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glennftl

South Florida Cymbidiums

glennftl
14 years ago

Hi everyone,

I just joined this group and have been reading the postings on orchids, especially warm growing cyms in Fl. I must say this is a very friendly group and being a newbie here I posted this through another forum. Thank you Arthurm for helping me with my mistake.

I have admired many of the pictures of members' plants, good work guys! I am particularly interested in other like minded growers in my area. I have had tremendous luck with the typical Miss Taipei, Nut, Elf, Chens Ruby, Maureen Carter, Butterball etc. However, I am now trying for more Intermediate types with richer colors and fuller forms. Several of mine are showing promise and I can't wait til they are fully opened in a couple weeks. Any feedback on sources would be appreciated. I have lots of beautiful "warm growers" to trade also. Thanks guys

Comments (20)

  • arthurm
    14 years ago

    Perhaps you mean Cymbidium Golden Elf, though there are lots of..... Elf in the RHS Database of orchid names.

    Though i am not a Cymbidium grower i always look forward to it being benched late summer at the local orchid society.

    Do you Australian Influence Cymbidiums ie those wth madidum, canaliculatum and suave as parents do well in South Florida? They are the ones that end the Cymbidium flowering season here in Sydney, Australia.

  • glennftl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hello Arthur, thank you I should not abbreviate when it comes to names. Yes, I meant Golden Elf. I have found that most of my cymbidiums in my collection have an Asian heritage.

    I would like to cultivate the Australian influence into my collection so I have seedlings of various crosses with Madidum, Canaliculatum and Suave parents but these are babies and I don't know if they will perform. However, most of the collection has Insigne, Ensifolium, Devonianum, Floribundum, Pumilum (again mostly Asian background)

    I have a lot of Golden Bean and Kusuda Shining/crosses. Andy Easton developed this beautiful orange red cymbidium but this is a 5th generation hybrid and I do not know its full background. George Hatfield crossed Kusuda with Erythrostylum in some of my babies and I expect these to have a fuller if not slightly reflexed appearance.

    I am a novice but fascinated with the challenge of growing these beauties. Thank you for your feedback

  • glennftl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hi ifrasier it has been a challenge because most commercial growers for my climate do not find cymbidiums a commercially viable crop. Especially with such diverse and mixed heritage it is difficult to know which varieties can be artificially induced (if it's possible) as is the case with Phalaenopsis.

    I am sure with the higher elevation you will experience a more temperate climate. When mine have stopped your season will just begin being that you're in the Southern hemisphere.

    It's great to meet someone from Brazil

  • bullsie
    14 years ago

    I have started growing Cymbidiums as well - at least I am no longer killing them (more accurate for my Cymbidium growing time line!).

    I am growing them in my home and they receive a warmer 'climate'. Those Cymbidiums that grow in Florida seem to do well for me. A recent list of Florida reliable bloomers showed many from Hatfield. Warm growers may be their specialty, which is great. It may also show that the market for warm growers is growing. With efforts like this, maybe future breedings will give us some spectacular plants to rival their cool climate relatives!

  • glennftl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    bullsie I am glad to meet a fellow grower. I purchased a large amount of seedlings from George last year and only lost one.

    The influence of some of the Australian lines with the warmth tolerant ones shows a lot of potential. I have seen many of the cascading varieties and love the color and form albeit smaller flower. These plants make up in quantity what they lack in size.

    I have a warm growing/spiking cross called Maverick that is truly stunning, it has red lips and burnt orange petals. so far just one spike but it has thrown 3-4 regularly.

    I recently purchased a liner flat of a new line called Golden Bean "Dark Chocolate" created by Andy Easton. This plant is not yet in commercial production but will hit the market in 2 years since it has just been cloned. I have about 36 of them for trade

  • olyagrove
    14 years ago

    Hello! I am too very interested in Southern Cymbidiums and grow quite a few. I have most of the ones you mentioned,I believe

    Apart from that, I have had good luck with

    Cymbidium Sarah Jean 'Ice Cascade'
    {{gwi:142429}}From Orchids January 2010

    Cymbidium Devon Wine "Burgundy"
    One of my favorites. Very small plant {{gwi:142430}}From Orchids January 2009

    Cym. East Blossom 'Suzaku'
    Little charm. I love this orchid - it is a miniature
    {{gwi:142432}}From Orchids January 2009

    Cym. Darfield 'Eastertide'
    Quite an impressive fella for Florida - most we can grow come in pale colors and smaller flowers. But not this handsome guy {{gwi:142434}}From Orchids January 2008

    Cym. Evening Star 'Pinkie' does great, beautiful pink flowers (I wont overload the thread with pictures :))
    I also have a few NOIDs that are beautiful reds and greens..but not having a name is of no help

    You can browse my Picasa web album - look for Jan/December albums, they have the most cymbidiums
    http://picasaweb.google.com/OlyaGrove

    I am in Tampa, FL

  • glennftl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Olya I love your cymbidiums. I went to your Picasa website and I am very impressed with your variety and quality of plants. I am most envious of Darfield "Eastertide". The bloom count and quality is amazing. Do you have a source for it?

    Your conditions in Tampa may be a little cooler than mine in Ft Lauderdale. I used to live in Orlando and we had miserably hot Summers and Winters a lot colder than Ft Lauderdale. This year we had 1 or 2 nights of near freezing but not for extended periods of time. It was enough to burn the dendrobiums and some of my intergenerics.

