Cultivation methods for the nine-segment orchid (also known as nine-head orchid, nine-flower orchid)

       The scientific name of the nine-segment orchid is Cymbidium faberi (C. Faberi Rolfe), commonly known as nine-segment orchid, nine-head orchid, nine-flower orchid. Roots are thick and long, pseudobulbs are inconspicuous, leaves number 5-7, 25-80 cm long, 1.0 cm wide, strongly upright, with coarse serrations along the edges, flowers solitary, midrib prominent, with a translucent quality, flower scape upright, 30-80 cm tall, bearing 5-12 flowers, bracts small, flower diameter 5-6 cm, pale yellow-green, fragrant, slightly less fragrant than the spring orchid, petals slightly smaller than the sepals, lip 3-lobed but not distinctly so, mid-lobe long-elliptic, with many transparent small papillate hairs, tip recurved, edges with short fimbriae, lip white with purplish-red spots, flowering period February-March. Imported Cymbidium faberi plants that are already mature and have bloomed once require patient waiting for several years before they bloom again; some even grow progressively "thinner" with care until they fail. Wild-collected plants are even more so. What is the reason? The answer is not simple. It took me years of exploration to grasp even a little of it.

        Cymbidium faberi mostly grows on mountain tops or upper slopes where there is more light. Experts told me that in the Kuaiji, Siming, Tianmu, Tiantai and other mountain ranges of Zhejiang, at higher elevations, 2-4 robust plants are commonly seen and can bloom. Occasionally some grow in open rocky crevices on lower slopes, and because of strong light they also bloom easily, though the leaf texture is rather coarse. A small number grow in moso bamboo forests or among taller shrubs and dense sub-tree forests, and because of insufficient light they do not easily produce buds. Some 10-odd clumps of Cymbidium faberi, each with 4-5 plants or as many as 10, with abundant roots and lush leaves, yet not a single clump has flower buds. Experts told me the main reason is simply insufficient sunlight. I think this is the main reason in cultivation why our Cymbidium faberi fails to bloom. I have summarized what they said into 5 points; I do not know if you still find them too many. It would be even better if after reading you could further summarize them into 2 or 3 points.

1. Fertilizing. Each year, after new growth has developed to the point where the leaves have separated, apply a dilute fertilizer once every half month. The first application should be lighter, 0.5-1/1000, and thereafter it can be gradually increased in concentration (about twice as concentrated as fertilizer used for the spring orchid, roughly 2-3/1000). In midsummer (when above 35°C) and winter (when below 10°C), do not fertilize. If there is a warm winter, with daytime temperatures often at 15-20°C and nighttime above 5°C, Cymbidium faberi is in a semi-dormant state and will consume a large amount of energy. To ensure that Cymbidium faberi can sprout vigorously and produce pseudobulbs strongly in spring, apply some dilute fertilizer as appropriate (0.5-1/1000 for foliar spraying; be careful to spray as much as possible on the undersides of the leaves to improve fertilizer efficiency and save costs!). When fertilizing normally, be careful not to let liquid fertilizer pour into the leaf center, especially for new seedlings. If you have many orchid pots, use a fan for half an hour after fertilizing; if few, use toilet paper to absorb the water droplets in the leaf centers. If fertilizing by pouring, I recommend only 1 method: half an hour before pouring fertilizer, be sure to flush the pot once with clean water, then pour the fertilizer. Pouring fertilizer is generally used 2-3 times a year: once 10 days after flowering or when new shoots begin to separate leaves and new roots have grown 2-3 cm (nutrient consumption after flowering is especially great; generally one flower scape can cause the loss of 2-3 leaves, or even the loss of a whole plant, so be careful to supplement fertilizer); once before Minor Heat and after Major Heat, when the temperature remains below 30°C for consecutive days; and once before winter begins (during the period when nighttime temperatures enter 8-10°C). Alternatively, use the observation method for pouring fertilizer: regularly observe leaf quality; if the leaves show signs of chlorosis and are thinner than before, this indicates a fertilizer deficiency, so pour a dilute fertilizer once; when new leaves fork and new roots grow, pour fertilizer once; in September-October, after buds become visible, and after the medium has become quite dry (70-80% dry), pour fertilizer once. At other times, use the foliar spraying method for fertilizing.

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