Cymbidium 2011

[YT]

A Cymbidium goeringii from Yunnan, China has started to bloom here. It’s the earliest flower among my (almost) hardy cymbidiums this season.

[Maggi Young]

What a super colour.... (though I like the greener types too) the markings are lovely Tatsuo.

[YT]

Maggi, yes indeed I got it at an internet auction site in my country sevaral years ago. The seller said that he bought the original plant from a Chinese orchid enthusiast group at Dall city, Yunnan.

[SteveC2]

Thanks very much for the photo.  I purchased a very small one of these in the Sunday afternoon sell-off at Peterborough Orchid Show in 2009.  No flowers last year but lots of new growths.  For the last few weeks I have been watching what I thought was a flower developing.  Your pictures confirm that I was right, the stripey sheath is identical.  Now I just have to wait for it to open.
As for hardiness it has been in a supposedly frost free greenhouse for the past two winters but the temperature has definitely dipped below zero quite often, certainly my heating system simply couldn't cope with -14 last December.

[Pascal B]

Do you grow them in the inorganic mixtures they traditionally use in Japan Tatsuo? The mixtures with kiryu and akadama?.

And what potting compost have you been growing it in Steve?

[Gerhard Raschun]

I´d like to get more clones in stock, but they are difficult to get here....

[SteveC2]

Knowing nothing about the Japanese use of inorganic mixtures I questioned the trader and some friends who told me to treat my cymbidium like a calanthe, so I popped it in a bark, moss, gravel and perlite mix.  It seems to like it, but I'm not saying that it's what anyone else should use, after all my experience is one plant for two years.  The plant overwinters in a frost-freeish greenhouse, then spends the summer outside in dappled shade

[Pascal B]

Steve,

The unusual thing about Cymbidum goeringii is that no one seems to agree on a good cultivation method. People who try to grow them in pure Kiryu like they often do in Japan usually fail in Europe. Too much organic content however also seems to be ineffective and let's them rot so mixing in soil seems to be a nogo. Even regarding the cold-hardiness it seems it really depends on the provenance of the clones, only very few from specific locations in Japan seem to be able to take some frost. So the more I ask, the more the opinions seem to disagree. I have them in a mix of medium orchid bark with Akadama and Kiryu, a sort of intermediate solution but it is too early to tell if they like it or not as I only have them for a short while.

Pascal

[SteveC2]

Whilst I've grown dactylorhizas for years it's only in the past five years that I've branched out into cypripediums, ophrys and all the other wonderful "hardies" and the one thing I'm certain of is that the more you read and the more people you talk to, then the more confused you become.
But in the end I guess it comes down to the suck it and see approach.  It's expensive when you lose plants but the only way to really know what will grow in your conditions is to grow them yourself.

[YT]

Do you grow them in the inorganic mixtures they traditionally use in Japan Tatsuo? The mixtures with kiryu and akadama?.

Hi Pascal, yes I use inorganic mixture, mainly KANUMA (hard type, we call NIKKO) with some baked AKADAMA and pumice, little charcoal chips and obsidian perlite. I don't think pure KIRYU is good for Cymbidum goeringii even in Japan.

[Pascal B]

Do you grow them in the inorganic mixtures they traditionally use in Japan Tatsuo? The mixtures with kiryu and akadama?.

Hi Pascal, yes I use inorganic mixture, mainly KANUMA (hard type, we call NIKKO) with some baked AKADAMA and pumice, little charcoal chips and obsidian perlite. I don't think pure KIRYU is good for Cymbidum goeringii even in Japan.

Really? Kanuma? Isn't that too acidic? The bag of Kiryu I have has a picture of C. goeringii on it so I am a bit surprised.

[YT]

Really? Kanuma? Isn't that too acidic? The bag of Kiryu I have has a picture of C. goeringii on it so I am a bit surprised.

Why my C. goeringii plants look good on too acidic formula?

[yijiawang]

A very nice variety of C.lianpan, Chinese name means HEART TO HEART.

Happy Valentine's Day！

[Pascal B]

Really? Kanuma? Isn't that too acidic? The bag of Kiryu I have has a picture of C. goeringii on it so I am a bit surprised.

Why my C. goeringii plants look good on too acidic formula?

If it works, it works.... It is just the first time I heard of using Kanuma with C. goeringii. All Japanese growers I have spoken to use different mixtures from pure Kiryu to very exotic mixtures (but all have different recipes, none use the same). Just shows experimenting is worth it, too bad the more unusual forms are expensive over here. Roughly what % of each do you use?

[yijiawang]

If it works, it works.... It is just the first time I heard of using Kanuma with C. goeringii. All Japanese growers I have spoken to use different mixtures from pure Kiryu to very exotic mixtures (but all have different recipes, none use the same). Just shows experimenting is worth it, too bad the more unusual forms are expensive over here. Roughly what % of each do you use?
[/quote]

Hello, let me show some situ pictures for explain what kind of soil of goeringii's in the wild.

These picture were taken in Anhui pro. of China, Dabieshan mountain. altitude about 500-600meters, climate is similar to Shanghai city, but a little cooler because forest and higher.  Climate record of Shanghai can be found on line easily....

Goeringii like acid soil because it grow with Camellia sinensis，I attached one picture of Asarum dabieshanense to show situ soil---loam + gravel, low orgnic, I test the pH is 5.2
Though the soil is acid, Cym goeringii can tolerate pH near to 7.0.

I heard some European purchased Japanese colorful goeringii, but die soon. it is same in China too, maybe these plants from greenhouse and sensitive to ordinary garden climate. they need 1 or 2 year to accept their new home.

My compost is made of [Akadama or Kanuma or other inorgnic clay(sera mit?) :perlite or pumice:bark=2:2:1, too much inorgnic clay maybe storage too much water for roots. This compost fit to most of terrestrial Cymbidium, except Cymbidium qiubeiense， this species from lime stone area, need raise pumice to 60% in compost.