I bought a few more to my little cymbidium collection, this is very helpful. Thank you. I hope you will have more videos, maybe to show them when they are in bloom? I love watching colorful orchid flowers of different kinds. Hope to see them soon.
Stef Styl I agree with you! I've seen these videos where they literally use an axe to divide the poor thing. How can they do this to a plant that they claim to care for, that they expect to flourish under their "care", yet they divide the plants using an AXE. As we see here, nothing is necessary but your hands and actually caring about what you're doing. Love it!
Thank-you so much Nado. I have inherited my Mum's cymbidium orchids which have clearly been neglected for many years... partly because of her age and frailty but also because, like so many other people, she believed that you have to leave orchids tightly crowded together. Even now friends look at them in the splitting apart pots and say "No, they like it like that." Unbelievable ! So thank-you, you've given me the confidence to divide and repot them and hopefully it's not to late to regenerate them and enjoy the beautiful flowers again. Cheers.
Thanks for the kind words. I've found that cymbidiums don't really mind being divided at anytime - except in winter. My preference is autumn. You'll find that most plants are okay with being divided, although some do "sook" and take a while to re-establish. The first flowering season after dividing is generally quiet, but the following season and beyond should start to give really pleasing results. Good luck.
Great video Nado, extremely well done. In fact, I immediately went looking for more and it was unfortunate to find this was your only posted production. I look forward to watching more in the future should you ever feel generous enough to add them here. Great job!
Thanks John. It was made to give relatively new growers a few ideas on how to divide their cymbidiums without brutalising them. Maybe, when I find the time, more practical videos will eventuate.
Thank you so much for this video! I was trying to separate several orchids that were so overgrown and potbound that I didn't know where to begin. I had to come into the house and search on RU-vid for help. Great help and much appreciated! Thank you!!
Fantastic.......thank-you, very helpful and I especially love the care you take with the way you divide and replant the orchid, I’m sure it makes for a happier plant. 😊
Thanks Frances. I'm glad that you found the dividing/re-potting demo useful. I treat my plants like children and do my best to bring them up in a firm but caring way. The end results are very satisfying.
Hi Nado! I can't thank you enough for this wonderful video. I bought my first two cymbidiums last week, and they're about to bloom. Now, thanks to you, I know how to divide them after they're through blooming, because they are completely filling their pots right now. Thanks again, you're a wonderful grower and I hope that you keep making more videos like this.
Great video Nado. I’m always shocked when I see repotting demos where the person literally chops a third of the roots off with a knife. I’ve purchased a few of your plants now and have never been disappointed. They are always healthy and looked like they were looked after with love.
'Totally agree that too many people are rough with the plants when they don't need to be. I've been gardening for years & years, but am just now looking into properly growing orchids (because mine didn't flower after I bought them). Your orchids' leaves have the lovely lime colour. I've learned so much lately and now know that when the leaves are dark green they're getting too much shade. But on the other hand, orchids are delicate and can't be exposed to direct sun as they could get burned.
You're absolutely right with your comments, Clarice. The benefit of observation and experience over many years is invaluable and helps to achieve consistently good culture and flowering results.
Very helpful video I just got a Cymbidium don’t think they have in right kind of potting mix so I’m going to use just what you did. I have all those on hand. Thins is my first outdoor orchid. I live in Houston Tx so weather gets to cold in winter for orchids to be outside. Good day
Good luck with your cymbidium, Donna. I only use premium quality coir (coco peat) as the non-premium coir can be rather salty and requires lots of flushing out before use.
I’d be interested to know if you use a specific coir brand or grade? I’ve been using coco coir chunks that haven’t been processed as much, with heavy bark, clay balls, volcanic pumice 2-5mm (NZ product). I’m still learning much.
Hi Nado... do you have other orchid videos??? its great that you are gentle with your plants.. i hate seeing people rip into plants and that gives me warning about the person in general such a shame you are so far from the gold coast... it was nice to listen to you...i have 3 and only 1 in spike... i use bark/ perlite and 6mth s/r fertiliser... what brand of dolomite lime would i use please...thank you for the great information .... i put mine in early morning N/E sun and then move them back under the verhanda for the afternoon.they never receive afternoon sun...i leave them out in winter but never in frost.... is this correct or should they not receive any sun??? I live on the gold coast..
