Cymbidium insigne

Also known as: The Splendid Cymbidium or Cymbidium insigne h.v. seidenfadenii Cymbidium insigne h.v. splendens Cymbidium insigne h.f. albescens Cymbidium insigne h.v. superbum Cymbidium insigne ssp. seidenfadenii h.f. album Cymbidium insigne ssp. seidenfadenii h.f. roseum Cymbidium insigne var. sanderi Cymbidium insigne h.f. alba Cymbidium insigne h.v. Westonbirt Cyperorchis insignis Cymbidium insigne f. album Cymbidium sanderi Cymbidium insigne var. album in the subfamily: Epidendroideae

Native to: China Loei - Thailand

General Information

The Splendid Cymbidium is a sympodial cool to warm growing epiphytic or terrestrial orchid belonging to the sub family Epidendroideae native to China and Thailand.

Plant Description

Sympodial. Grows to 100cm. Each new growth has numerous arching elliptic leaves that grow to 0.7-100cm long. Pseudobulbs grow to 5-8cm

Flowers

Numerous blossoms appear during Winter and Spring

Blooming Season

• Spring
• Winter

Substrate(s)

• Coarse
• Medium
• Small
• Fine
• Bark
• Charcoal
• Treefern
• Spaghnum Moss
• Perlite
• Sand

Care Notes

These orchids like to be kept on the dry side, but may need to be watered daily during warm weather, and prefer a well draining mix or also do well mounted, provided they can be watered regularly.

These are quite a forgiving orchid, there are no special requirements to get this orchid to flower, just good care and consistent conditions. Larger plants may be more fussy and can react poorly to change; a poorly timed repotting, a pest infection or an unusually hot day can set them back for a couple of years. However, even plants that have been treated poorly can thrive, and if they are set back they often recover much stronger then they would otherwise be.

Climate

Grows at low to high elevations. Rainfall ranges from 5mm to 257mm per day, heaviest in September and lightest in January. Humidity ranges from 64% to 84%, highest in September and lowest in February. Temperature ranges from 11C to 27C, highest in April (16C to 27C) and lowest in January (11C to 24C).

Fertiliser

These plants thrive on fertiliser, especially during periods of growth. Liquid fertiliser can be applied year round at the recommended strength, augmented with manure pellets or other quickly degradable fertiliser, applied away from the base of the plant, during periods of strong growth. Slow release pellets can also be applied year round at the rate of 2-3 pellets per cup (250ml) of media.

They can benefit from a high phosphate fertiliser leading up to flowering season, and by a high nitrogen fertiliser when new growth appears. 

Be sure to flush out excess fertiliser by running water through the media regularly year round. Fertiliser can be applied heavily year round. Use a high Nitrogen fertiliser year round. Use a low Nitrogen fertiliser during Winter. Use a high Phosphorous fertiliser year round.

Potting

This orchid prefers a fine, well draining media. Avoid commercial potting mixes as they may have 'wetting agents' that retain water for too long. A simple mix made up of 20% sand, 50% peat or moss, with the remaining 30% made up of decomposed bark and leaf litter would be adequate. Adding some charcoal to the mix will also help it last longer.

Repotting depends on how wet the media is usually. Every 2-3 years would suffice, or whenever the media shows signs of clumping, staying wet for too long, or smells foul.  

Repotting is best done annually.