The correct methods and techniques for repotting orchids at Mid-Autumn

OrchidsCultivation: Talking about repotting at Mid-Autumn (repost)

Once again the season for dividing and repotting cymbidium orchids is approaching, and orchid enthusiasts are busy preparing pots and mixing potting media; the more impatient ones have already gone ahead and finished the job! I would like to offer a few purely personal opinions regarding the characteristics ofCymbidium faberiand the temperature conditions in the Yangtze River basin.

Cymbidium faberi is also called summer orchid; it blooms later thanCymbidium goeringii, spring sword orchid,Cymbidium tortisepalumand other orchids, blooming right at the beginning of summer, with a flowering period of over a month; it sprouts relatively late and has a long growth and maturation period. From sprouting to becoming a strong plant, under extensive cultivation conditions it takes more than two years, or even three years. This is because under natural conditions the temperature gives it too short a growing period. Normally the suitable temperature for Cymbidium faberi to sprout is around 20 degrees, and at this time it is also flowering, so nutrient consumption is great and sprouting is relatively delayed; 25-33 degrees is the optimal temperature for the growth of Cymbidium faberi, and its growth rate at that point is astonishing.

Now, as global temperatures warm, frost and cold in the Yangtze River basin, especially in the Wuhan area, are somewhat delayed. Taking the Wuhan temperature alone as the basis for the suitable growing time for Cymbidium faberi: from mid-to-late April to mid-May most Cymbidium faberi buds emerge from the soil; of course there are also cases of earlier or later emergence, which we will not discuss for now... After the buds emerge, when they are about one cun tall there is a slow-growth process of nearly twenty days, during which time they are mainly growing roots; but the temperature in the Wuhan area can already reach above 33 degrees in June, when Cymbidium faberi enters a semi-dormant or dormant state and basically stops growing shoots. Therefore, after a summer has passed and early autumn arrives, it is normal for the new shoots of Cymbidium faberi to be about 3 cun tall. From around Mid-Autumn to early winter, the Wuhan area has over a month of 20-30 degree temperatures, which is exactly the optimal temperature for the growth of Cymbidium faberi. If fertilising and watering are managed properly, at this stage the new shoots can grow to about eight cun. If at this time you divide and repot, you will invisibly waste this excellent growing period - would that not be a pity...

In view of this, I believe that unless there are special circumstances, it is better not to disturb the pots of Cymbidium faberi at Mid-Autumn. After the onset of winter, Wuhan basically has over ten days of around 16 degree temperatures, when Cymbidium faberi enters a semi-dormant slow-growth period. I believe this is the best time to divide and repot:

1. It makes full use of the suitable growing temperature to extend the shoot-growing time;

2. It can reduce injury to or damage of overly small Cymbidium faberi seedlings;

3. Slightly lower temperatures are beneficial for recovering and settling into the pot;

4. The new medium, after adapting to the orchid plant over a winter, is beneficial for the rapid growth of Cymbidium faberi seedlings at suitable temperatures the following year.

These are purely my own immature views; discrepancies are unavoidable, and I ask friends to criticise and point them out......