Cymbidium

Under natural conditions can live both in the tropics "and in the subtropics of Asia and Australia, but the original forms originate from the damp cool regions of Asia, which significantly affects the characteristics of their cultivation and maintenance. Grassy perennials-epiphytes, grown as terrestrial plants, with shortened( ovate or flattened) stems, topped with vaginal leaves.

Warning! Cymbidiums are expensive and fastidious plants, so it will be very difficult for a beginner with a floriculture.

Cymbidium hybrid ♦ The main species cultivated in the rooms, varieties differ in color and form of flowers;leaves linear, keeled;the inflorescence is a loose brush that slightly wilts, large flowers, sepals and petals are mostly monochromatic from yellow to brownish, most often pastel tones, sometimes with a pattern formed by darker veins, the lip is brightly colored, trilobate, most often variegated( for example, brightly- red spots on a greenish-yellow background)

Requirement for moisture: watering 2 times a week, in the summer - abundantly, in winter - in case of danger of drying the coma. In hot weather, spray several times a day.

Temperature mode: temperature is the main thing that determines the success of growing a cymbidium. At a temperature above 20 ° C, inflorescences do not form, but the vegetative mass increases, which is significant when propagating;the inflorescence is formed at a temperature of 13 ° C and lower( autumn winter), the temperature adjustment can affect the flowering.

Light mode: very light-loving plant, preferring intense, but still diffuse color. It is desirable to fluorescent luminescent lamps for early-growing varieties: without this, the flower may not ripen.

Requirement for soil: Optimum loose, special substrates enriched with mineral fertilizers with a weak acid reaction( they should not be prepared on their own, but it is possible to use earth mix from deciduous and soddy lands with chopped sphagnum in equal parts with addition of bark of coniferous, charcoal and sand).Drainage is necessary.

Reproduction: by dividing the bush during transplantation. Each shoot should have 3-5 shoots with pseudobulbs. Features: the main feature of cultivation of cymbidium( besides its requirements for temperature) is perhaps that too large pots or other containers prevent its flowering: the roots should be a little cramped. Transplantation should be done extremely rarely, not more often than 3 to 4 years, in case of compaction of the substrate, for early-born ones - at the end of April or in May, for late-budding-not earlier than the beginning of June, otherwise development may be disrupted. When planting, the base of the stem must be above the soil level.