Methods and Key Technical Points for Cultivating Old Cymbidium faberi Plants
A Cymbidium kanran collected from the Wuyi Mountains range, known as "Duoyun" among Cymbidium kanran, a floating-petal type Cymbidium kanran. It was later named in "Jiangxi Cymbidium kanran" by Jiangxi orchid enthusiast: Lanxin friend Brother Yue Zhongxian, director of the Orchid Branch of the China Flower Association, deputy secretary-general of the Jiangxi Flower Association, and vice president and secretary-general of the Jiangxi Flower Association: Teacher Zheng Fengsheng, as: Jinggang...
0. Selection of pots
Use a small pot as much as possible, sized just right to fit the root system of the old plant.
1. Division and selection of old plants:
Best is 3rd-generation plants, which can be cultivated as single plants. Next is 4th-generation plants; if the roots are good and the plants are strong, they can also be cultivated as single plants. For 5th and 6th generation, it is recommended to keep 2 plants connected, not as single plants.
2. Timing for dividing old plants:
Some suggest dividing in spring, others suggest dividing in autumn. Personally, I lean toward autumn, late September. After a healthy 3rd-generation old plant is cut off, generally within 45 days to 60 days, it will produce a shoot.
And after the following spring begins, the shoot grows very quickly. If grown well, it will produce an autumn shoot. Note, this is the situation for 3rd-generation old plants.
3. Shoot production rate of old plants
In my personal experience, 3rd-generation plants produce one above-average shoot; 4th-generation plants generally produce 2 weak shoots; 5th and 6th generation connected plants produce even weaker shoots, generally 2-3 shoots.
Therefore, purely from the perspective of shoot production rate, the older the plant, the more shoots it will produce. But........ why is there a "but"? Please see point 4, the strength or weakness of the new shoots.
4. Strength or weakness of new shoots
Shoots produced by 3rd-generation plants are generally not weak; if grown well, they can regain vigor in 3 years and bloom.
4th-generation plants are different; although they generally produce double shoots, the shoots are small and grow slowly, and the road to regaining vigor is long. 5th and 6th generation need not even be mentioned.
5. Care of old plants
After old plants are planted, be sure to water less. The reason is that old plants have a slow basal metabolism. How little? Basically, in the same environment, if strong plants are watered 2-3 times, old plants are watered 1 time.
But my environment is dry; if I do not water for a long time, the pot surface will become very dry, and an overly dry pot surface will affect old plants producing shoots. Therefore, it is recommended to spread another layer of moisture-retaining soft potting medium on the pot surface (Yixiang and Letu are both good).
Also, I personally recommend more sunlight. Generally this time is around National Day, and at this time more sunlight is very necessary.
6. Care from new shoots to new plants
After May of the following year, these new shoots generally emerge from the soil. Before mid-May, again, more sunlight. After mid-May, appropriately shade. In this way, when the new shoots grow until September, plants growing well
can grow to 7 or 8 parts large. At this time, these plants must be fertilized (I mean, must). This is beneficial for regaining vigor.