# Cymbidium goeringii "Tama no Yuubae" (Japanese), 日本春蘭「多摩の夕映え」



## jokerpass (Sep 23, 2021)

Cymbidium goeringii "Tama no Yuubae" (Japanese), 日本春蘭「多摩の夕映え」Time to check the buds. Stage 1 shading is complete, now it's time to continue shading with aluminum foil. The buds are between 3cm-3cm tall now. It will remain this way 1 month before it blooms in Spring 2022. The aluminum foil is removed only 2 weeks it blooms. To bloom, a vernalization period (0C-10C no higher and lower) is required in the winter. This year, it produced 3 flower buds. When it blooms, it will be blooming for 3 years in a row. When Japanese culture methods are followed, Cymbidium goeringii (Jensoa Section) will bloom every year with very strong roots and growths. Last picture was the bloom in Spring 2021.


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## DrLeslieEe (Sep 24, 2021)

It’s interesting you shade the entire flower stalk. I saw in Japan they only cap the buds. Is there a difference?


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## jokerpass (Sep 24, 2021)

There is no such thing as a flower stalk at this point. Right now, the flower bud is only 3cm-5cm tall and will remain this way until 1 month before it blooms. The flower stalk only starts to form about 1 month before it blooms (stalk formation is between mid to end of February). So from now until Feb, the bud remains 3cm-5cm, no flower stalk. During the flower stalk development (1 month prior to blooming), you continue to shade the the bud/flower stalk. You only remove the aluminum cap 2 weeks before it blooms (when the flower petals come out from the sheath).


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## DrLeslieEe (Sep 24, 2021)

Is that aluminium in pic just covering the bud ? Looks high? How tall is the bud inside? Pic?


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## jokerpass (Sep 24, 2021)

When the buds start to elongate (from mid Feb onwards), the stalk can be higher than the aluminum foil, when that happens, you just need to make a taller aluminum foil. Below is a picture of C. goeringii "Mangetsu" (March 2021) during flower stalk elongation. At this stage, it is still covered as the flowers are still inside the sheath. You only remove the foil when the flower petals are just coming out from the sheath (about 1-2 weeks before it fully blooms). Also, the stalk keeps growing taller as the flowers are opening up (during the 1-2 week after the aluminum foil is removed before the flowers fully open).




Currently, all the buds are 3-5cm tall as in the posts. They will stay that size for a very long time (until mid Feb). You just make the cone once to accomodate the growing flower stalk during flower stalk elongation (from mid Feb onwards), so you don't need to make it over and over again. I use the Japanese Cymbidium goeringii plastic tube as a template to make the aluminum foil cones. The plastic tubes are the same size as the cones I make.


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## jokerpass (Sep 24, 2021)

This is an image of the black plastic cap for C. goeringii. It reads Flower bud protection cap. It is 12 cm tall, with 1.3cm diameter. I just use this as a template to make the aluminum foils. One size fits all.


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## DrLeslieEe (Sep 24, 2021)

Great education! Thanks!


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## My Green Pets (Sep 25, 2021)

本当に面白いですね!


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## Ray (Sep 25, 2021)

What is the reason for shading the inflorescences, other than tradition?

I grew Cym. goeringii in semi-hydro culture and they grew and bloomed fine doing nothing extra.


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## jokerpass (Sep 25, 2021)

My Green Pets said:


> 本当に面白いですね!


はい、とても面白いです。これは花物ための遮光作業です。遮光作業をすると、つぼみは真っ白になります！


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## jokerpass (Sep 25, 2021)

Ray said:


> What is the reason for shading the inflorescences, other than tradition?
> 
> I grew Cym. goeringii in semi-hydro culture and they grew and bloomed fine doing nothing extra.



C. goeringii basic colour (wild type) is green. Flower colour mutations occur and the Japanese has been collecting these types of C. goeringii for hundreds and hundreds of years (they have been over collected in Japan, so it is very rare to find a C. goeringii that has a coloured flower in Japan). In the wild, flower buds start to form by the end of July/early August and will only bloom in the followng Spring (March). For 9 months, the flower buds are covered by leaf litter, so the shading technique is used to simulate what happens in nature.

99% of Chinese C. goeringii are green, so no shading is required. For coloured varieites (red, purple, orange, yellow, white), shading is required. Since most coloured varieites are Japanese and Korean origin, this is what you do for Japanese and Korean C. goeringii. The reason to shade the bud is to make sure that the buds are developed in the dark without any chlorophyll, so it will produce vibrant colours when it blooms in the spring. Also, the covering softens the flower petals during flower development and it will produce better flower quality as well. To produce the vibrant colour in the spring, vernalization is also a very important factor (required to bloom and get the colour right). Vernalization starts around Winter Solstice and ends when the flowers bloom (min 50 days and for many varieites longer). I end vernalization when the flowers are ready (naturally), I don't abruptly stop vernalization as many growers do, by stop vernalization abruptly, the flower buds can go into a shock, hence, abort the flower buds. During vernalizaton, the temperature must be between 0C-10C at all times (no higher and no lower). It is the combination of shading the flower bud and the near-freezing temp during vernalization, that will give these vibrant flower colous in the spring.

