Cymbidium goeringii

I love Cymbidiums! Unfortunately, don't have enough space for them. This is Cymbidium goeringii, Chinese Cymbidium. In my orchid collection I have four  Chinese Cymbidiums, and really hope they will survive. I don't have much experience growing them, so, the following information will be from the expert. 

Cymbidium goeringii, a cold hardy terrestrial orchid from east Asia.
The preferred habitat is on extremely steep rocky slopes that are almost vertical. In these places in can grow as a near lithophyte on the thin humus over bedrock. Found from sea-level to ~800 meters on Kyushu.
Happily, this is a fairly easy species to grow if you have warm summers.  It is funny to me that some people consider it and its cousin C. kanran to be cool to cold growers.  They are the farthest thing possible from that.  They do need a cool off in winter to go into an appropriate dormancy, but both thrive in hot summer temperatures.

So, what does it need?  The following:  a perfectly draining medium, bright shade, a very deep pot, cool winters, and warm summers.  About the growing mix first – you don’t need to use much organic material at all, just fertilize regularly while in growth.  I grow mine in inorganic substrates only, such as pumice or kanuma.  Addition of a little bark or humus is fine if the drainage remains perfect.  Use a deep pot.  The root system grows mainly downward, not laterally, so pots need to be deep.  These plants have remarkably large root systems.  Here in Japan plants are grown in special pots that are very narrow, but extremely deep, for example, only 15 cm in diameter, but 30 cm high.  This insures lots of room for the aggressive rootstock.  Under-potting is best since this does tend to make the plants flower more.
Regarding fertilizer and water – in the late summer stop fertilizing and dry them out a bit too.  The reason is simple, if you keep feeding and watering them they will grow wonderfully, but won’t set flower buds.  In Japan there is a pronounced summer monsoon, but this is followed by a drier, hotter period in August and early September.  During this time flower shoots are produced just off that season’s new growths.  These will persist throughout the winter months and expand into flower stalks in the spring.  As one grower told me, “in late summer be mean to your shunran, don’t baby them, think torture.”  While I don’t torture mine, I do dry them out more and stop feeding.  This works like a charm.

The next important point is temperature.  These are temperate plants and require a cool down in winter.  Here in Fukuoka they are subject to temperatures between -8 C (18 F) and 10 C (50 F) during the winter months with the average being around 5 C (41 F).  I would give them no less than three months of temperatures below 15 C (59 F) starting in December, and colder is OK. However, the summer temperatures should be warm, averaging above 20C (68 F) from late May to early October.  From late spring through mid-summer give them lots of water and fertilize regularly. They can withstand sun, but prefer bright shade to grow and flower well, at least in warm climates.  In cooler climates I would plant them in a protected spot, say a south facing wall or against a large boulder.  They should do well in UDSA cold hardiness zones 9a-7 without protection, and even colder if protected in winter. All in all, it is a pretty easy plant to grow and bloom.  

Okay .... Will do ... I hope won't kill it

If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask me, and I will reply as soon as possible.