Aloe Cymbidium Orchid - Growing & Care Techniques from A to Z

Cymbidium aloifolium is a wild orchid with long, sharp leaves that look like sword blades, purple-brown drooping flowers, easy to grow, easy to care for, and cheap.

Aloe Cymbidium Orchid is one of the rare and popular wild orchids in the orchid community in Vietnam because of its outstanding appearance with long, sharp leaves like swords and eye-catching purple-red drooping flower clusters. This orchid species not only has an impressive appearance but is also very easy to care for, completely suitable for beginners in orchid growing and those without much experience.

To help you better understand the origin, characteristics as well as how to grow and care for aloe orchids to bloom beautifully, stay fresh for a long time, and have durable colors, wild orchid have compiled extremely detailed information in the article below, let's explore right away!

Introduction to aloe orchid

The aloe orchid flowers have impressive colors.

Cymbidium aloifolium, commonly known as Cymbidium aloifolium, was first scientifically described in the 18th century by Carl Linnaeus. This orchid species is native to the tropical rainforests of South Asia and Southeast Asia, and is common in the following countries:

• India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
• China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

In Vietnam, the aloe orchid was once widely distributed in the dense forests of the Central Highlands, Lam Dong, Phu Yen, and Tay Ninh, but now due to over-exploitation for ornamental purposes, its number has seriously decreased.

Some localities have even put the Aloe orchid on the list of plants that need to be preserved because it grows slowly and is difficult to regenerate if cut down at the roots.

Meaning of aloe vera orchid

Aloe orchid is not only a beautiful orchid but it also has many meanings in feng shui and spiritual values. Let's find out more below.

• Aloe orchid symbolizes continuous growth, meaning career advancement and attracting wealth for the homeowner.
• This orchid also helps to dispel bad luck and maintain peace in the living space.
• In orchid culture, Aloe orchid symbolizes rustic beauty, enhancing the art of bonsai.

With good feng shui meaning, Aloe orchid is a meaningful gift on special occasions such as holidays, New Year, housewarming,... to replace the best wishes to the recipient.

What is special about aloe orchid?

Image of aloe vera orchid leaves, stems and flowers.

Let's learn in detail about the physical characteristics as well as the growth characteristics of the aloe orchid to see what is so special about this orchid that attracts so many "orchid players".

Close :

• Pseudobulbs, not swollen like many other orchid species
• Grows in clumps, long, round, cylindrical stem
• Upright or horizontal stem

Leaves :

• Leaves are 50 - 100 cm long, 2 - 3 cm wide, growing from the top of the pseudobulb.
• Leaves are thick, hard, slightly curved, pointed like a sword.

Roots :

• Plump, ivory white, with many layers of fur
• Ability to adhere firmly to the substrate

Flower :

• Flowers grow in clusters 20 - 50 cm long, hanging down, each cluster has from 10 - 30 flowers.
• Flowers are 2 - 3 cm in size, with thick petals and curved lip.
• Flowers usually have yellow-brown, red-brown or purple-brown petals, the outer capsule is light yellow, the flower lip is dark orange-yellow, with purple stripes.
• Flowers have a light, pleasant fragrance
• Aloe orchid usually blooms in February - April, flowers bloom for 2-3 weeks.

Growth characteristics :

• It is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid species, distributed at altitudes below 1200m.
• Prefers diffused light, best between 50 - 70%
• Average growth rate

Aloe orchid planting and care techniques

Techniques for planting and caring for aloe orchids.

Although the aloe orchid is quite easy to grow, if you want them to bloom beautifully, have long-lasting color and freshness, you need to pay attention to some planting and care techniques that we share below. Guaranteed simple, easy to do but very effective.

Selecting varieties and substrates

The first important thing before planting aloe orchids is to choose a good orchid variety and suitable growing medium. Please note the following important criteria.

