To Shop online and see all we have to offer you must now go to

www.australianorchids.com.au

This website you are on now is an information site only

The Australian Orchid Nursery now has a major new website that will handle all sales of Cymbidiums as of 10/04/2009.

This site will be totally changed and refrshed ASAP

His will stop the need for duplicate shopping carts and a lot of extra work at our end!

This dedicated Cymbidium site will continue to function as a sister site loaded with dedicated Cymbidium news and photos

I am very proud of the new site as it is much easier to use and far less cluttered

Why not have a look?  www.australianorchids.com.au

Wayne Turville AON

PLEASE DOUBLE CLICK ON THE LINK PROVIDED BELOW TO  VEIW OUR EBAY "TOP 100 REVEIWER PAGES. THERE ARE 12 FACT SHEETS ON ORCHID CULTURE TO CHOSE FROM!

http://search.reviews.ebay.com.au/members/australianorchidnursery

CYMBIDIUM.COM.AU   recently visited the Sydney Orchid Spectacular run by The Cymbidium Society of NSW  and what a weekend we had.

Steve and Wayne drove the long 12.5 hours up the Hume highway only to find 4 inches of hail over the highway at Yass. 

6 cars were passed upside down on their roofs and we sheltered under a bridge waiting for a truck to cut ruts through the hail so we could proceed.

The show as always was huge and very inpressive.Organised to perfection By  Peter Moore, Keith Harris  and Co. the show is not to be missed for 2009. Peter is shown in the Photo above  where he deserves to be .

We were extremely fortunate to be able to visit and meet Keith Wallace and Gordon Giles at Keith wallace Pty Ltd orchid nursery. Thats Keith above pushing a trolley load of the finest Cyms out after the show.

WE NOW HAVE A LIMITED RANGE OF FLASKS AVAILABLE FOR SALE FOR JUST A FEW MONTHS UNTIL THEY EITHER SELL OUT OR MUST BE DEFLASKED.BE QUICK.

Unfortunalty we have had to completely change the way we accept payment for postal charges packaging handling and freight .

With new laws that forbid us to hold credit card numbers( For theft and computer hacking reasons) we now cant charge postage after we go to the post office and find out the cost.

We now have to use a pre paid systemn that has many flaws.

Your freight will be supplied to you automatically at check out supplied by a  complicated program that works on the number of items you purchase and the postcode supplied.

This works fine until the sytemn charges the same for a 10"pot of Cymbidiums and a 100gram pack of spike clips.!

For this reason we have now added and addittional freight section in the shopping cart.  If the postage is vastly above the cost price, you will be asked to add some additional freight charges manually simply by purchasing addittional freight.

Its as easy as clicking on a button.

 As always  please supply us with a phone number in your check out details so we can advise you by a quick phone call if needed.

We can and always will absorb slighthly dearer postages , as of course we win sometimes on the local postages.

 But occationally the postage may be as much as $25  of the mark with the new aotomated systemn.

Here is a 6 minute mini documentary that was made about the Nursery and new lab!

Give it a few minutes to load  Simply click on the link below to watch 

http://skillsone.com.au/Industry/6/Hospitality-Personal-Services/Video/371/0/The-Orchid-Keeper/

We are strong supporters of Ebay!

Each week we offer up to 150 of our better orchids for auction.

To be involved please click this link, it will show you all we are currently offering.

We usually end our auctions on Sundays at 8.15pm 

  http://search.ebay.com.au/_W0QQsassZaustralianorchidnursery

Ebay is fun, fair and very addictive!!!

All Western Australian Customers Please Read

Due to all new Australian Quarrantine and Inspection services (AQIS) laws that came in 1st July 2007 all consignments are treated as though they are going to another country.

This means we must do large amounts of paperwork in addition to what we used to do in the past!

All orchids must be dispatched bare root and treated two days prior to packing with three seperate chemicals.

We have had three seperate audits to prepare us for this and these alone have cost around $260.00. Combined with the cost of the chemicals needed ($750.00)

We regret to announce that all orders to WA will now incur a modest $15.00 surcharge.

This figure has been worked out due to the amount of orders we expect from WA and may change as required.

As we are one of only a handfull of nurseries that has complied, we hope you will support us with your purchases.

American Customers

USA Customers

Please dont place an order until you have received an import permit

Please visit www.australianorchids.com.au  for the latest details as to permits required

Understanding how to use this site!

The Cymbidium.com.au website is actually two sites in one.

The shopping cart has been added as it allows us to offer you paperfree, postage/fax free ordering.

 It also allows us to add an unlimited amount of photographs, something an ordinary web site does not.

To view all we have to offer you will need to enter the shopping cart.

You don't have to purchase to enter here as you can return to the main web site at anytime.

Cymbidium orchids are by far the most popular orchids to be grown in Australia and in cooler climates around the world. Renown for their ease of care, hardiness, beauty and exotic mystique, they make a perfect gift.

