Cymbidium Season

The beginning of cymbidium blooming season for Southern Caifornia is always an exciting, hopeful time. Will those buds space out and open? When? Can I resist the temptation of prying them open without breaking the flower?

This year, Cym. Via Mar Tranquilla "Mt. Cook" led off with the first open sprays of nice big white blooms on erect spikes. They thrive on the windy passing storms and cold weather.

Some of last season's seed pods are maturing now but as usual a few are turning yellow prematurely and splitting.....looking inside for seeds......but finding nothing but a hollow shell. We'll have to try those hybrids again.

Cut Orchids, showy and long lasting

"How can I make my cut orchids last longer....a week, two weeks, three weeks....more??

1. Do not put them in the refrigerator. The fruits and veggies will "put them to sleep".
2. Do keep them in a clean (dishwasher or cloroxed clean) container with sufficient water to keep the cut end of the stem under water.
3. Use a very sharp blade (scissors, safety razor blade, knife) to slice the very end of the stem off to reopen the stem to the water.
4. Orchids are very clean flowers and if the water and container are clean will last much longer if kept in their own separate container, not mixed with field cut flowers.
5. Handle the orchid flowers carefully to prevent removal of the pollen cap. If the pollen cap is detached, the flower feels like it's been pollinated and the flower will start turning pink in the lip and shrivel in anticipation of setting seed.
6. Try to display the cut orchids in the coolest possible location away from direct sunlight, heater vents, etc.
7. If there are multiple blooms on the spike and some of the bottom ones start to fade first, remove the faded flowers. This will help keep the rest of the blooms going a little longer.

21 January 2008 Monday, showers

Good rain showers early this morning. Orchids, cymbidiums especially, love good rainwater. The pseudobulbs swell up and the leaves have a clean fresh sheen. No salty residue, no black tip burn, just clean happy leaves and well hydrated plants. It's worth setting a couple of buckets out and collecting some rainwater this week.



Today's chilly rain is really a change in the weather from last Monday. It was the perfect balmy Santa Ana warmth last Monday for tying up any straying cymbidium spikes. Just be careful not to get a leaf tip or stake tip too close to your eyes. Lots of buds promising to open soon, just don't know exactly which day or week. Also, time to put out more snail bait and keep those critters from chewing on the buds and flowers.

Wilbur Shigehara predicts a milder/wetter winter with only a couple of nights in the 30's and not the dry freeze with temperatures in the 20's for several nights like we experienced last year. We've had a couple of frosty mornings but no really severe low temps........so far.