Hi Chris. I really appreciate your comments on my approach to dividing cymbidiums. No, this is the first video that I have made. There is a good chance that I will do others - such as the preparation of my potting mix, telling the difference between a new shoot and a new flower spike, and how to achieve the best flowering results with your plants etc. Without doubt, the more sun that cymbidiums receive throughout the year, the better they will bloom. However, don't expose them to frosts. Luckily where I live in Perth, we have plenty of sun and no frosts. The dolomite lime that I use is produced by Richgro. Garden centres including Bunnings stock it. Regards, Nado
super thank you for the reply... no i dont allow them to be in frosts. we rarely get them here... great will keep giving them early sun each day...:) would love to know more.. i seem to be getting lots of new growth shoots... but only 1 flower spike so far... am i doing something wrong?? thanks so much for the help
Actually Chris, if you refer to my culture notes which can be downloaded from my website (www.springfieldorchids.com.au), you will be able to work out how to get greater flowering.
Wonderful information here, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us Nado. Just purchased my first Cymbidium Orchid today and feel slightly out of my comfort zone by its overall size. I can tell by how many bulbs that are popping out that it won’t be long before I need to divide and repot this giant! Great place to get my feet wet and also appreciate how kind you are to your plants! Please keep posting, I just subscribed 😊
Thanks Suzanna for your comments and subscribing. Even the biggest and most daunting of plants can be gently reduced to more manageable sizes. Just avoid dividing plants in winter and you will be okay. All the best with this most rewarding of pastimes.
Nado Lenkic thank you so very much for your encouragement! Also, note taken- I live in Northern Colorado, USA and we are smack dab in the middle of winter. I’ll look forward to tackling it (albeit gently) come spring!
Hi Nado, great video. The best I have found about repotting and orchids care. I have 21 orchids pots, 11 of them have buds. They are between 2-10 years old.unfortunately I have been looking after them sporadically due to busy life. I am in Melbourne. Can I repot the one which are not blooming now? They seem to be struggling , never repotted and some are having brown spots. I use Manutec orchids bloom booster and orchid food from the same company . Thank you
Hi Anna. Thanks for your comments. The best time to re-pot /divide cymbidiums is in spring and autumn. If you can't wait until spring, make sure that your plants are re-potted in the next week or so. Most orchids resent being disturbed in the winter months (i.e. June - August), so it's best to avoid that period. It is also a good idea to give them some Seasol (or other kelp products) for their first couple of waterings after potting. All the best, Nado.
Hi, I bought many orchids from you in the late 90’s and also dendrobiums , do you still have them, I would love to add to my collection. Also, do you have any epidendrums , thanks for the video. Very helpful. Hope to hear from you soon.
Selina Boyd Yes, wonderful video and very helpful. Please do more videos, as yours are so much more straightforward yet you provide at least as much - if not more - useful information than so many other growers of orchids do. I'll have to adapt your instructions to my climate (southeastern Louisiana in the USA… so northern hemisphere) but your methods are worth it. Thank you for sharing your video with us!
Hi Nado this is a really helpful video thank you so much. It is so informative. I live in the UK, I have two very large old orchids which have been blooming for 15 years!! They are massively overgrown, I think I have repotted them once without dividing. I know you say I should divide in March or April but could I try just one now as it's a bit desperate? Many thanks
Hi Virginia. So long as you avoid winter, it is okay to divide cymbidiums at any other time of year. As summer is just commencing in the UK, don't hesitate to divide both plants as soon as you can. A bit of extra patience is required for large plants. but the process is just the same. Good luck and thank you for your kind remarks about the video. Nado.
@@nadolenkic8911 Hi Nado thanks for that, I'll give it a whirl and let you know how I get on! I asked about coco or coir compost today but you can't get it over here any longer or not without some difficulty. I'll just use regular orchid compost which seems to be largely bark, unless you have any ideas for a substitute for coir? Thank you again.