    I tried to attach pictures of my cymbidiums here but I am not able in a "followup". I will start a new topic and post some that I have. Like you I do not want to overload the forum so I will be conservative

  • glennftl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Olya, I think I figured out how to upload pictures on this forum. I had to open a photobucket account, however I uploaded about six of tried and true bloomers. Thanks for yours it was very inspiring

    Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Bloomers

  • bullsie
    14 years ago

    Wonderful, absolutely wonderful to find so many growing the warm cymbidiums! Just thrilling and the pics are fabulous!

    Glennftl, Golden Bean "Dark Chocolate" sounds so tantalizing! Trading is a great way to improve a collection. I've done it for several years and have a number of great orchid swapping friends. Doesn't take long to get a great collection gathered for postage.

    A dear trading friend in California gave me a division of Sarah Jean (olyagrove treated us with a beautiful pic) and said this was the easiest and most reliable and felt I could pull it off. Well, I've had her two years from a small division and am hoping for flowers next year. But! I have not killed her and she is getting so nice and bushy. Since, I have acquired quite a few more and an order on hold at Hatfields (for spring delivery).

    Nice to see green and know that more color is just around the corner.

  • glennftl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Sorry try this

    Here is a link that might be useful: try this one

  • olyagrove
    14 years ago

    Glennftl, fantastic cymbidiums! Beautiful...

    Darfield came from Oak Hill Gardens - they had a Cymbidium sale and I bought one of each they had (12 for 7.50 each, a while back, at least 3-4 years ago) They might have more. I bought Sweetheart and Evening Star from them as well

    My Sarah Jean and Devon came from Hatfields. Sarah Jean is amazing, every year 3-4 spikes (three this year, cant see it in the picture)
    I love the white beautiful flowers...so pretty
    {{gwi:142436}}From Orchids January 2010

    Glennftl, what medium do you use for your cymbidiums? You have such healthy beautiful plants...

    Thank you

  • glennftl
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Olya, thank you. I am not a serious grower. I am just a guy with a passion for beautiful things, the challenge for me is to grow these plants in Florida.

    Reputably they are difficult to grow and flower, but I find them the easiest to grow here. The key to their culture is in the breeding. As with any hybrid the best qualities of each parent are passed onto their progeny. I am grateful to the hybridizers that have taken the time and energy to create these plants.

    I use a formula developed by Andy Easton.

    I use a mix of coconut chip, bark or Aliflor with perlite for drainage. I add dolomite, lime or gypsum (a heaped teaspoon per gallon pot) Some formulas recommend peat moss but it retains too much water for me and I had a tremendous setback because of root rot so I had to cut the roots and repot

    I water 2x per week in Summer 1x in Winter. Topdress with Nutricote slow release fertilizer 2x per year aka Dyn-O-Mite for the 6" pots 1 teaspoon and for larger plants 1 heaping tablespoon. I don't use liquid fertilizer, just too lazy for that

    This is just my formula I find it easy for me. Would love to exchange some of your (and others)success stories!

  • olyagrove
    14 years ago

    Thank you for sharing your success story :)

    I actually use a very similar mix. I mix coconut husk chips with large perlite, medium to small charcoal and some pebbles. I do not use plastic pots-I believe they get too hot during summer. Instead, I only plant in clay pots. Since I too am a hobby grower,I can afford to have a handful of my cymbidiums in clay pots.

    I use Nutricote as well. I top tress the mix with a thin layer of sphagnum moss, and water about the same as you do.

    You have beautiful plants!
    Olya

  • garyfla_gw
    14 years ago

    Hi
    So how did everybodys orchids do through the recent "ice age " lol I brought most of the mobile ones into the house but those growing on trees were covered ,one group with regulr bedsheets and another with a heat generating type of frost cloth. Too soon to say if there was a difference but none showed immediate damage.
    Had far more damage to many other types of tropical plants. On e that surprised me was a Carlodovica,, Panama palm.. I think it's toastlol Everything elselooks like it will recover unless it happens again ??.
    Completely wiped out the tropical fish in all three ponds!! . I had wanted to thin them out but had a more moderate reduction in mind lol gary

  • olyagrove
    14 years ago

    I had wanted to thin them out but had a more moderate reduction in mind lol
    hehe..sorry to hear about it, Gary!

    I had to bring my cymbidiums in the garage. Half was outside the garage but covered with a sheet, the other half - in the garage. I have too many cymbidiums, I never thought about it until I started moving them. Heavy pots!

    I did forget Dendrobium lindleyi out in the open. I thought it would be toast. It needs cold weather and a dry rest, and it sure got more than it bargained for. After all the freeze we had, it still looks green. How weird.

  • garyfla_gw
    14 years ago

    Olya
    I hear ya!! The older I get the heavier the stuff seems to be??lol. have been meaning to reduce the stuff that needs cold protection for years this may be the "boost I needed??
    Interesting about the fish as I've had them since 82 and usually brought a few pairs into the house"Just in case" but this year I didn't because all my tanks were full or being redone. My heating system for the shadehouse broke down in Nov so had to move most of that stuff also.
    Getting WAY to old for this much work lol.
    All my birds seem to be okay though they ignored the heating system. Oh well gardening is ALWAYS an adventure ?? gary

  • emmabean
    13 years ago

    I'm just starting with cymbidiums in Palm Beach County, FL, which is zone 10. Can anyone suggest a few to try here, with some possible sources?

  • olyagrove
    13 years ago

    Lowes and Home Depot sells locally grown cymbidiums around this time of the year - best time to hunt for them. Also, if you wait long enough, Lowes will have some of them pass bloom, on their clearance rack :)

  • emmabean
    13 years ago

    Funny you should say that, olyagrove, I just found one this weekend at Lowe's. No ID, but it was supposedly grown by Sun Bulb Co. in Arcadia, so theoretically should be a warm grower. Its a pale white with subtle green tones; the center is pale pink with some yellow.

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