Cymbidium orchid: care

To begin, it is convenient to know a little about the main characteristics of the Cymbidium orchid , so we will better understand its needs in terms of care.

• It is native to Africa, Australia, and tropical Asia.
• It blooms in the autumn and winter months, the flowers lasting two months.
• Its large and appreciated flowers have very short petioles, several of them emerging from each rod.
• The leaves arise from a kind of rounded bulbs, which develop buds annually.
• There are Cymbidium orchids in two sizes. The largest reach up to one meter.
• There are also epiphytes or terrestrial ones. Those that are sold for interior are usually of the first.

If you like this plant, you will probably love discovering these 12 types of orchids .

In short, these are the basic care of the Cymbidium orchid :

• Light: they need a lot of lighting, but not direct sunlight.
• Climate: Most are from cold climates, but some tolerate mild warm temperatures.
• Irrigation: irrigations of moderate frequency and low volume. You always have to water them with warm water.

Light is very important for Cymbidium orchids. Most orchids need to be in very bright locations , but few of them tolerate direct exposure, especially in hot climates or intense sun. If you grow it indoors, keep it in a particularly bright room, near a window. Outdoors, they can also thrive at the foot of a tree.

If you notice that the leaves of your Cymbidium start to turn a few shades of dark green, your plant probably needs more light. It is also important if this plant is in an area with good ventilation , as well as somewhere where it does not suffer sudden changes in temperature .

Cymbidium have their optimum temperature range around 15 ° -18 ° C . However, they can tolerate night temperatures of up to 10ºC in cold months, and up to 30ºC for not very long periods in warm months.

These plants require that their soil or substrate never dry out completely , maintaining a certain degree of humidity at all times but avoiding puddles in the soil , which are very harmful to the plant. The specific frequency will depend on the soil or substrate itself and the climate of the area, but the rule of maintaining certain humidity at all times without ever flooding must be respected.

We recommend you consult this other gardening guide on When and how to water orchids .

The best thing with Cymbidium orchids is to use a substrate or soil with very good drainage to avoid waterlogging. It is advisable to use a specialized substrate, or one made with sphagnum, polystyrene and perlite. In this other article you can learn more about How to make substrate for orchids .

These plants also need to be regularly fertilized with a fertilizer containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. You can also use organic fertilizers, such as worm castings. If you use chemical fertilizers, be sure to adhere to the specific amounts for orchids, diluting the amounts sufficiently. Here you can learn how to make compost for orchids .

Here are some practical tips for transplanting Cymbidium orchids :

• They do not require a transplant every year. Instead, it is normal to transplant them every 3 to 4 years after the plant produces flowers. Ideally, transplant them in early spring , when the plant has not yet resumed its full activity and can better adapt to the new soil.
• In the transplant it is advisable to wet the roots and substrate a lot, so that they are more flexible and it is more difficult for them to break or damage in the process of cleaning them of all material. It is also important to cut dry or damaged roots, pruning them with properly disinfected tools. In this other gardening guide you can learn when and how to prune an orchid .
• Always use a container slightly larger than the previous one, and add some specific fertilizer after transplanting.

To learn more about this topic, you can consult this other AgroCorrn post on When and how to transplant an orchid and, to complete your knowledge about these plants, we also recommend you learn How to reproduce orchids .

As with so many other plants, the most common pests it suffers are the spider mite, thrips and the mealybug . They can be treated with organic homemade insecticide without too many problems. If you prefer to make your own insecticide to be as natural as possible, do not hesitate to consult this other post on How to make natural insecticides for plants .

Regarding orchid fungi and other related diseases, it is rare for them to suffer their attack if their proper humidity conditions are respected, but they will appear in the event of excessive humidity. Here you can know some of the best homemade fungicides for orchids .

Below you can see two videos from our YouTube channel about the care of this plant and about the most common mistakes when caring for orchids.

If you want to read more articles similar to Cymbidium Orchid: care , we recommend that you enter our category of Growing and caring for plants .