How to Buy & Grow Green Cymbidium Orchids

Cymbidium orchids are large plants with grassy foliage and huge blooms. The flowers are often used in corsages and as cut flowers. Cymbidium orchids are commonly cultivated outdoors in warm climates like Florida and Texas. They need to be moved indoors when temperatures drop below 29 degrees Fahrenheit and will not tolerate snow or ice on the plant. The cymbidium orchid does need a cycle of cooler nights and warm days to express flowering. These conditions can be mimicked in the greenhouse or are natural to the climate in some of the southern states of the U.S. The green cymbidiium is a pistachio color with burgundy and pink throats.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

things you’ll need:

• Internet access
• Email account
• Credit card
• Computer
• Transportation
• Phone
• Green cymbidium orchid
• Orchid potting mix
• Orchid pot
• Watering can
• Balanced liquid fertilizer
• Insecticide soap
• Sterile gardening knife

Buying the Green Cymbidium Orchid

1. Search the Internet for a green cymbidium orchid plant or flask. The online yellow pages can link you to specialty garden stores in your area which might carry the plant. Then it will be as simple as driving to pick it up. The Cymbidium Society of America has a website which can help direct you to retailers and a web search can turn up purveyors.
2. Verify the qualifications of any orchid supplier with the CSA or your local college extension service. Sterile practices must be followed when making flasks or baby orchid plants. Reputable breeders and dealers follow such practices but there are hobbyists and others that may not adhere to proper breeding practices.
3. Check the health of the plant before you buy. Make sure it has not outgrown its pot, that the leaves are unspotted and green, there are no insect pests and the roots are in the potting medium. In the case of flasked plants the roots may be visible since it is being fed with agar and nutrient solution. Make sure the roots are firm and not discolored. Visually check the overall health of the rest of the plant.

Caring for Green Cymbidium Orchids

1. Fill the orchid pot to half full with orchid soil. Take the orchid out of its nursery pot, being very careful with the roots and delicate flower stems. Settle the cymbidium into the pot and fill up the rest of the way with the orchid mix. Place the pot in a sink and water until the liquid is running freely from the drainage holes. In the summer water in this manner two to three times a week; in the winter you need to water only once a week.
2. Place the pot outdoors in the summer months or keep them in a warm greenhouse at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Frequent watering will leach important nutrition from the soil, so you need to fertilize every two weeks from January to July with a balanced liquid fertilizer. Follow the dilution directions on the package. The remainder of the year you need to fertilize only once per month. Watch your orchid for signs of pests and use an insecticide soap at the first sign of insects.
3. Provide partial shade when the flowers begin to emerge. Full sun conditions can scald the edges of the flowers and ruin the appearance of the blooms. The plant can be moved under the shade of a tree in the outdoors or moved to a northern window in the greenhouse. Add ice cubes to the soil every night in August to stimulate the formation of flowers.
4. Transplant the cymbidium orchid when the growth has reached the edge of the pot and new growth is forming. This will be in roughly three years. If you wish to repot in the same size pot you will need to divide the plant. A sterile knife can be used to cut the plant in half. Make certain to save at least two to three good bulbs and some greenery. Repot as usual.