Dividing Cymbidium

[David E. Ross]

A year ago, I received a cymbidium as a gift. It was in full bloom. After it stopped blooming, it began to send out new shoots.

I kept it in its original pot, a 1 gallon nursery can. But it seemed to get pot-bound. Yesterday, I repotted it into a red-clay pot slightly larger than the can. It was indeed pot-bound; I saw only roots and no potting mix.

I tried to separate the pseudobulbs when repotting, but that was impossible. Should I leave the mass as is, or should I try to cut the pseudobulbs apart?

Another question:

For most of the year, I keep the plant outside on my patio. It gets a little sun but mostly shade. About 3 weeks ago, I brought it indoors because we do get night-time frost in the winter, including the last two nights (although the nearest weather station -- about one mile east -- recorded lows not below 40F). I keep it in the dining room with light from a north window until early March.

Is this indoor-outdoor idea valid, or should I leave it outside all winter?

[Orchidlady50]

If there are a lot of non-leafing bulbs I would divide. You will need sharp knife and will need to leave about 3 bulbs for each division. Yo can look on the internet and get some good pics of how to divide. live in the north and I grow my cymbidiums outside in the summer unti they have a couple of weeks with temps down to about 38-40. Don't le them frost or freeze. Then i bring in and grow in high light. Goo Luck!!

[Wendy7]

Hello David, I grow cyms outside here in S.Cal zone 9/10 not sure I think the Sunset zone is 24? Anyway cymbidiums grow naturally in the Himalayas so your area sounds fine. Of course Santa Barbara is the cymbidium capital of the world. You could have cut some of the older pseudos away & potted them up in another pot. You want to use a good draining mix one of the reasons being that if it's rainy & cold you want the roots to be airy. Having said that, they love to be rootbound? They also like a cool period to initiate spikes. I usually repot after flowering, which for me is around May. They love early morning sun & mine grow under shadecloth. I haven't lost any to frost, (knock on wood) have lost other types of plants though. If you wanted to keep it outside put it in a protected area, make a teepee with 3 sticks & a sheet or plastic to cover when you know you are going to get frost. Hope this helps Cheers Wendy