Why does the flower scape of Chinese Cymbidium (Cymbidium goeringii) stay short and bloom close to the ground?

The flower scape of Chinese Cymbidium is too short, and this is the only reason; it has little to do with the potting medium, fertilizer, light, and so on.

Chinese Cymbidium gives the impression of a shy young girl, and its fragrance is the same, rather subtle and elegant, not as direct as that of Faber's Cymbidium. When a Chinese Cymbidium with poorly developed flower scapes blooms, it is what is commonly called a "ground-hugging flower": the blossoms droop against the pot surface with no vitality at all. So what causes ground-hugging flowers in Chinese Cymbidium? Through years of observation and comparison, Haoshe Nongfu has found two of the reasons.

In late autumn of 2016, an orchid grower from Tangshan, Hebei, came to Haoshe Nongfu's place to select orchids. At that time the flower buds of the Chinese Cymbidium had only just emerged one cm above the soil, and the grower chose two pots of Chinese Cymbidium. Because at that time the flower buds had not yet received sufficient vernalization, the temperature in Haoshe Nongfu's hometown was around 15-24 degrees. After the grower went back, he placed them on an indoor balcony. The weather in the north turns cold early, and within a few days his home had heating. After about a month, the grower sent a message saying the Chinese Cymbidium had bloomed, but very short and blooming against the potting soil, with an unattractive flower shape and a fragrance that was not very pure.

At that time, at Haoshe Nongfu's home, the Chinese Cymbidium with the same flower buds as that pot had only grown a little taller. At Spring Festival, the Chinese Cymbidium at my home also bloomed, and I took photos to show that grower; the flower scapes were very upright.

Without sufficient temperature difference, the orchid plant cannot accumulate enough energy, and the flowers will not bloom well and the fragrance will not be pure enough. Without sufficient low temperature, the flower buds cannot undergo effective vernalization, and the flower scapes will not grow tall, so it can be seen how important vernalization is for Chinese Cymbidium.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment in the comments section.