Question
Dear Jim,

My husband just gave me a potted cymbidium orchid plant for Valentine's Day.(The color of the blooms is a purple/mauve with some white striations.)  It appears to have three bulbs, two of which are currently in bloom.  However, I am losing the blooms quickly, as they are just withering.  I am watering about every 5 days (not a lot, doesn't stay saturated), and I have them on my office desk which has an eastern exposure.  The foliage is all a healthy looking green...not too dark.

Am I doing something wrong that I'm losing the blooms already?  What do I do once they have all fallen away in order to promote them to bloom again...and when can I expect that?

Thanks so much for the help. This is my first go-around with orchids.

Answer
Hello Shantel,

It is hard to say if the blooms are falling off naturally or being caused by something else, I'd have to see it and where you have it to tell that.  

If all of the blooms had already opened prior to your husband having bought it for you, there is no way to tell how long they had been opened before he bought it.  Cymbidium blooms can last from a month to almost 3 months, depending upon the variety of cym.  

But there are other things that can affect or lessen the bloom life.  Things such as ripening fruits nearby, hot or cold air directed at it, sudden movement from cool to hot temperatures or vice versa, propane or kerosene space heater not burning fuel completely, etc.  Do any of these look like it might be the culprit?  Or, as I said earlier, it just might be that the flowers had been open for some time.  

One thing though, you say you have it on your office desk and that you water it every 5 days or so.  I'm afraid that is not the best place to grow it, cyms are basically outdoor orchids and do their best outside.  This is not to say that you can't bring it indoors to enjoy the blooms but it is best to do so for a week or so at most.  Watering every 5 days may be a bit too often as cyms should be watered when the potting media is barely moist and not on a schedule.  In winter when temperatures are cool, you may only need to water it every 7 to 10 days or longer.  Warmer temperatures may require more frequent waterings.  

Here is a quick guide on cymbidium care: Grow outdoors as much and as long as possible, temperature range from 40 to 85 F (30 to 100 F with some protection), humidity between 30% to 80% with 50% being ideal, bright sunlight with partial shading in summer, water as needed when potting media is barely moist, fed a balance type orchid fertilizer at 1/4 to 1/2 the package instructions.  

Hope this has helped.  If you have any questions about the above or additional questions, write back and I'll try to answer them.  Good luck and good growing.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.