Cymbidium is an evergreen representative of the Orchid family. In the wild, it can be found in the subtropics of Northern Australia and Asia. These flowers have got into the culture for quite some time. More than two thousand years have passed since then. And it happened in China. Now in Japan and China, species with small flowers are more valued because they are more fragrant. In total, there are more than 100 different species in the world. Further in the article we will talk about how to grow a cymbidium orchid at home.
Description
The cymbidium has a near-earth part, which gardeners and breeders simply call a bulb. It has an ovoid shape and has the ability to retain moisture in itself. The leaves can have a different shape: sword, keel, sometimes have blunt tips or pointed. Flower stalks stand out very much, which in height can reach even one and a half meters.
The inflorescence itself is a hanging loose brush on which flowers are located, the number of which varies. Depending on the variety and type of orchid, cymbidiums can have different sizes, as well as color. Shades are not only monophonic, but there are also two-tone and even three-color species.
Inside each flower there is a three-lobed lip, which is always painted in a brighter shade than the other petals. If you provide cymbidium orchid care at home such as is required by all the rules and standards, then it can live from three to seven years. A healthy and well-groomed flower can delight with its flowering for about three months.
How to care
It will not work to grow such a plant without special knowledge, since this orchid requires special attention.
Cymbidium orchid flower should be located on the largest and sunniest window in your home. However, direct sunlight should be monitored. This is especially true for the flowering period. Therefore, at noon, you must always shade it using a curtain.
But this does not mean that the plant should always be far from the sun, because it needs a lot of light for normal growth and flowering. Gardeners note that the flowering period of this orchid begins in winter and due to the fact that the daylight hours are too short at this time, it is necessary to provide the plant with additional light.
If cymbidiums love light, this does not mean that they like heat and stuffiness. Therefore, the air in the room should be cool and fresh. Pay particular attention to this during the winter period when heating appliances start to work. If you place a flower near the battery, then you can hardly admire its beautiful flowers.
In addition to all this, the room must have high humidity. In summer, you will have to spray the plant every day at least three times. To alleviate your fate a little, place the pot with the plant on a pallet where there will be wet expanded clay or pebbles.
Watering
Especially in need of watering cymbidium during the period of active growth. It will take a lot of water. However, make sure that moisture does not stagnate in the roots. This can lead to the fact that the roots begin to rot, and the leaves are covered with black spots.
Poor flower and lack of moisture. Bulba immediately begins to frown, and leaves and flowers also suffer. If the drought is too long, they can even simply fall. In winter, watering becomes less frequent. This procedure will have to be done only once every two weeks. But this is only under the condition that the humidity and temperature in the room will correspond to the norm. If the room is too hot, then watering will have to be increased.
Top dressing
Top dressing must be carried out with every third watering of the plant. But attention: fertilizers can be applied not simultaneously with water, but only into that substrate that has already been moistened. It is recommended to use special fertilizers for orchids, which are sold in any flower shop.
There is instructions for use. However, the dosage must be divided into two. In the middle of summer it is necessary to slightly change the amount of fertilizer. You will need more potassium and less nitrogen. Orchids are completely stopped feeding when the flowering period begins.
Transfer
Cymbidium orchid transplantation at home is an indispensable component of proper plant care. The roots gradually fill the old pot, and this means that the plant needs a larger container.
Typically, a transplant is performed once every three years. But this can only be done after the flowering period has ended, and the young shoots that have been released have already reached a height of five centimeters.
The soil
The substrate is the first thing to do before starting a cymbidium transplant. You can not waste time on independent cooking and just purchase in the store soil, which is designed specifically for planting orchids. However, if you do not trust the manufacturers, then make the soil yourself.
You will need a pine bark, which is mixed with chopped moss sphagnum, as well as with fern roots. To this whole mixture you still need to add some charcoal and some part of the rotted horse manure. However, to find all these components, especially in a city apartment, is not so simple, so it will be much easier to purchase a ready-made substrate in the store.
Disembarkation technology
A drainage layer must be placed at the bottom of the pot. For this, you can use expanded clay or clay shards. A three-centimeter layer of prepared or purchased substrate is poured on top and only after that a cymbidium is placed there.
The plant is transferred exclusively with the earthen lump in which it was before. After that, you will need to add a little more substrate to the pot. But be careful, pseudobulbs must be located above it.
Usually, after transplanting, plants need watering, this also applies to orchids. However, you can water the flower only if its roots were not damaged at the time of transplantation.
