O’Dowds Orchids Care Sheet for Cymbidiums

O’Dowds Orchids Rules on Growing Cymbidiums

·      Do not water the crown of the Cymbidium. Water around the plant. Let all the water drain out. Set the pot up on rocks or on a screen where air can come in under the pot. If you set it on a solid anything, it will close off the holes in the pot. We water from the bottom and put them in basins for 5 minutes – 10 minutes. Then, after watering you must keep them warm. We set our temperature to 70 degrees for three days to help them stay warm. If the roots get cold, they will yellow and start to die. During winter months, Cymbidiums barely need to be watered due to the cold weather. You can spray your cymbidiums with a spray bottle and help the media stay damp. Soak during winter months sin warm temperature areas. Soak about three inches up the pot. DO NOT USE CHLORINATED WATER OR WATER FROM WATER SOFTNERS. USE DISTILLED OR RAINWATER.

·      Bright indirect light at all times during the day. Ours are under a porch with shade but the light is all around. We use shade nets if the sun changes position and starts to shine onto the porch. In the winter we have Barina grow lights above and below them. 12 hours per day. We also have the inside very humid. We have see-through greenhouse that provides a lot of light.

·      Overwatering is easy to do. Every area of the U.S. has different humidity and weather. The top inch can be dry but deep down inside the pot it can be soaking wet. Either use your finger to go down into the media by the roots and see if it is damp. Do not water if damp. Some people use a popsicle stick and leave it in the media for five minutes. There are moisture measuring nodes at Amazon but I found them to be inaccurate most of the time.

·      Water only when near dry. Or use clear pots and if the roots are white and wrinkled, it is time to water. During the winter months you usually can water twice a month with misting the media. Do soak during the winter months ONLY FOR TEN MINUTES AND KEEP THE POT IN A VERY WARM AREA FOR THREE DAYS.

·      Temperature is key to blooming. Must have cool nights down to 50-60 degrees and highs during the day of 75-80. If it gets over 85 degrees use a fan to cool them down or move them indoors. They must have these highs and lows to bloom. Too hot will prevent blooms.

·      Many people repot as soon as they get an orchid. Understand this can delay or stop the bloom for that year. Slip potting, where you carefully slip the orchid out, and immediately slip into a similar sized pot, just adding media around the roots and trying not to disturb the roots is the best method. You can still delay a bloom or end a bloom for that year.

·      Media-large, so the plant can get air down inside. A pot with lots of air circulating above and below. I put ours on open metal shelves that are industrial and the metal shelves are open wired shelves. Air is crucial to keep root rot away. Large orchiata media is best)

·      Clear plastic pots help a lot in your first couple of Cymbidiums because you can see the roots. Brown swollen roots are wet, white roots are dry. Do not let sun hit the roots.

·      Best of luck. Enjoy. Have fun and you will do great. O’Dowd’s Orchid