Originally bred from wild orchids from the mountains of India and South East Asia they are well suited to our conditions here in Melbourne as the climate is similar to that in their native environment.

Hybridised by man, for over 100 years, the range of colour, size, growth and shape is now very different from the original species. Cymbidium flowers vary from 1cm to over 15cm across with up to 50 blooms to the raceme (spike) of colours in cymbidiums now varies from deep chocolates through to spectacular yellows, gold and all the shades of reds and browns as well as every hue.

Cyms can vary from small miniatures that suit baskets to huge specimens over a meter across. Flowers have incredible life spans with ages from 4 weeks for a single flower. As a cut flower cymbidiums can last 2 to 3 weeks.

Some people have been scared to try growing orchids by the fear that cymbidiums are difficult to grow. As you read on you will appreciate just what a simple and hardy herbaceous perennial these plants really are. Most of this apparent mistrust of cymbidiums stems from a lack of spikes with some growers. Something as simple as moving the plants to a position of higher light can encourage all the plants to come into bloom.

A healthy well-grown orchid will produce flowers spikes every year and a plant 10 years old can produce from 10 to 20 flower spikes.

Cymbidiums appreciate a protected position away from strong hot sun, heavy winds and direct frost. The perfect environment should be warm, airy and bright and preferably off the ground. Northern facing verandas and patios are excellent if they are covered. Some tips to remember:-

Cymbidiums require watering all year around. Plants left to dry our for long periods will survive but will not flower well in the next year or two. Watering is as required and is determined by the location. Look at the mix in the pot. If the top is moist watering is not required. If the pot is cold or has moisture on it then it may be okay for another day or two. As a guide use the following.

Summer: Two to 3 times per week. Daily or twice daily in hot weather.

Autumn: Once to twice per week. Slightly more often if warmer.

Winter: Once per week or two if under cover. Possibly not at all if in the rain.

Spring: As for autumn.

Cymbidiums have stout roots up to 6mm thick. These roots act like blotting paper when watered. The roots are designed to grow on trees and in leaf litter and hence require plenty of air around the roots, because of this cyms will not grow well in normal soils or potting mixes and must have specially prepared potting mix available at most nurseries. Without a good open mix it is easy to damage the roots with excess water.

Water on flowers can greatly shorten flower life.

Bring flowering plants under cover to maximise the flower life but do not forget to water the plant more often as flowers use up far more water than the plant would normally use. Overhead misting will help keep the air around your orchids humid and tropical. Cymbidiums love this during hot spells. If you are fortunate enough to have an orchid growing area, consider putting in an inexpensive polypipe misting system for those very hot days.

Cymbidiums as with all plants require regular feeding. Without food a plant mature its bulbs and hence may not produce flowers or new bulbs to flower. For lazy gardeners, slow release plant foods applied in spring will help the plant. We recommend Osmocote plus . For results try the addition of liquid fertiliser at recommended strength a few times in warmer months.

Cymbidiums rarely suffer from disease. The only problem home garden problems associated with plants kept in cold, dark or excessively wet spots. Good health or in mixes where the root system is damaged by excess water this occurs the best treatment is to dry the plant out or divide up the plant the rotten parts, cut areas can be treated with sulphur or a similar powder and repotted. Watering should be kept to a minimum for a few weeks and the plant put in an airy position. Plants most susceptible to rotting are neglected plants in or plants kept under very dark positions in the winter months. If this is a problem relocate these plants to a much sunnier position and if possible in an area that is sheltered from the worst winter rains.

Repotting

A number of preparations are available. We recommend for Melbourne conditions a coarse composted (not aged) bark, as our winters are very wet and cold. Bark allows better drainage and air movement than some of the mixes that may suit Adelaide or Sydney better.

Our brand of choice is Debco. It is important though; that a grade suited to the size of the orchid is used.

The following is a rough guide.

Small seedlings up to a 15cm pot: Debco 5-10mm. grade

Large seedlings up to flowering size: Debco 8-28mm.grade

These media’s will last for up to 3 years and supply plenty of air space for the roots.

A plant has three types of bulbs.

1. Old back bulbs without leaves. These bulbs are not important to the plant and act as a reserve food supply for emergencies. It is advisable to leave one of these on each divided plant. Back bulbs can make new plants but they may take years to flower.
2. Old bulbs with leaves. These bulbs support the new growth and may produce flowers for a number of years depending on the variety. When dividing, the plant must retain at least two old bulbs or have one back bulb attached to be able to re flower next year
3. New leads or bulbs. These are the youngest bulbs on the plant and it is from these that the flowers and most new growth comes. When dividing, at least 1 old bulb and one back bulb must be retained with this bulb to ensure that the plant may flower the following year.

Special tips

Keep your orchids off the ground. This keeps worms, slaters, slugs and snails out of the potting mix. These creatures break down the mix and cause it to become soggy.