Hi, I live in Lakelands, Western Australia, and I have 3 pots of Cym’s, they have been in their pots for over 10 years, so probably will need repotting. I still get beautiful flowers from them. They are still in their original pots but are in my garden and have taken root in the ground soil. I have tried to pull them out, but do not know how much force I can use to get them out. I want to try and use some of the back bulbs to start new ones. Am I going to be able to do this if they are rooted in the ground? Bit long winded sorry.
Hi Nado, great video. My Dad has been growing orchids in a greenhouse at his property in Wembley for years, but at 91, he doesn't divide them any more. I'm thinking of taking over the tradition, dividing some, and moving them to my place. We don't have much room, we live on a compact block, and about the only space I have is next to our west boundary, where there is a 1.3m wide path next to the rear of the house. I could use a strip about 0.5m wide and 3.5m long to house orchids, right next to the colorbond fence. There's no morning light there, it only gets full sun for 2-3 hours in the afternoon. I noticed you said orchids like sun, would that be too shady an area to grow them? I would still use shade cloth of course as it gets pretty hot there for a few hours on summer afternoons. You're dividing in March, is spring a good time too, after they finish flowering? Thanks! Mike
Hi Mike. Thanks for your comments. Dividing is best done in either spring or autumn. From what you say, I don't like your chances of getting your plants to bloom - given that they will be getting limited exposure to sunlight. The more filtered sunlight that cymbidiums receive, the more consistently they will flower. Wherever possible, a north facing aspect is best. Next best is east facing. If the leaves become long and droopy, that is an indication of too much shade. Too much shade results in little to no flowering. Good luck.
Great tutorial! Simple and to the point. I wanted to ask about the composition of the slow release fertilizer you used. I am trying out a high K slow release fertilizer on my cymbidiums. Do you think that's OK or should I use a high nitrogen fertilizer? Thanks for the video again. :)
For near flowering size and flowering size plants, I prefer to use the high K slow release fertilisers. For smaller plants, high N (nitrogen) is recommended.
Thanks Apsara. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, then September and October are good months to split or divide your cymbidiums. In the Northern Hemisphere - March and April.
Hello, I see this video was done in April -- do you always repot in autumn / I live is Johannesburg South Africa and the temperatures on my property is very much like those where you are except our rainy season is in summer -- I was wondering if it would be better for me to repot in autumn (I want to try using your potting mix -I also hand water) Thanks for your advice.
I repot and divide my plants in both spring and autumn, but have a preference for autumn. If you decide to go with autumn, Melene, just be extra careful not to break off any emerging flower spikes which start appearing from summer. All the best.
@@nadolenkic7620 Thanks a lot--I prepared the potting medium today and will be starting the repotting Cyms tomorrow. By the way ....my Zygopetalum has started to spike and the back bulb that I saved off it has grown three new shoots even though i thought it was too shrivelled to do anything!
Do they like to be crowded in a pot? If the pot they're coming out of is huge, what's a good rule to repot , how to choose the right size for the new pot?
Hi Jill. I don't like my plants to be pot bound, as they become difficult to water, and are likely to be blown over in strong winds. A good rule of thumb is to choose a pot size that allows about 5cm (i.e. 2 inches) of space for the orchid to grow into. This should give you about three years growth before re-potting/dividing the plant again.
hey, nice video! I love cymbidiums but I'm kinda worried after having one die on me. I had it in a big clay pot with coconut husks and all of a sudden it just started getting rotten, the bulbs started compressing and the leaves blackened and fell. I thought they might have been old but even the new shoot sorta disconnected (the green leaves literally slid off from the shoot). do you think this might have merely been a moisture thing? thanks!
Can be a variety of reasons. A rotting back bulb can infect entire plant; coconut husks that are not premium quality (i.e. too salty); watering at night can cause fungal (and therefore rot) problems; lack of sufficient drainage in clay pots; potting mix that has broken down and become silt-like can cause rot issues etc. Best advice is to use good quality orchid potting mix and pots with plenty of drainage capability, and re-pot at least once every three years. Always best to water in the morning. I hope that helps.
Hi Nado thanks so much for great video... please can you list the substrate you added in the pot. I am very new .. this will be very helpful. . Thanks Sudhi
Sudhi, I use a potting mix consisting of 75% fine premium coir and 25% perlite. It suits me in Perth, Western Australia, where high temperatures and low humidity is common.
