Purple Cymbidium Orchid - Effective growing and flowering techniques

Purple orchid is a very popular orchid species in Vietnam. Its flowers have a dreamy purple color, a characteristic rich fragrance, are easy to grow, easy to care for, and bloom right on Tet holiday.

Purple Cymbidium Orchid is probably a very familiar name in the orchid growing community in Vietnam, right? This is an orchid species that not only possesses a dreamy beauty but also has an extremely attractive fragrance and strong vitality, completely suitable for those who are new to growing orchids and do not have much experience.

In today's article, let's explore with wild orchid the details of the characteristics, how to plant, care for and techniques to stimulate purple orchids to bloom beautifully and in season.

Overview of purple orchid

Dendrobium orchid is an artificial orchid variety.

The purple orchid, scientifically known as Dendrobium Nestor, is not a naturally occurring orchid but is a hybrid between Dendrobium anosmum and Dendrobium parishii. This orchid was created by Veitch & Sons - a famous orchid gardener in England in the late 19th century.

Thanks to its beautiful purple color and gentle fragrance like aloeswood, purple aloeswood orchids are very popular with Vietnamese orchid enthusiasts.

The most popular types of Cymbidium orchids

Over time, purple orchids have been crossbred into many different types and below are the most popular types of orchids, please learn more.

Dien Bien Cymbidium Orchid

Dien Bien purple agarwood is considered the oldest forest purple agarwood line.

The purple orchid species is found in Dien Bien. The flowers are usually light purple with a beautiful, strong fragrance, the stem is plump, the leaves are large, 8-10 cm long, and about 3-4 cm wide. Currently, this is a purple orchid species that is considered rare and has high value on the market.

Laotian Cymbidium

Dendrobium orchid with super thick stem.

This is a purple orchid variety originating from Laos, with a very large stem with a diameter of up to 2.1 cm, lighter flowers, and a lighter fragrance than Dien Bien forest orchids. However, the Lao forest orchid variety is often cheaper, easier to care for, has good vitality and is suitable for beginners without much experience.

Cuu Long Orchid (Dream Orchid)

Cuu Long orchid has large, light purple flowers.

Cuu Long Cymbidium Orchid, also known as Mong Cymbidium Orchid, is one of the famous hybrid Cymbidium Orchid lines in Vietnam. It is most commonly propagated in the Southwest region such as Long An, Ben Tre,... The characteristic of Mong Cymbidium Orchid is that the flowers are usually light purple mixed with pink, the flower throat has a very special color gradient, the fragrance is light, pleasant, not as strong as wild Cymbidium Orchid but easier to grow and care for.

Orchid Firewood

The orchids are as straight as sticks.

This is a hybrid orchid with long, thin, straight stems like firewood, so it is popularly called "Agarwood". It is often exploited in Laos, Cambodia or the Central Highlands (Vietnam) and sold in bundles of dried stems.

The advantage of this orchid line is that it is cheap and sold by weight, but it comes with high risks and is only for experienced people.

Red orchid

Characteristics of the stem, leaves and flowers of the red dragon orchid.

Is the general name for the orchid lines with red or purple-red flowers, a hybrid orchid line that is not a natural orchid. The characteristics of red orchids are that they have drooping or semi-drooping stems, rare red flowers and a gentle fragrance similar to purple orchids.

The advantages of this orchid are its unique color, ease of growing, and ability to bloom all year round. However, it does not have a strong fragrance like wild agarwood and can only be propagated by cuttings or tissue culture.

White orchid

White orchid image with pure white color.

White Dendrobium is one of the most special and rare lines of Dendrobium because it has a pure white or light pink color instead of the typical purple color of common Dendrobium lines.

The advantage of white orchids is their unique color and gentle fragrance, but they are expensive due to their rarity and are easily counterfeited, so you need to find reputable orchid gardens to ensure the quality of the orchids.

General characteristics of purple orchids

Image of flowers, stems and leaves of purple orchid.

Let's learn in detail about the morphological and ecological characteristics of purple orchids to help you easily distinguish this artificial orchid species from other natural orchid varieties.

Close :

• Long, plump, round body, 30 - 50 cm long
• Usually yellowish green in color, with longitudinal grooves throughout the body.
• The body is a bit rough, some bodies also have characteristic purple joints.

Leaves :

• Leaves are simple, diamond-shaped, grow alternately on the stem, are dark green, soft.
• Average length from 7 - 10 cm, large
• Leaves fall during flowering season (usually in winter) to concentrate nutrients for the tree.

Roots :

• Taproot, has the ability to absorb water and nutrients well
• Young root tips are often purple-green, older roots have a characteristic ivory white color.
• Roots grow strong and dense

Flower :

• Flowers grow from the stem segments, each segment has 1 - 3 flowers.
• Dark purple or purple pink is very eye catching
• It has a pleasant scent, similar to the scent of agarwood, so it is named "Purple Agarwood".

