How can Cymbidium kanran release its fragrance, and how can the scent be enjoyed to best effect?

The main reasons I fell in love with Cymbidium kanran are: 1. Cymbidium kanran has a long flowering period (generally reaching more than 30 days); apart from Cymbidium sinense, one could say no other orchid can achieve such a long blooming period. And the flowering period runs from early November to the Spring Festival, so enjoying the flowers in the cold season is all the more rare. 2. Cymbidium kanran has a good fragrance; unlike the scent of Cymbidium sinense, it is like the delicate fragrance of Cymbidium goeringii, and if a whole spike of flowers opens at the same time, the fragrance is even stronger than that of Cymbidium goeringii. 3. Among Cymbidium kanran varieties, many stand well above the foliage and have a commanding presence. Appreciating Cymbidium kanran focuses more on the overall plant. 4. The flowers of fine-leaf Cymbidium kanran have a veiled texture, and the lip has a translucent quality, with green or red veins; no other orchid has a lip like this. 5. Compared with other grasses, Cymbidium kanran is easier to bring into flower.

When I first fell in love with Cymbidium kanran a few years ago, I raised several fine-leaf Cymbidium kanran, and when they bloomed I always felt they had no scent. At the time I even mistakenly believed that broad-leaf Cymbidium kanran was fragrant, while fine-leaf Cymbidium kanran with translucent lips was not. Now, after several years of growing them, I have discovered the secret of how Cymbidium kanran releases its fragrance. In fact, both fine-leaf and broad-leaf Cymbidium kanran are very fragrant. But to make Cymbidium kanran release its fragrance, the following points must be met:

1. Low nighttime temperatures, reaching around 10°C or below.

2. There must be sunlight during the day; if the temperature under the sun reaches above 20°C, it is especially fragrant.

3. It must be placed indoors to bask in the sun; if placed outdoors to bask, the temperature does not rise noticeably, and the fragrance is also extremely faint.

As long as these three points are met, Cymbidium kanran will release its fragrance. Some people used to say a temperature difference is needed; in fact the reasoning is much the same, but they did not mention basking in the sun indoors.

Last year I raised several dozen pots of Cymbidium kanran, and only after careful observation did I gain this bit of experience.

For example: on rainy days Cymbidium kanran has almost no fragrance all day, or it is very faint; on cloudy days without sun, the fragrance of Cymbidium kanran is extremely faint;

After the sun sets in the afternoon (after 5 p.m.), Cymbidium kanran no longer has fragrance, so wanting to smell the fragrance after work is impossible; if it is in a closed orchid room, there is a lingering scent. This point is very different from Cymbidium ensifolium. So many people, after work, even hold Cymbidium kanran right up to their noses and still smell nothing, and then think Cymbidium kanran has no fragrance. In fact, they simply did not smell it when it was releasing fragrance.

Cymbidium kanran is most fragrant around 11 a.m., and after 2 or 3 p.m. the fragrance gradually fades.

Last year, several pots of Cymbidium kanran I raised, without pollination, after a month, if the above three conditions were met, could still release fragrance. But the long flowering period also affected this year's sprouting; the number of shoots was not reduced, only the sprouting time was more than 1 month later than the other few pots.

On reflection, the reasoning is quite simple: when the nighttime temperature is very low, it enters a stage of nutrient storage like Cymbidium goeringii (perhaps similar to the vernalization of Cymbidium goeringii); during the day, if under the sun the temperature simultaneously rises, it enters the growth period and then releases the fragrance. The growing regions of Cymbidium kanran differ from those of Cymbidium sinense, but its flowering period is close to those of Cymbidium sinense and Cymbidium goeringii, so the conditions for flowering and releasing fragrance should be close to those of Cymbidium goeringii.

My Cymbidium kanran: I have both fine-leaf and broad-leaf types. There are also those whose leaves are like fine-leaf but whose flowers are like broad-leaf. Personally, I feel most Cymbidium kanran from Fujian belong to the pure fine-leaf type and are especially beautiful; Cymbidium kanran from Sichuan is mostly broad-leaf; Cymbidium kanran from Guangxi is like the medium-leaf type, but the lip has no translucent quality; Cymbidium kanran from Jiangxi has leaves like fine-leaf, and the flowers are relatively like those from Fujian; Cymbidium kanran from Zhejiang is the most mixed, with all kinds.

To make fine-leaf Cymbidium kanran release fragrance, these conditions must be met, but broad-leaf Cymbidium kanran seems to have lower requirements. Yet when the conditions are met, fine-leaf and broad-leaf are equally fragrant.

In addition, those with tall, thick and sturdy flower stalks are more fragrant; if the flower stalk is especially thin, it may be due to a weak plant, and the fragrance is also fainter.

When growing Cymbidium kanran, it absolutely must be kept slightly shadier.Broad-leaf Cymbidium kanran needs even more shade than fine-leaf Cymbidium kanran.Among Cymbidium kanran, those with thin leaves should be grown in more shade than those with thick leaves.