Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
mark4321_gw

Variegated Cymbidium from TJ's: ID, division, trade?

mark4321_gw
10 years ago

Yesterday they had variegated Cymbidiums at Trader Joe's in Menlo Park, CA. They were vigororous and only $13.99, so I picked one up:

{{gwi:149969}}

A closeup of the flowers.

{{gwi:149970}}

Variegation varies from leaf to leaf, often only near the tips. Here's a particularly nice leaf:

{{gwi:149971}}

I'm keeping this plant, and will repot it when done blooming.

I decided to get a second plant for propagation and trade purposes. I plan to divide it into several plants when it's done blooming. This one is from the San Carlos TJ's.

{{gwi:149972}}

It's in a 5 inch pot and I think I'll divide it into about 5 plants.

{{gwi:149973}}

I'm curious if anyone can ID this plant.

I've repotted but never divided Cymbidiums. Any tips on dividing are welcome. I plan to pretty aggressively split up the second plant. The first one will just be repotted.

It's premature, but I will be interested in trading for other orchids. My space is extremely limited, and my interests are very specific.

My climate is favorable for growing Cymbidiums. Slightly cooler than San Jose in summer. No frost, not even during last December's brutal freeze.

Comments (5)

  • mark4321_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I thought I should add that although the tag is a generic one for Cymbidiums, it does indicate the plants came from Chisan Orchids in Los Alamos, CA.

    I'm not finding a name for this particular one, but on their site they say:

    "Our orchids go through many steps before they are ready to be sold.

    First, they are propagated by tissue culture in a sterile lab in South Korea"

    So one option is to contact the wholesaler to see if they will give me the name.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Chisan Orchids website

  • meyermike_1micha
    10 years ago

    Do they have a fragrance?

    I was also told that getting them to reflower after a transplant is a pain in the but. It takes them to fill into the container before they decide to re blossom...Not sure but I was told from an orchid grower.

    Very nice.

    MIke

  • arthurm
    10 years ago

    The Cymbidium "experts" divide so the they have the newest growing lead attached to 3 or 4 following growths.

    Single pseudobulb divisions take ages to recover.

    Pot down so the the divisions are fairly tightly contained in pots.

  • mark4321_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi Mike,

    I could swear I detect a slight fragrance: a little sweet and slightly musty (but not in a bad way), and really only from the larger plant, which has more open flowers. If, indeed there is a scent, I would characterize it as much weaker than say Cymbidium tracyanum, a plant I would love to grow. I know a lot of the smaller species Cymbidiums are fragrant, and maybe this has some in its parentage.

    It's important to realize that Cymbidiums, are, as orchids go, "weeds" in Coastal California. They actually have the reputation as the orchid that "anyone" can grow and rebloom. They are that easy, and the reason is that in many areas (and I'm in one of the best) the climate is so agreeable. It's like living in a greenhouse designed for these plants. Major problems are insufficient repotting (rotted roots, etc.) and lack of enough sun (which may doom Cymbidiums at my current location...)

    A little searching the internet suggests that this particular variegated hybrid, which seems always to come from Trader Joe's, is unusually vigorous. So I'm not worried, at least out here. I also found a suggestion that this plant might be something like a variegated sport (?) of Cymbidium Dag. I'll give a link to one clone Cymbidium Dag at SBOE at the bottom. The comparison seems reasonable. This is a vigorous cool-grower that should do fine in our climate.

    Arthurm, that was my plan, 3+ active pseudobulb divisions, as much as possible defined "naturally". I've never grow an orchid from backbulbs, although my impression is that Cymbidiums can be among the easiest. I'm slightly skeptical of the claims of flowers in 3 years (maybe 2???) that one often sees. However, again, we are spoiled by climate. Still, backbulbs could represent a way to distribute the hybrid more widely (i.e. for postage).

    I'll give a link to the climate at the airport 1 1/2 miles away, if anyone is curious. The main difference is that the climate (very locally--only within a couple blocks) is frost-free due to geography. Link following this post...

    Here is a link that might be useful: A Cymbidium Dag clone at Santa Barbara Orchid Estate

  • mark4321_gw
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    This isn't the climate link I was hoping for, but it's 5-10 miles away and very close to our climate.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Climate in San Mateo, CA

Sponsored
Ramos Timber
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars4 Reviews
Westerville's Top Craftsman & Exceptional Quality Tile & Stone