Houseplant · Orchidaceae
Cymbidium Orchid
Cymbidium
Offer it bright light and cool fall nights, and the cymbidium thanks you with long, arching sprays of bloom.
Bright indirect
Every 5–7 days
50–86°F · 10–30°C
USDA 10–12
Overview
The cymbidium, also known as the boat orchid, is one of the kinder orchids to bring home if you are new to them. It rises from plump storage stems called pseudobulbs, pushing up long strap-shaped leaves and arching spikes that can stay in flower for weeks across late winter and spring. It is terrestrial at heart, so you grow it in a loose bark mix instead of fixing it to a slab the way some orchids prefer.
The one thing that really makes a cymbidium tick is a taste for a chill. The plant needs a stretch of cool fall nights before it will set its flower spikes, which is exactly why a happy specimen kept warm all year long can give you gorgeous leaves and not a single bloom. Get its seasonal rhythm right, with bright light through the year and that autumn cool-down, and the flowering simply happens on its own.
It really is a forgiving plant once you get to know its two little habits: it likes its bark kept moist but never waterlogged, and it actually prefers to be a touch snug in its pot. Look after it kindly and one clump can keep you company for years, widening out and blooming more freely each season.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light all year, a bark mix kept moist but never soggy, and a run of cool fall nights to coax out the blooms. Feed weekly through the growing season at a gentle dilution, and only repot it every couple of years.
Light
Your cymbidium will be happiest in bright indirect light, with strong full light through winter and bright filtered light in summer so the leaves are spared any scorch. If it ever skips flowering, light that is too dim is the second thing to suspect.
Water
Water it well with tepid water every 5 to 7 days, keeping the bark moist but never soggy, and always let the extra drain right out. You are after damp bark rather than wet bark, since water sitting at the roots is the quickest path to rot.
Soil
Pot it in a bark-based orchid mix that drains freely, not ordinary potting soil, which would smother the roots. A slightly acidic pH of 5.5 to 6.5 suits it well, and those chunky bits of bark keep fresh air moving around the roots.
Temperature
Cymbidiums are comfortable across a wide range, from about 50°F to 86°F (10°C to 30°C). The part that truly matters is the seasonal swing, because a spell of cool fall nights is the signal that tells your plant to set its flower spikes.
Humidity
Try for 50% to 70% humidity, which is a good deal more than most rooms hold in winter. A simple pebble tray or a humidifier nearby will help, and steady airflow keeps those damp leaves from drifting into pest or rot trouble.
Feeding
Feed it weekly from spring through fall using a balanced fertilizer cut to quarter or half strength, given right after watering so it never lands on dry roots. As winter comes and growth slows, you can ease off the feeding.
Pruning
There is no real pruning to fuss over. Once the blooms fade, cut the spent flower spikes back to the base, and gently pull away any yellowed or dead leaves to keep the plant tidy and breathing freely.
Repotting
Repot only every 2 to 3 years, in spring after flowering, because cymbidiums actually bloom better when they are a little crowded. Move it up only when the leading pseudobulb reaches the pot edge, the roots crowd or escape, or the old bark has broken down and stays wet.
Size & spacing
A grown clump reaches 1 to 4 feet (30 to 120 cm) tall and spreads 9 to 35 inches (23 to 90 cm) wide, with the leaves and arching spikes making up most of that height. Pick a spot that gives those spikes room to arch out gracefully without bumping into anything.
Troubleshooting
Almost every cymbidium worry comes down to one of three gentle fixes: too little light or warmth at the wrong time of year, the usual houseplant pests, or a pot that has stayed too wet. Find what matches below and step in early, while a small setback is still easy to turn around.
Soft blackened roots and a soggy crown
This one is root rot, and it happens when the medium stays too wet, often after old bark has crumbled and lost its drainage. The good news is you can often save the plant: ease it out of the pot and feel the roots, since firm and pale roots are still healthy while brown mushy ones are finished. Trim away the dead roots, settle it into fresh bark, and water a little less often from here on.
Fix:
- Remove rotted roots and repot into fresh well-draining bark medium
- Reduce watering frequency and ensure free drainage
Lots of healthy leaves but no flower spikes yet
If your cymbidium looks lush but never blooms, do not worry, the usual reason is simply that it missed its cool fall nights, the gentle day-to-night chill that wakes up the flower spikes. Dim winter light can slow it down too. Once you give it strong seasonal light and a run of cool autumn evenings, the spikes will come.
Fix:
- Expose to cool fall nights with a marked day-night temperature drop
- Increase light to full winter light and bright filtered summer light
Speckled, yellowing leaves with webbing or a sticky film
Tiny pale speckles and a hint of webbing usually mean spider mites, while soft little bugs and a sticky coating tend to be aphids. Both like to hide on the undersides of leaves and on tender new growth, so that is where to look. A good rinse, a careful wipe to clear them off, and a follow-up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil will set things right again.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage and wipe off pests
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating as needed
Toxicity
Here is some lovely news for pet owners and parents: the cymbidium is non-toxic. The ASPCA lists orchids as safe for cats, dogs, and horses, and the same comfort extends to the other animals sharing your home. If a curious pet steals a bite of leaf, it might feel a brief stomach upset from the roughage, but there is nothing poisonous to fret over.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
You can relax around cats. If one nibbles a leaf, the worst it might feel is a little tummy upset from the roughage, and that passes on its own.
Dogs None
Dogs are safe here too. A curious chewer faces nothing more than some mild, short-lived digestive grumbling.
Horses Safe
Horses have nothing to fear from it. Cymbidium leaves carry no toxin that could do them harm.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits are perfectly fine near it. It just is not a treat for them, so let it sit alongside their proper greens rather than in place of them.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can be around this orchid without any risk of poisoning.
Birds Safe
Your pet birds can perch nearby in comfort, because the plant holds no harmful compounds at all.
People Safe
It is gentle around people, little ones included. It simply was never meant to be eaten.
Although non-toxic, eating large amounts of any plant material may cause mild, temporary stomach upset.
Varieties
Cymbidiums come in hundreds of species and hybrids, from cool-growing wild types to award-winning crosses bred for their color and shape. Here are a few that are well worth getting to know.
Cymbidium erythraeum
A cool-growing species so dependable in the garden that it has been given the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Cymbidium lowianum
A big species that sends out long arching sprays of green flowers, each lip touched with red, and it carries an Award of Garden Merit of its own.
Cymbidium Sarah Jean gx 'Ice Cascade'
A white-flowered hybrid with a cascading shape that looks loveliest when it spills over the lip of a raised pot or shelf.
Cymbidium Tiger Tail gx
An Award of Garden Merit hybrid loved for its patterned flowers that show up reliably year after year.
How to propagate
At home you increase your cymbidiums by division rather than from seed, gently splitting one mature clump into several new plants.
DivisionModerate
Spring, after flowering and at repotting · 1-2 years to re-establish and flower again
When a clump grows crowded, you can divide it in spring, right after the flowers fade and you are already repotting. Make sure each new piece keeps at least three healthy pseudobulbs along with a leading growth, so it has the stored energy to bounce back. Then give it time and a little patience, since a fresh division usually needs one to two years to settle in and flower again.
Myths
All orchids are poisonous to cats and dogs.
There is no need to fear: the ASPCA lists orchids as non-toxic to cats, dogs, and horses, and cymbidiums are no different. At worst, a pet that nibbles a leaf gets a mild, short-lived stomach upset.
Orchids are parasites that live off other plants.
Not so. Cymbidiums are terrestrial and semi-terrestrial orchids that root in their own bark medium and feed themselves through their leaves. They have never taken a thing from a host plant.