutyric acid or naphthalene acetic acid
1.)
Spread out a newspaper or cloth, invert the pot over it and tap around the sides with your hand to loosen the roots (if the roots are in too tightly, use a mallet or hammer to loosen from the pot)2.)
Once plant is loosened, gently pull the plant downward3.)
Loosen all the embedded soil or bark by hand or by swirling the root mass in a bucket of water4.)
Cut away any dried, stringy or rotted roots and any brown or shriveled pseudobulbs5.)
Pull apart the root bulbs by hand, but if difficult, use a saw, knife or shovel to break apart into clusters of 3-4 pseudobulbs 6.)
Sterilize the knife or saw after each cut to avoid the spreading of any disease with a bleach and water mixture or Physan7.)
After placing the clay shard or wire mesh over the drainage hole, partially fill the bottom of a sterile container with fresh cymbidium mix in a mound and fan out the roots over the mix8.)
Center the plant, fill around the edges of the container with more mix and tamp firmly around its base9.)
Label with plant’s name10.)
Water in with a root stimulator containing indolebutyric acid or naphthalene acetic acid and allow to dry slightly before watering again
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