Growth characteristics :

• Is an orchid that likes diffused light.
• Likes cool, humid, airy climate
• Propagate by dividing the pseudostem or sowing kie (young shoots growing on the mother stem)
• Leaves fall in winter (from November to December of the lunar calendar) to prepare for flowering.

Techniques for growing and stimulating purple orchids to bloom in full season

Plump purple orchid buds.

If you want to know how to grow, care for and stimulate purple orchids to bloom beautifully and in season, don't miss the basic techniques shared below.

How to grow purple orchid in pot & graft on wood

Please follow the detailed instructions for planting purple orchids in pots or on wood shared below to help the orchids take root soon and grow well.

Grafting purple orchid :

• Orchids should be grafted onto longan wood, star apple wood, driftwood or coconut fiber boards or coconut fiber pieces.
• If planting kie or stem with roots, it is necessary to treat damaged roots, disinfect with Benkona or lime water and then let it drain for 1 day.
• Grafting with dry trunks (wood agarwood) requires soaking in Atonik + B1 solution for 12 hours to stimulate dormant buds.
• Graft the orchid stem horizontally on the wooden board or coconut fiber so that the dormant buds are arranged horizontally. Absolutely do not cover the dormant buds.
• Use a cable tie to lightly secure, do not tighten too hard as it will crush the body.
• After grafting, hang in a cool place, only water lightly in the first 5 days, after 1 week you can spray B1 + Atonik to stimulate roots.

Planting purple orchids in pots :

• Prepare a terracotta pot or a plastic pot with good drainage.
• The substrate should be charcoal, pine bark, coconut fiber and pumice because they are cheap.
• Soak the growing medium in lime water solution or Physan 20L to remove fungus.
• Place the purple orchid stem/flower on its side, close to the edge of the pot, do not plant too deep.
• Use sticks or strings to hold the roots in place, leaving space in the middle of the pot for the roots to grow.
• After planting, do not water for 5 days, just spray lightly.
• After 2 weeks, use NPK 30-10-10 fertilizer or slow-release organic fertilizer to stimulate plant growth.

How to stimulate purple orchids

If you want your orchid to bloom at the right time, in the right season and with the right flowers, please refer to some of the techniques below.

Ideal flowering time :

• Late November - early January of the lunar calendar
• If you stimulate flowering at this time, the purple orchid will bloom in February - April of the lunar calendar.

Reduce water, cut fertilizer :

• Proceed to stimulate orchids when the stem is old and all leaves have fallen.
• Hang orchids in a cool place with lots of scattered sunlight.
• Reduce watering, only mist once a week
• Absolutely no fertilizer.

Use flower stimulant :

• You can use some flower stimulants such as Dekamon, Atonik, B1, Keiki Duy according to the recommended dosage.
• Spray the medicine evenly on the stem with dormant buds, spray once every 5 days, spray continuously 3 times.
• If you want the flowers to grow concentrated, you can apply it directly to the dormant buds.

Plant care after buds appear :

• After the plant buds, move it to a cooler, more diffused light place.
• Do not water directly on the flowers, only mist the roots.
• Fertilize with diluted organic fertilizer such as tea compost or banana manure to keep flowers fresh longer.

Prevention and treatment of diseases for purple orchids

To help purple orchids grow healthily, bloom on time, have beautiful and long-lasting flowers, disease prevention and treatment are key factors. Let's find out more details below.

Proper disease prevention :

• Apply the 2 clean principle clean substrate - clean environment - clean seedlings
• Water properly, only water in the early morning, reduce watering during the rainy season.
• Every 2 weeks, spray alternately with disease prevention drugs such as Ridomil Gol to prevent fungus - soft rot, Physan 20 to prevent leaf spots, Confidor - to prevent aphids.

Common diseases and treatments :

Purple orchid price list

If you also love and want to try growing purple orchids, please refer to the detailed price list of each type of orchid that we have compiled below to see which orchid line is most suitable.

Beautiful purple orchid pictures

We invite you to admire the most beautiful pictures of purple orchid - a beautiful and fragrant orchid that has been making waves in the orchid community in Vietnam.

Super beautiful picture of blooming purple orchid.

Close-up of purple orchid flowers with characteristic colors and shapes.

Purple orchids are grown on tree trunks in full bloom.

Purple orchid with plump stem, many joints.

Dien Bien forest orchid has beautiful flower colors and shapes.

Through the article that orchid-vn.com shares above, it can be seen that the purple orchid is not only a beautiful orchid with a characteristic fragrance, but also easy to grow, completely suitable for those who do not have much experience. This is a bright candidate to decorate your garden.

Don't forget to visit our Blog section to learn more about many other beautiful and unique wild orchids and hybrid orchids.