ted byers

I am rebuilding my indoor garden beginning with a couple new Cymbidium
hybrids. The ones I got are impressive: lots of large, fragrant
flowers, lots of leaves and pseudobulbs. I haven't looked at the
roots, but then I don't want to risk the current blooms by shocking
the plant. I was shocked at the scent (which I noticed just walking
past the first of the plants) as none of the other Cymbidiums I'd ever
seen over the years had ever had a scent. And the colouring is
striking, despite a couple spots where the plants were nipped by the -
30 degrees Celcius temperatures outside the night I transported them
home. I should have waited until this afternoon to get them as today
we had temperatues of +4 degrees Celcius, but ......... the flowers
remain as vibrant in colour and as fragrant as when I first saw the
plants.

I have never had Cymbidiums before, and the cultivation information I
received from two different vendors is contradictory. One says they
want medium light, at this latitude (southern Ontario) about 20%
shade, with only indirect light, and the other says they want full,
direct sun. Which is it?

Also, my few remaining my plants died earlier this year because I was
hospitalized for a while (serious infection) and so the neglect was
too much for them (all my orchids died during the previous, and
longer, hospitalization). But I noticed that the demise of the two
Hibiscus was accelerated by mites (but these pests totally ignored the
Cyclamen which died of thirst and my African Violets which are the
only survivors and in fact look outrageously strong despite the
neglect, though they lost their blooms). Are Cymbidium orchids
vulnerable to mites, and if so are they likely to be at risk from
mites that seem to prefer Hibiscus. I ask because I know many pests
will attack only a particular species or genus, while there are a few
that are generalized enough to attack anything (like my sister's cats,
which don't care what species of plant it is that they're
destroying). What treatment would you use to kill mites, when the
plants are in either a bedroom or a home office? I have tried to
minimize their exposure by having the Cymbidiums at the opposite end
of the floor, in a different room, from where the infected plants
were.

Thanks in advance for any information you provide.

Cheers

Ted

k barrett

Is it a standard cymbidium or a chinese cym hybrid? Santa Barbara can grow
standard cyms under high light, full sun for a few hours but ameliorated by
shade or dappled sunlight later in the day. So as high a light as you can
manage without burning the leaves. They'll also want a 20 degree day night
temperature differential in order to bloom. Chinese cyms I grow alongside
the cattleyas.

As to the mites, increasing your humidity and air movement should encourage
the mites to move elsewhere.

K Barrett

ted byers

Thanks.

How would I tell if it is a 'standard' or a Chinese Cymbidium hybrid?
They are undoubtedly hybrids, but I don't know anything about
Cymbidiums, including the difference between a standard and a Chinese
Cymbidium. The pink one is labelled as (Fancy Free X Red Beauty)
Debbie's beauty, and the yellow one is labelled as Tracey Reddaway
'Geyserland'. They have 7 and 9 flowers respectively, and the flowers
are about 12 to 14 cm across. They are both almost a meter tall, with
their respective infloresence being long enough to hold the flowers
above the tops of the leaves: when sitting on my desk or on my
dresser, this puts the flowers right at nose height. The pseudobulbs
are about 4 cm to 5 cm across. Does any of this description help
figure out whether they are standards or Chinese?

For the day/night temperature differential, I can see that possibly
happening either in spring or fall. How long would such a
differential be needed, and how should it be timed relative to when
they seem to be growing fastest? Cattleyas I know, and had rebloomed
several times before I lost them in my second last hospital stay (oh
the joys of failing health). Can I rebloom these Cymbidiums by
treating them like my catts? And what about what I've been reading
about bright light damaging the flowers? Is temperate zone full sun
likely to cause such damage?

Thanks again,

Ted

steve

Hi Ted,
Those most certainly are standard Cymbidiums. To get them to bloom well,
you'll want to give them bright light, brighter than Cattleyas need.
They can take some full sun but mid day sun will burn the leaves
especially if they are not used to that much light and especially if the
air temperature is high.
To bloom their best (or maybe to bloom at all) they will need to
experience cool temperatures in the fall to initiate flower spikes. If
you are growing indoors, the only reasonable way to accomplish this is
to grow them outdoors during the summer and leave them out until the
nights have been quite cool. They can actually tolerate temperatures a
bit below freezing but they don't need or like it that cold.
Don't worry about the flowers and too much light. They will be in bloom
during the winter months. Mine tolerate lower light during the long
winter (because they have no choice here).
I live in NY state and you may actually be farther south than I am,
depending on what part of southern Ontario you live in. I can be in
either Ottawa or Montreal in under 3 hours from here.