Sometimes it happens that the root system has to be cleaned due to the presence of rotten parts on it. If you encounter such a problem, then after planting cymbidium, you need to wait a few days and not water the flower. Transplanting cymbidium orchids is always a stress for the plant. The first time after this procedure, it will be better for her to stand in partial shade in order to “recover” a little.
How to make a plant bloom
As already mentioned, in the world there are more than 100 species of cymbidium orchids and each of them blooms at different times and with different durations. But they have something in common. First of all, none of the species available in the world will produce buds if the temperature of the air where it is located exceeds 22 degrees. What is the reason for this?
When breeding each of these species, breeders used the materials of those wild plants that grew in the mountains. And there, as you know, the air temperature is not too high, and even there are strong jumps between day and night. In addition, in the mountains there is always bright sunlight, which is what the cymbidium orchid requires when leaving at home, transplanting and further cultivation.
Flowering temperature
What to do so that your favorite orchid will delight you with flowers? If you come across a view that blooms in spring or summer, then you should not worry about temperature changes, especially if you placed the pot on the balcony or porch. During this period, there are always jumps in temperature.
Cymbidium will quite calmly transfer even five-degree heat. In such conditions, the plant will bloom on time, and the flowers will be quite large and beautiful. But what to do for those whose orchid flowers in winter? After all, you can’t take it out to the balcony at this time of the year, and the heating system in the apartment works around the clock. If your loggia or balcony is insulated, then try to put the plant there for the night or open the windows in the room where it is located. But make sure that drafts do not fall on the orchid.
Do not worry too much for those whose orchid has not yet reached three years. Since the most abundant and bright flowering of them begins at that age.
Breeding
You are unlikely to find the seeds of the cymbidium orchid, since it propagates exclusively by dividing the bush. The procedure is simple and is carried out at the moment when the plant is transplanted from a small pot into a larger one.
When you remove the flower from the container, you will definitely see in its lower parts a large ball of tangled roots. At the very bottom, the roots are very gray and even dry. This part must be removed. During removal, only a sharp and always sterile knife can be used.
After removing this part of the coma, the plant can be safely divided into fragments. In each of them there must be a healthy pseudobulb and young living roots. Each dividend is placed in a separate pot, which is filled with a substrate, the recipe for which was described above in the article.
Each section must be treated with charcoal to avoid infection. Delenki, like adult plants, require good care. High humidity in the room is also important for them. Therefore, you should provide them with abundant watering, regular spraying. All these procedures are mandatory at the time, until new shoots and leaves appear on them, which will signal that the seedlings are rooted and normally take root in a new place.
Diseases and Pests
It is often possible to observe how cymbidium is actively increasing its green mass, but it is clearly not going to bloom. What to do in this case? It is necessary to make a kind of shake for him. Dramatically reduce the amount of moisture that enters the plant during irrigation, and also arrange jumps in air temperature. For the orchid to bloom, it must be in a room where the thermometer does not exceed 13 degrees.
Dries and turns yellow
The tips of cymbidium leaves may dry out a bit. This can only mean one thing - the air in the room is too dry. As mentioned earlier, this flower needs daily three-time spraying, but if a similar problem occurs, their number should be increased. And also be sure to put a flower pot on a pallet with wet pebbles.
But there is another reason for the drying of the leaves - waterlogging of the soil. Yes, the orchid needs to be watered well, but the soil should have time to ventilate a bit between watering.
Another reason is yellowing of the leaves. If you notice a similar ailment, then immediately remove the top layer of the substrate and carefully examine the root system. Most likely, rot appeared on the roots. This can only mean one thing - an urgent transplant. During the transplant, the rotted areas must be removed if it still makes sense, and put the plant in new soil and a pot. Try to find out the cause of this problem and fix it. Otherwise, the problem will return again.
Conclusion
As you can see, growing a plant like the cymbidium orchid is not so simple. To do this, you must have information on proper care, transplantation and maintenance. Not every grower can afford such a luxury. But modern materials allow you to work miracles, and if you do not want to spend time and nerves on growing such a plant, you can easily create an artificial flower that will not differ from the present.
To create a cymbidium orchid from foamiran, you will not need to look for any special materials or spend a lot of time on it. And the result will be pleasantly pleased. Even an experienced florist cannot distinguish your flower from the present, and it will please the owner with its flowering all year round.