Really great ! Thanks. Can other semi terrestrials eg Zygopetalums also be planted in this same medium? I live in South Africa in summer rainfall area temps 14 - 35 deg C (winter temps 8-28 deg C with low humidity.) grow area is shade house with poly carb roof to protect from hail and frost.
Hi Melene`. Thanks for your comments. Yes, I have successfully been growing zygopetalums in the coir/perlite mix for the past 4 years. Actually, it's a great medium for a whole range of plants, not just orchids.
Thanks - will do a re-pot tomorrow. Would paphs do well in this too? I will definitely be seeking out your videos for updates on your methods - they seem so much more practical than others I have see and tried. What medium do you use for your epiphytes?
I don't grow paphiopediums, but can't see why they wouldn't do well in the mix. I mainly grow cymbidiums and use 3 parts to 1 part (coir/perlite). I suggest that only premium quality coir be used, to ensure that the mix is not salt affected.
My experience suggests that when plants deteriorate to that stage, they are virtually impossible to revive. If you want to give it one last shot, remove all the old bulbs attached to the one with the growth and then re-pot into sphagnum moss. Use the smallest sized pot that the remaining bulb and growth will fit into. Treat the plant as you would your other orchids and pray for a positive outcome. Good luck, Shellie.
Thanks for your endorsement. I use 75% (fine coco peat) & 25% (coarse perlite) by volume. Make sure to use premium quality coco peat, as non-premium brands are likely to be too salty.
Hi Lynda. As bulbs age (anytime from 3 - 5 years), the leaves start to yellow, then brown, before dropping off. These old leafless bulbs are referred to as back bulbs and are best removed when a plant has about eight green bulbs and is ready for splitting into two divisions of four green bulbs each. If the back bulbs are removed and are firm (i.e. not rotting), they can be potted up (with their roots taken off) and in the majority of cases will produce new shoots within 3-4 months and will eventually build up to a flowering size plant (approx. 4 green bulbs) within three years. Please refer to my culture notes (see "About Springfield Orchids" on my website, i.e. www.springfieldorchids.com.au), for additional advice on growing cymbidium orchids. I hope that helps.
Ahh, I have seen alot of the leaves turn like this and I am left with a few Bulbs with nothing growing. As I said I am new to Cymbidiums and need to learn. thank you for the website. I will go read up :)
Please... I am in Germany and we do not have steriprune here. It is not available on ebay either. What could I replace it with? Horticultural oil or tree glue?
Thank you so much! I have another question - how do you know when to water the cymbidiums in the media that you use? (unfortunately I always rot mines and as such I had stopped buying them) My heartfelt thank you for your reply!
Generally, the top of the potting mix will have a dry appearance and the weight of the pot will be noticeably lighter than it was after the previous watering.
Shan, predominantly cymbidium orchid potting mixes involve either composted bark, expanded clay or coco peat (coir). Other minor additives may include either granite (blue metal), charcoal, coarse river sand, perlite, vermiculite, shell grit etc. So long as the pH of the mix is between 5.5 & 6.0 (i.e on the acid side) and the mix does not compact like garden soil, you can use whatever you prefer and is available.
It comes down to personal preference. For busy people, slow release fertilising saves you time and simplifies things. However, if you have plenty of time on your hands, are well organised and just want something to do regularly with your plants, then liquid feeding would suit better.
What do you use for the potting mix? I have killed so many plants either because I bought them already rotting or because I used the wrong mix with the wrong watering method. Would you advise me how much coir to mix and also on how to water your mix? @@nadolenkic8911
It depends on your climate as to how often that you should water. I only use premium quality coir and add some perlite (75%/25% ratio - suitable for my conditions in Perth, Western Australia). It would be a good idea to contact an orchid club near you and to get advice that will best help you.
Hi Sriyani. I don't germinate my orchid seeds. All my seed pods are sent to professional orchid laboratories for processing. However, there are videos on RU-vid that should be able to help if you put "germination of orchid seeds" in the RU-vid search box.
too bad this is such poor sound I can't understand what he's saying, though I can see his work. I have a hearing loss so maybe I ]m the only one complaining