Steve

ted byers

Hi Steve,

Thanks. I am located about two hours north of Toronto (about the same
latitude as the southern end of Ge****an Bay, which is about a half
hour drive from here).

Based on what you say, I have a couple south facing windows that may
be perfect for them during the winter as I can place them so they get
full sun all morning, and the indirect light for the rest of the day
after lunch. Similarly, I have a flower bed at the front of the house
that gets full sun until a little after lunch, and then 80% shade
(from a neighbor's tree) for the rest of the day. But I suppose that,
in the fall, I ought to look into supplemental lighting if they want
more light than cattleyas.

How would I make sure I don't bring in garden pests with the pots in
the fall? The mites that attacked my hibiscus are, in fact, the first
pests I have ever had in my house in all the time I have been growing
houseplants. (And my mother had a better track record in never having
had her houseplants attacked by pests, at least since I was a kid many
many decades ago). I guess the other concern is whether or not the
plant will suffer a shock in the fall once I bring it in, changing
from nice days and cool nights to steady 20 degrees Celcius 24-7.

Out of curiousity, how long should I expect the flowers to last? And
how often should they be repotted? I know repotting is critical for
epiphytes, so the roots can breath, but I recall reading that
Cymbidiums are terrestrial so I'd expect they'd be best left alone
until they're much too big for their pots. Right?

Thanks again.

Ted

k barrett

On Feb 3, 12:47 am, Steve <tlswi...@aol.com> wrote:


Hi Steve,

Thanks. I am located about two hours north of Toronto (about the same
latitude as the southern end of Ge****an Bay, which is about a half
hour drive from here).

Based on what you say, I have a couple south facing windows that may
be perfect for them during the winter as I can place them so they get
full sun all morning, and the indirect light for the rest of the day
after lunch. Similarly, I have a flower bed at the front of the house
that gets full sun until a little after lunch, and then 80% shade
(from a neighbor's tree) for the rest of the day. But I suppose that,
in the fall, I ought to look into supplemental lighting if they want
more light than cattleyas.

How would I make sure I don't bring in garden pests with the pots in
the fall? The mites that attacked my hibiscus are, in fact, the first
pests I have ever had in my house in all the time I have been growing
houseplants. (And my mother had a better track record in never having
had her houseplants attacked by pests, at least since I was a kid many
many decades ago). I guess the other concern is whether or not the
plant will suffer a shock in the fall once I bring it in, changing
from nice days and cool nights to steady 20 degrees Celcius 24-7.

Out of curiousity, how long should I expect the flowers to last? And
how often should they be repotted? I know repotting is critical for
epiphytes, so the roots can breath, but I recall reading that
Cymbidiums are terrestrial so I'd expect they'd be best left alone
until they're much too big for their pots. Right?

Thanks again.

Ted

I do not summer my plants outside, so perhaps you should wait for Steve to
answer, but a good drench with an insecticide should encourage pests to move
along elsewhere. You can use anything from plain old water and liquid dish
detergent (a tsp per gallon should do it) or insecticidal soap to anything
you can get at a nursery - whatever your comfort level. Hose down the plant
and potting medium and let it stand to drain and dry until you bring it
indoors.

Another thing to be careful about is losing the plant's name tag. I
understand blue jays and squirrels will tug the tags out of the pots. A
good habit is to write 2 tags. Push one tag deep into the pot. In case the
first one is lost there's a second buried in the medium.

Standard Cymbidiums are epiphytic and or lithophytic, so they have the same
thick roots as a Phalaenopsis. Many people let their Cyms crowd a pot. As
always wait for new growths and new roots before repotting. Flowers can
last weeks if not months.

K Barrett

ted byers

Hi K

Thanks. That is great.

Your idea of using a tsp of liquid dish detergent reminded me of a
mix my sister's father in law used on his fruit trees. He always had
nearly perfect fruit. What he used was your mix of soap and water,
but he added a little mouthwash (to disrupt the *** life of bacteria -
I don't know if it does this or just kills the bacteria, but it makes
for a good story ;-) and a little dry mustard. He claimed the soap
gives insects 'the runs' and mustard irritates their mouthparts. I
don't know if that is true, but, regardless of whether or not his
explanations were true, one can't argue with the fact he always had
top quality fruit.

I am now concerned about tree rats, now that you mention them. They
are a problem, here, and I have lost hundreds of dollars worth of lily
bulbs to the damned things, not to mention vegetables I'd tried to
grow (something I've decided to let wait until I can set up a sun room
or greenhouse). Fortunately they don't seem to have a taste for Iris
(which have flourished for me). Do you know if they have a taste for
Cymbidiums? Is there a reliable way to keep them away? I have given
up on keeping a vegetable garden in part because of these damned
critters. I can't sit on my front porch with a sling shot to shoot
any tree rat that comes near. I am sure that if I did, the local SPCA
would have a few harsh things to say to me.

