Question
Hello I bought a cym from cali while visiting about a month ago. I live in NJ. When I brought it home it was fine in full bloom leaves green few with black spots. I gave it fertilizer twice and water twice, each, every other week. Recently, I repotted it with tree bark and separated it because it was big. It has been doing fine however the past two days the flowers have shrunk and assumed a spiked shape as if they are closing in, the stalk is becoming yellow desending from the flowers down. I'm not sure if the flowers are dying of if my plant is suddenly sick.
I must admit that I have not put it outside to grow. Instead I keep it in the house with pleanty of sunlight. I let it outside for some time in the mornings. I'm afraid it will become infected with bugs (which I have seen on it) so I keep it inside. I was told from the seller that an orchid may adapt to new surroundings and that my cym may not need to be outside. I dont know what to due I'm afraid it will die and I love it, please help.  

Answer
Hello Kameelah,

By Cali, did you mean California?

I believe what may have happened to your cym was caused by your repotting and dividing it while it was still in bloom. While it is possible that it was just time for the flowers to die naturally, repotting and dividing it hastened this. It usually is a good idea to wait for the flowers to die before doing anything with the cym.  If you feel you must repot it while in bloom, cut the stalks off first and place them in a vase with water then repot and divide.  

Shrinking or shrivelling flowers and a yellowing stalk is an indication that it is time to cut the stalk off as the flowers are dying.  

Yes, it is possible for the cym to become acclimated to your growing conditions indoors but it would be better grown outdoors as much as possible. If you do not want to grow it outdoors due to the many bugs out there, you can place it where it will receive 4 or more hours of direct sunlight, morning sun is preferred. The leaves will be a light to medium green color when getting good sunlight exposure. There should be some light air movement around it so do not place it in a corner. Water and feed it when the potting mix becomes barely moist, watering when it is still pretty wet will cause the roots to rot. Temperatures should be between 60 to 85 F but in early fall try to allow it to experience night time lows down into the mid 40s. This will signal the cym that it is almost time to start the blooming season.

More on watering. You may have to water it more frequently in summer during warm or hot weather and less often in winter when it is cooler, even in the house as the sunlight shining on it will not be as warm. Again, be mindful of watering only when it is almost dry. What I do to determine if it is time to water is to lift the pot and if it feels light I water the next morning but if it feels heavy I just wait until it lightens up. This brings up an important point about watering. It is always best to water in the morning, this will allow any water droplets on the plant to dry before nightfall. Water left overnight is prime breeding environment for fungus and bacteria which can cause a slow death of the cym.  

Hope this is of some help. If you have any other questions or would like clarification of the above, let me know.  Good luck and good growing.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.