Depends to some extent on what sort of Cymbidium you have. The recommended low is just above 0C. but this also depends on what happens during the day following the cold night.

You need some advice from the locals but my advice is it needs to be put inside now.

A name would be helpful because some of the so called warmth tolerant Cymbidiums may need to be kept warmer in winter.

Plant is still outside due to mild, above frost weather that persists.

Plant is sending up a flower spike, I noticed, so nothing major could be wrong.

If I had known that these plants were so cold tolerant I would have grown them sooner.

Be very wary, here in Cymbidium paradise some orchid nurseries suffered big losses of ready to market flowers when the temp dropped to about -4/-5C. one frosty night. Those nurseries are inland away from the Pacific Ocean , but i imagine the Climate there is tropical compared to z4b-MN.

One of my Cymbidiums is still outside. The other is inside because it is in bloom. It had four spikes, but one got attacked by something and it died so I brought it in. This is the second time it has bloomed this year.

The one that is in bloom was vernalized last fall and the lowest it got was ~29F, but it was against the house so it might have been a little warmer. It was moved to the cool portion of the greenhouse where I work (in the spring) for another month and then brought into the warmth and it produced three spikes with a total of 54 blooms. After it had finished blooming I up-potted it.

The one that is outside has not bloomed in five years. I am being tough on it and if it doesn't bloom it is going to the great orchidarium in the sky. It will be taken to the greenhouse when the weather turns cold (by OUR definition of cold). I assume our streak of warm weather is going to end here real shortly.
Hope you have success.

Cheers,

Paul

There is a lot of lumping with Cymbidiums. The one not doing its thing might not be getting culture appropriate to its type.

There are;
So called warmth tolerant types such as Cymbidium Golden Elf.

The standard types that need cool summer nights and a coolish winter to flower.

The terrestrial Chinese cymbidiums. (only for experts).

The types with Australian native Cymbidiums in the breeding that flower in very late spring here.

Odds and sods.

This "cold" treatment in winter might not be appropriate for some.

Make that TWO! flower spikes. the first one may be open for Christmas.

Make that THREE! flower spikes. Do I hear four?

Backing up a few posts: How can this statement possibly be accurate??

"The one that is in bloom was vernalized last fall and the lowest it got was ~29F"

-29F??? For a cymbidium? For just about anything green?

He wrote ~, not -.

That means approximately 29°.

Tom mn I understand your frustrations and you are more gutsy then me. I know that cymbidiums like a little temp drop depending on which hybrid you have. I had two and I lost one last winter. I wasn't watering enough to keep it happy. I think it is quite a challenge to try to get some of these to bloom with the winter chill requirements most need. I have mine upstairs under a flourescent light hoping it is getting the right amount of light. I am going to try putting it out early in the spring when nights are in the 40 degree range. I did get a short bloom spike last year and I completly neglected it. I know they need more water then some orchids and I brought it up to my bedroom to give it more attention. I am keeping fingers crossed because cymbidiums are one of my absolute favs!
Andrew

I have a cymbidium that is putting up a bloom spike. It was given to me without a name and I have no idea how to treat it now that it has the spike. It is in my greenhouse where I try to keep the temp between 40-50 degrees at night. Should I bring the cymbidium in the house where it will be warmer? Or just leave it where it is until the buds open?
Thanks for any info you might offer.
Bev

This winter chill stuff is rubbish. Where is Cymbidium paradise in the USA? Santa Barbara?

They get a winter chill around these parts because the climate suits their needs.
Go for a walk around these parts and you will see them growing as garden plants and every year numerous numbers are sold to non orchid growers.

Average Winter Minimum 7C.

Average Winter Maximum 17C

Read my post above re. summer night minimums. Below 20C average is crucial for some types, that is why the "warmth" tolerant types have been developed for places such as Florida.

Bev. 40 to 50F Minimum at night is fine. Day temps should lift to 60 to 70F.

Arthurm,
I am sorry but I do believe that winter chill is not rubbish. Not sure what you are trying to say about winter chill and climate suiting there needs. Is that not what we are saying??

The point is that if you have a standard Cymbidium it will "decide and form a dormant spike" in summer provided the temperatures at that time are favourable. Unsuitable temperatures in summer will lead to poor flowering in late Autumn, winter and spring.

Here is latitude 33 something south. Go north a little bit and the Cymbidium ceases to be the dominant orchid in collections purely because summer nights are too warm.

What do you call a chill. Average temperatures of 7 to 17C are not that cold and are needed by the Cymbidium to develop the flowering spike, but the point i am trying to make is what happens in summer is crucial and no amount of chilling in winter will make the plant flower if summer conditions are unsuitable.

Look to the USA and the climate where they grow to the optimum.

I brought my cymbidium inside when night temperatures were still above freezing. I think it was sometime in mid-October. It now has 2 spikes forming. That's as many as it had when I bought it last year.

I am a newbie on the Brugmansia forum and have been quite successful with them on my patio. I have no garden.
Today I bought a cream-colored Cymbidium. It is a no-name one. It has two flowering spikes and a third one coming.

After I got on this forum, I'm having my doubts about ever being successful with my new Cym. Living in Southern California, temps are mostly high. Right now we get about 20C in the daytime, and not lower than 10C at night.
Reading your posts I realize how important low temperatures seem to be in the winter.
Will my Cym make it here??????

Thanks for any input.
Ingrid

Ingrid: I can't help you as I am new also to cymbidiums.

So my partially shaded outdoor deck was perfect for cymbidiums, according to arthurm. Yes, outdoor overnight temperatures here would rarely be above 17C (~63F) after the middle of August, so the plant had about 3 months of evening temps in the 27-63F range late summer to mid-autumn. Frankly, this past summer was so cool we only turned on the AC 3 nights.

I did find the tag for the orchid, but all it says is that it was grown in Santa Barbara and the hybrid name is left off, i.e. the tag is generic. Thanks, Westerlay orchids.

Just to clarify: I have approximately 5 months of frosty weather to deal with, and lots of things don't like being indoors for such a long time. For example, dahlia bulbs will shrivel up in that time frame, so I dig them up in late November (often thru a frozen layer) just to shorten the indoor time frame. I am not stating that the treatment is something dahlias like, just that it increases plant survivability. Likewise with the cymbidium, the longer it can stay outside, the less time it has to be in 25% humidity indoors.

Thank you, Tom.
I don't think I have to worry about winter temps here. No frost at night, but nice and cool. It's the hot summer temps that will be a killer and do me in! We'll see what happens.
Right now, my new acquisition is happy on my patio and I enjoy it.-- Ingrid.{{gwi:200540}}From Pictures