Thanks again,

Ted

k barrett

On Feb 3, 11:35 am, "K Barrett" <mormo...@hotmail.com> wrote:


Hi K

Thanks. That is great.

Your idea of using a tsp of liquid dish detergent reminded me of a
mix my sister's father in law used on his fruit trees. He always had
nearly perfect fruit. What he used was your mix of soap and water,
but he added a little mouthwash (to disrupt the *** life of bacteria -
I don't know if it does this or just kills the bacteria, but it makes
for a good story ;-) and a little dry mustard. He claimed the soap
gives insects 'the runs' and mustard irritates their mouthparts. I
don't know if that is true, but, regardless of whether or not his
explanations were true, one can't argue with the fact he always had
top quality fruit.

I am now concerned about tree rats, now that you mention them. They
are a problem, here, and I have lost hundreds of dollars worth of lily
bulbs to the damned things, not to mention vegetables I'd tried to
grow (something I've decided to let wait until I can set up a sun room
or greenhouse). Fortunately they don't seem to have a taste for Iris
(which have flourished for me). Do you know if they have a taste for
Cymbidiums? Is there a reliable way to keep them away? I have given
up on keeping a vegetable garden in part because of these damned
critters. I can't sit on my front porch with a sling shot to shoot
any tree rat that comes near. I am sure that if I did, the local SPCA
would have a few harsh things to say to me.

Thanks again,

Ted

Is tree rat another word for squirrel? Like I say I don't grow outside and
have nothing meaningful to say about deterring our animal friends, but a
slingshot sounds good to me, LOL! Maybe a little coyote urine might deter
them. My friends tell me it doens't stop the deer around here, but who
knows.

K Barrett

ny orchid lover

Here's my take on cymbidiums, although I don't claim to be an expert
on all the varieties: most need bright light in order to flower, so
unless you're in a very warm climate such as those unfortunate Aussies
who are literally burning up I wouldn't worry about giving them too
much sun. You can always pull back if signs of leaf burn appear. And
since you mentioned fragrant varieties I would be interested to know
which type you have. Many are not fragrant and I keep thinking of one
I owned when I first started collecting orchids- not realizing what a
gem I had. It filled an entire room with its fragrance. I haven't been
able to find another one like it, and since it was a raffle prize at a
local orchid society with just the tag, "warm hybrid' I really don't
know its origins or parentage. Hope this helps

ted byers

The pink one is labelled as (Fancy Free X Red Beauty) Debbie's beauty,
and the yellow one is labelled as Tracey Reddaway 'Geyserland'.

The scent varies in strength during the day, seeming to be stronger
when the light is brightest. At dawn I have to get within a few
centimeters to detect it. At noon, the scent fills the room. While
Walmart isn't exactly well known for being a source of good orchids,
my attention to these was drawn when I walked past their seasonal
department and noticed their strong scent. When I went closer, I
found dozens of Cymbidiums, about 90% of which had a really strong,
pleasant fragrance, and they actually had labels like "(Fancy Free X
Red Beauty) Debbie's beauty" or "Tracey Reddaway 'Geyserland'". There
were, actually, a couple dozen different cultivars with quite a
variety of colors and flower size (of course, I picked the two with
the most vibrant colour and strongest scent and largest
flowers, ... ;-). I was shocked. I had never seen orchids in
Walmart in such good shape and with such labels, and as I mentioned
before, I had never seen Cymbidiums with a scent and I had seen lots
of them at different vendors and orchid shows.

It turned out that they had arrived the day before (so the Walmart
staff hadn't had a chance to kill them yet). One of the Walmart sales
girls told me she wasn't allowed to water any of the plants;
management claiming that was for safety reasons (no drains, so water
would pool on the floor). Gee, I guess I'm doing something wrong
because I never have water on my floor after I water MY orchids. ;-)

A few weeks later and most of them were still there, looking rather
sad and all had lost their scent: I guess there wasn't enough light as
there are no windows there, and just a handful of florescent tubes a
few meters above them. They were clearly struggling, and coping with
their conditions better than the Phals (which were not labelled WRT
cultivar): they had clearly not been watered in weeks, and were fading
fast. I guess the Cymbidiums were fading more slowly than the Phals
because of whatever resources they had in their pseudobulbs (all the
size of large plums and still quite hard). The flowers on the
specimens with the fewest pseudobulbs had started to wilt, while those
the size of the ones I bought (i.e. with the most large pseudobulbs)
still maintained their form and had declined only to the extent of
losing their scent.

Cheers,

Ted