Question
Hi Jim,

I received a very nice cymbidium orchid plant. The flowers were beautiful but couple days ago I noticed they shrunk, got softer, then smaller, and 1 or 2 flowers falling down. Now most of the flowers on the stems are dying. Maybe I'm placing them in the sunlight and it's burning them? Or maybe the pot is too small... What can I do to save my plant? The leaves are still green (most of them) I know I can still do something, please help.

Answer
Hi Amy,

How long have you had the cymbidium?  Most cymbidium flowers will last for several months then slowly die and fall off.  It doubtful that sunlight is causing this as most cymbidiums require quite a bit of sunlight to grow and bloom well.  The exception would be if the temperature where it is growing is over 75F as most cymbidiums flower during winters cooler temperatures.  Also, if there are any fruits close by, that can cause the flowers to prematurely wilt and die.  Unless the growths (pseudobulbs) are hanging over the pot edge, the cymbidium is not too large for the pot as cymbidium bloom best when the roots fill the pot.  

Hope this helped.  If none of the above applies to your cymbidium, write back with more information about where and how you are growing it and I may be able to identify what is causing the flowers to die.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.