I’ve recently fallen madly in love with Cymbidium orchids. They’re prized for their beautiful and abundant flowers in a wide range of colours from pure white to pinks, reds, browns, copper, yellow, orange and the list goes on.

They make great cut flowers and are easier to grow than one might think.

Botanical name: Cymbidium

Height: 2 ft / 60 cm

Spacing: 2 ft / 60 cm

Bloom time: Winter, from June to September

Foliage: Long smooth strap-like leaves that are light to medium green.

Soil: Very well drained. Orchids typically grown on tree bark or on leaf litter in their natural habitat, so normal potting mixes are NOT suitable. Pine bark chips makes a good potting pix for cymbidium orchids.

Sun: Shaded full sun. In their natural habitat, cymbidiums grow under trees where they are partly shaded from full sun. It should get about 50% full sun, ie if the cymbidium is in a full sun position then apply a 50% shade cloth over it so the leaves don’t burn. You should still be able to cast a light shadow over the leaves. They should have a minimum of 4 hours sunlight but give it some shade if the sun is too intense, especially in summer.

Water: Moderate to high water requirements. In general, water once a week in autumn and winter, once to twice a week in spring and two to three times a week in summer. If your cymbidiums are kept outdoors, you may need to water once a day on very hot summer days.

When to plant: When grown in pots, cymbidium orchids like to be pot-bound and only need re-potting when the bulbs start to fully fill out their container. This is roughly between 2-5 years.

How to plant: Remove the orchid from the old pot and shake out the old orchid mix. Tease out roots (you can break them if need be, it’ll live) and remove the deads one from the middle of the plant, then bury about ⅓ to ½ the bulb in new orchid mix. Position the orchid so that it’s off center with the new bulb/lead facing towards the middle of the pot.

If you need to divide an orchid (and only do this if they bulbs are getting severely overcrowded because orchids perform better when pot-bound), then only divide into 2, maybe 3 parts, and only after flowering has finished. Each part should have a minimum of an old bulb with leaves and new bulb (also called a lead) that will produce the flower spikes. If you have an old bulb with no leaves and it’s not dead yet, keep it with the new division as this is reserve food for the orchid.

Suggested soil: High quality commercial grade orchid mix. Look for something that’s mostly pine bark. Added sphagnum moss is a bonus as it helps retain moisture.

Fertilising: Since the potting mix orchids grow in are lacking in nutrients, it’s a good idea to fertilise almost every time you water. Two ways to fertilise: 1) Very slow release fertiliser (8-9 months) 2) Liquid fertiliser at half the recommended strength every time you water. The best way to fertilise is a combination of very slow release fertiliser and liquid fertiliser during growth periods. When possible, use fertiliser specially formulated for orchids.

Seed collecting: Not sure. I remember reading that seeds are sent off to laboratories to be germinated though, so I don’t think growing orchids from seeds is an easy task!

Pests & Diseases: Slugs and snails.

Tips:

• If orchids fail to flower, but have plenty of lush green leaves, it means they’re not getting enough sun.
• They make great cut flowers and will last 2-3 weeks when cut and 4-12 weeks if left on the plant.
• When dividing bulbs, keep the divisions as large as possible.
• Flowering will only occur with 3 to 4 bulbs attached.
• Keep orchid pots off the ground if possible. This reduces slug and snail damage and increases air circulation around the plant and its roots.
• Lighting tip: Dark green leaves indicates too much shade and yellow-green leaves indicate too much sun.
• Brown or black leaf tips means there’s a salt build up in the pot. Leach the salt out by watering with distilled water.