Question
Hi Jim,
Thank you for your real fast answer.
During last cold I brought all my cymbidiums with spike inside my garage ( only 3 anyway :)~ ).  Sorry to hear you lost quite a few.
The crack bulbs is not from repotting because I did it since last year. Since then I did not doing anything with it beside feeding and watering so I am pretty sure that it is cracking by itself.
I had 3 large bulbs, all cracked. Those large bulbs developed from the growth last year. So it suppose to have spike at  this time but it didn't.

For the cymbidium that need to report. I just bought it last 2 weeks. The picture is how I bought it and the coconut fiber decomposed. That is the reason that I need to repot it.
I want to divide it but I am not sure it is big enough and strong enough to survive after divide. That is my concern. So what do you think ? Should I divide it ?
I never divide any cymbidium yet so can you please show me some hint ? Do I need to slide the root ball in half or just tear it out ?
When I repotting my cymbidium last year, only one pot I can shake the old mix out and pruned some root.
The other pot I just took it out from old pot and put it in new larger pot because the root ball was so tight. Am I doing  it right ?
Is there a substitute for cinnamon powdered ?
Do you use cinnamon powdered for repotting ? Do you use any other thing ? Where can I buy them ?


Thank you for the orchid show information. I might go there to check it out.

I know I have a lot questions for you. I just in this hobby 2 yrs so there is a lot thing need to learn :)~.
Again, thank you very much for your help.
Kelvin

Answer
Hi Kelvin,

Sorry for taking longer this time to respond to your questions.  Had some problems with my computer that took me a while to figure out that it was caused by the Trash Bin being over full.  I could not believe there was 1.39 gb of junk in it!!!  

If the bulbs cracked by themselves, it may be that they had a sudden growth spurt that exceeded their ability to grow uniformly.  That some times can happen if there is a sudden rush of high nitrogen from being fertilized.  For this reason, I feed my orchids at 1/3 to 1/2 the recommended dosage but do it with every watering rather than full strength once or twice a month as instructed on the fertilizer container.  

Dividing can be a perplexing problem, especially the first few times you attempt it.  Basically, look at the number of healthy bulbs and if there are 8 or more, go ahead and divide it into two divisions of 4 or more bulbs each.  Fewer than 4 bulbs can delay any flowering for a year or more but usually a 4 bulb division will bloom the following year.  The main thing after dividing is to make sure any new bulbs are matured by the end of summer or early autumn.  

To repot, slide the entire rootball out of the pot.  You may have to bang on the sides of the pot to loosen it up enough to slide out.  Once out, remove as much of the old potting media from the roots.  Cut off any dead mushy roots as they are no longer useful.  Hold the cym up and cut off any roots longer than 6 inches, this will make repotting much easier and does not harm the cym.  Allow any cuts to air heal for 3 to 4 hours or you can dip the cut ends in some powdered cinnamon (yes the kind used to bake with) and repot immediately.  

It is best to loosen the rootball and remove the old potting media.  If the rootball is too tight, cut the bottom 2 or 3 inches off, that will make it easier to work with.  

I use cinnamon once in a while for those that I do some severe pruning on, otherwise I just repot.  The main thing when not treating the cuts is to not water the pot for a week to allow the cuts to heal within the pot.  

If you go to the San Francisco show, be prepared to spend the better part of the day there.  Lots of orchids on display along with over 60 vendor booths full of orchids.  Also, over the March 16 to 18 weekend there is a big orchid show in Santa Barbara along with lots of vendors.  There are 4 big orchid nurseries down there that are open that weekend with even more orchids.  If you decide to go to that one, let me know and I'll give you directions to them.  Write me at: [email protected] and besure to put orchids on the subject line or I might delete it.  

Again, I apologize for taking so long to write.  

Jim