Orange mini-cymbidium orchids (Cymbidium spp.) Generally bloom during the winter months, producing a few flowers stalks, each containing around 20 blooms. Blooming miniature cymbidium orchids reach heights of 18 to 24 inches, much smaller than the 36-inch-tall height of regular cymbidiums. Hardy at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 to 12, these tropical blossoms need consistently high humidity levels that indoor, potted culture easily provides. With the right care, your mini-cymbidium will thrive and become the focal point of any space it is grown in.
Put the mini-cymbidium in a place that receives direct morning sunlight and indirect, but bright, afternoon sunlight. Select an area with a constant daytime temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and a night temperature between 58 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not set the orchid close heat or cooling vents.
Water the orchid when the soil is nearly completely dry. Pour water from a watering can directly into the cover of the bud. Don’t dash the leaf with water. Fill the pot one or two times with water to moisten the press completely. Permit the excess water to drain from the bottom of the pot, discard any standing water in the plant’s drainage tray. Never let the pot’s bottom sit in standing water. Water the plant through the morning to allow any stray droplets on the leaves to dry before nightfall.
Fill a drainage tray with pebbles. Pour water gradually over the pebbles, stopping when the tray is one-quarter to one-half full. Put the tray under the pot. As the water evaporates from the tray, then it will rise up around the plant, raising the humidity levels. Examine the tray every four to five days, and add water when the tray becomes empty. Never allow the water level to attain the pot’s bottom.
Fertilize the plant with a 20-20-20 nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium water-soluble fertilizer. Administer the fertilizer every 10 to 14 days through the spring and summer season, while the orchid is actively growing. Mix 1/2 teaspoon fertilizer with 1 gallon of water. Apply the fertilizer in place of a watering, pouring it directly into the pot. Stop fertilizing the plant when its growth goes along with the plant enters dormancy during the autumn months.
Examine the plant’s leaves for harmful insects like aphids, scale or mealybugs each time you water. Wash small populations off with a steady stream of water. Spray horticultural oil onto heavily infested foliage to eradicate the insects.
Repot the orchid every two to three years or if it outgrows its pot to the stage that origins are sticking from the surface and growing from the bottom bearings. Select a brand new pot that is 2 inches larger than the current container. Insert a 1-inch layer of orchid potting media into the new container. Slide the orchid carefully from its pot. Brush off any media clinging to its origins. Cut back any dead, broken, mushy or circling roots with a set of pruning shears. Prune all staying roots back to a span of 3 to 4 inches. Place the orchid in the middle of this new pot. Insert new media into the pot. Tamp the pot back on a flat surface to settle on the press round the orchid’s origins. Insert extra media, if needed, until its degree is 1/2 to 1 inch below the pot’s top. Water the newest media thoroughly.
Stake emerging flower stalks to provide support and keep them from splitting. Push 1 end of a 1/4-inch dowel to the social media 1/2 inch away from the flower stalk. Pull the flower stalk gently from the dowel. Wrap a twist tie around the stalk and dowel or clip them with a mini chin hair clip.