Is it a standard cymbidium or a chinese cym hybrid? Santa Barbara can grow
standard cyms under high light, full sun for a few hours but ameliorated by
shade or dappled sunlight later in the day. So as high a light as you can
manage without burning the leaves. They'll also want a 20 degree day night
temperature differential in order to bloom. Chinese cyms I grow alongside
the cattleyas.

As to the mites, increasing your humidity and air movement should encourage
the mites to move elsewhere.

K Barrett


"Ted Byers" wrote in message
...
I am rebuilding my indoor garden beginning with a couple new Cymbidium
hybrids. The ones I got are impressive: lots of large, fragrant
flowers, lots of leaves and pseudobulbs. I haven't looked at the
roots, but then I don't want to risk the current blooms by shocking
the plant. I was shocked at the scent (which I noticed just walking
past the first of the plants) as none of the other Cymbidiums I'd ever
seen over the years had ever had a scent. And the colouring is
striking, despite a couple spots where the plants were nipped by the -
30 degrees Celcius temperatures outside the night I transported them
home. I should have waited until this afternoon to get them as today
we had temperatues of +4 degrees Celcius, but ......... the flowers
remain as vibrant in colour and as fragrant as when I first saw the
plants.

I have never had Cymbidiums before, and the cultivation information I
received from two different vendors is contradictory. One says they
want medium light, at this latitude (southern Ontario) about 20%
shade, with only indirect light, and the other says they want full,
direct sun. Which is it?

Also, my few remaining my plants died earlier this year because I was
hospitalized for a while (serious infection) and so the neglect was
too much for them (all my orchids died during the previous, and
longer, hospitalization). But I noticed that the demise of the two
Hibiscus was accelerated by mites (but these pests totally ignored the
Cyclamen which died of thirst and my African Violets which are the
only survivors and in fact look outrageously strong despite the
neglect, though they lost their blooms). Are Cymbidium orchids
vulnerable to mites, and if so are they likely to be at risk from
mites that seem to prefer Hibiscus. I ask because I know many pests
will attack only a particular species or genus, while there are a few
that are generalized enough to attack anything (like my sister's cats,
which don't care what species of plant it is that they're
destroying). What treatment would you use to kill mites, when the
plants are in either a bedroom or a home office? I have tried to
minimize their exposure by having the Cymbidiums at the opposite end
of the floor, in a different room, from where the infected plants
were.

Thanks in advance for any information you provide.

Cheers

Ted