Cultivation of Cymbidium

Origin

Contrary to what one would expect the cymbidium does not grow under tropical conditions. The origin of the cymbidium can be found at the foot of the Himalayas. This means that the plant by nature is accustomed to a complex environment. A lot of light, cold nights, a rocky barren soil and not always having enough water and nutriments at its disposal. To put it briefly, the cymbidium is a genuine survivor. 

In the nursery

That the cymbidium is by nature a survivor does not imply that we imitate those original conditions. This would not bring the right quality we would like to offer. We do though grow the plant in a moderate climate, with a chosen temperature - depending on the flowering season - of 12 to 18 degrees Celsius. Compared to other cultivated plants we give very little water and nutriments and when there is too much sunlight we close the screens to shade the plants.

 The plant

Raising a cymbidium from a young plant to a flowering specimen is long-term business. Only when she is in the fourth year of her life the plant will be able to produce her first stems. On the other hand cymbidium tend to attain a great age. In our nursery there are several plants over 30 years old.

 Growth

The cymbidium flowers only once a year. Dependent on the variety this can be in the autumn, the winter or the spring. The flowering season lasts between 6 and 20 weeks; equally dependent on the variety. When the plant has finished flowering she will start making sprouts. This phase takes about 6 months. Then the sprouts are mature enough to start creating buds, with an average of 1 to 2 buds per sprout, and these buds will take the next 6 months to grow into a flowering stem cymbidium.