Criteria for selecting good aloe orchid varieties :

• Choose plants with plump, unwrinkled, unrotten pseudobulbs.
• Long, green leaves, no pests or diseases, serrated edges
• Fresh roots, ivory or greenish
• Prioritize choosing dormant plants (not yet flowering) or newly separated plants from mature plants for easy recovery. Do not choose varieties that are too young to flower because the care time will be very long.
• After selecting the breed, it is necessary to treat the breed by cutting off rotten roots and damaged leaves, soaking in Physan 20 solution or lime water for 15 - 30 minutes to remove fungus, then hanging in a cool place for 1 - 2 days to let the plant dry completely.

Optimal substrate for aloe orchid :

• Prioritize growing media that retains moisture well but drains quickly, does not rot easily, and is airy.
• Some recommended substrates: Pine bark, coir board, shredded coir, coconut fiber, pumice, longan wood, star apple wood,...
• The substrate needs to be disinfected by soaking in Physan 20 solution or lime water for 1 - 2 days and then drying.

Aloe vera orchid growing techniques

Growing aloe orchids is quite simple if you follow the instructions below.

Growing aloe orchid in pots :

• Line a layer of rocks and gravel at the bottom of the pot.
• Put a layer of charcoal, put the big pine at the bottom.
• Place the orchid seedlings in the center of the pot or close to the sides, as you prefer.
• Fill small substrate around the base, do not bury deep, cover the pseudobulb.
• Use a fixing stick to help the orchid root become more stable.

Grafting aloe orchid onto wood, driftwood :

• Place the orchid root on driftwood or wood, use nylon rope or zip ties to secure the root to the wood.
• Add a layer of moss around the base to retain moisture.
• Hang the board or wood in a cool place, away from direct sunlight for the first 7-10 days.

Care for aloe orchid after planting :

• First week, only spray lightly twice a day, do not water too much.
• After 1 week, water normally.
• After 2 weeks, start fertilizing with diluted NPK 30-10-10 (½ - ⅓ recommended dose) by spraying on leaves and roots once a week.

How to care for aloe orchid

To help aloe orchids grow quickly, bloom on time, have beautiful colors and stay fresh for a long time, please take care of them according to the following instructions.

Orchid planting location:

• Prioritize airy, windy places
• Temperature from 20 - 32 degrees Celsius
• High humidity from 70 - 80%
• Natural scattered light from 60 - 70%

Watering aloe orchid properly :

• Sunny (dry) season : Water 1-2 times/day, water in the early morning and cool afternoon.
• Rainy season : Only water when checking that the growing medium is dry.
• Watering method : Spray lightly on the entire plant and substrate, avoid water stagnation between leaves.
• Note : When it rains for a long time, you need to check the orchid roots regularly to avoid waterlogging.

Fertilize in stages :

• Development stage: Fertilize with NK 30-10-10 or 20-20-20 in diluted doses, fertilize once a week, combine with organic fertilizer, Atonik, Humic to help stimulate roots and develop leaves.
• Flower bud nurturing stage: NPk 6-30-30, reduced nitrogen, rich in phosphorus and potassium, fertilize periodically every 10 days to help flower buds grow better.

Prevention and treatment :

Aloe orchid price list

Currently, aloe orchids are sold widely in the Vietnamese market at relatively cheap prices, ranging from a few tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand, depending on the type. If you want to learn more details, please refer to the following price list.

Beautiful aloe orchid pictures

Let's admire the entire collection of beautiful and impressive aloe orchids that we have collected below to see how unique this wild orchid is that makes orchid enthusiasts "favor" it so much.

A orchid with long, beautiful flower clusters.

Close-up of the aloe orchid face with its characteristic color.

The aloe vera orchids are in bloom.

A pot of Aloe Cymbidium orchid with a magical beauty.

A orchid grafted on a jackfruit tree is blooming beautifully.

The orchids are in bloom.

With impressive beauty, strong growth ability, good adaptability along with long-lasting, durable flowers, the aloe orchid is absolutely an ideal choice for orchid lovers. Hopefully, through the information that orchid-vn.com shares above, it will help you understand and grasp how to care for this orchid species.

Don't forget to visit our Blog section regularly to read more articles on the same topic about orchids.