Attached is a picture of C. goeringii "Haruka" (Japanese) 日本春蘭「春華」。This is another C. goeringii in my collection. There are 4 flowers in the picture, the 3 flowers that were shaded, produced white tall stem with vibrant orange colour (desired), with correct petal shape (lotus plum flower petal shape). The 4th flower, as an experiment, I didn't shade the bud at all, and the flower colour is muddy and dull with a short flower stem (not desired), and not so good flower petal shape. This plant produced 3 flower buds this year (bloomed 2 years in a row already with 4 flowers every year), but I decided to pluck all of them this year, so will give more vigoruous growths next year.

Regarding culture, my C. goeringii don't just survive, my C. goeringii thrive, that's the difference when you follow Japanese procedures. The plant can double in size 2-3 years time and they bloom every year without any problems. I communicate with my Japanese vendor often whenever I have questions or want to purchase plants, so all the information is confirmed and real (I don't make things up). Also, all the same information is written in all the C. goeringii books (I have over 30 books on C. goeringii in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean).


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## jokerpass (Sep 25, 2021)




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## Linus_Cello (Sep 25, 2021)

Fascinating. Would this be considered flower manipulation that is I think prohibited for AOS judging, or not manipulation and just culture?


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## jokerpass (Sep 25, 2021)

In the wild (nature), C. goeringii buds start to develop in end of July/early August and only flower the following spring. For nearly 9 months, the flower buds are covered by leaf litter so it is covered naturually. These shading techniques just to simulate what happens in nature. For non-green C. goeringii clones, this is the standard protocol, all the different C. goeringii books describe exactly the same procedures, and by showing you the difference, you can see the huge differences between covered and uncovered buds. The shading techniques are only for non-green flower C. goeringii, so for green flower C. goeringii (mainly Chinese C. goeringii), all other East Asian Cymbidiums in the Jensoa Section (C. ensifolium, C. sinense, C. kanran, and C. faberi), these techniques are not required. Since 99% of the people in the West have no idea the shading techniques, I do not really know what to say about AOS rules, because AOS is made for the West. I think C. goeringii is just a special case that you have to do this; otherwise you will never get the flowers you see in C. goeringii books.


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## Ray (Sep 25, 2021)

Thank you. That was a great explanation, and the suppression of chlorophyll development makes sense.


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## Karp60 (Sep 25, 2021)

I have certainly learned something new.


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## DrLeslieEe (Sep 26, 2021)

Linus_Cello said:


> Fascinating. Would this be considered flower manipulation that is I think prohibited for AOS judging, or not manipulation and just culture?


The standard preparation of the bud development during flowering is much like staking or simulating natural conditions. It is not considered manipulation such as flattening floral parts. Controlling color manifestation is a common cultural technique using shading techniques in many genera and is not considered a prohibitive activity in the judging circles.


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## BrucherT (Sep 27, 2021)

jokerpass said:


> Cymbidium goeringii "Tama no Yuubae" (Japanese), 日本春蘭「多摩の夕映え」Time to check the buds. Stage 1 shading is complete, now it's time to continue shading with aluminum foil. The buds are between 3cm-3cm tall now. It will remain this way 1 month before it blooms in Spring 2022. The aluminum foil is removed only 2 weeks it blooms. To bloom, a vernalization period (0C-10C no higher and lower) is required in the winter. This year, it produced 3 flower buds. When it blooms, it will be blooming for 3 years in a row. When Japanese culture methods are followed, Cymbidium goeringii (Jensoa Section) will bloom every year with very strong roots and growths. Last picture was the bloom in Spring 2021.View attachment 29735
> View attachment 29736


Where do you get your mixes?


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## jokerpass (Sep 27, 2021)

I ge the Mix directly from Japan. I visit Japan once every 2 years pre-covid. I stock piled (all sizes). Unfortunately, the mix is not available in North America and Europe, believe me, I searched and searched for many many years. I realized that it's just the easiest to get them from Japan, don't need to think about it. You might be able to get some individual components in bonsai stores in the US, but they don't have all the components/sizes (to make the mix, you need hard kanuma (3 sizes), baked akadama (3 sizes), and satsuma (3 sizes), so 9 components in total). It is a lot of work to get all the components individually, so it's just easier to buy the mix, ready to use. To grow C. goeringii, I obtained all the materials required (pots from Japan only (Japanese Cymbidium pots are standardized, must easier to use than the Chinese made pots), cymbidium mix, and C. goeringii racks) before I consider even buying the plants since obtaining these materials are equally diffiicult as obtaining Japanese/Korean C. goeringii. There is a lot of preparation.

I also want to point out the the mix contains baked akadama (not regular akadama) and hard kanuma (not regular kanuma). Regular akadama and regular kanuma are too soft, so crumbles too easily, creates waterlog too easily, if you use them, probably needs to be repotted every year. I don't use.


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## jokerpass (Sep 27, 2021)

BrucherT said:


> Where do you get your mixes?



I get the Mix directly from Japan. I visit Japan once every 2 years pre-covid. I stock piled (all sizes). Unfortunately, the mix is not available in North America and Europe, believe me, I searched and searched for many many years. I realized that it's just the easiest to get them from Japan, don't need to think about it. You might be able to get some individual components in bonsai stores in the US, but they don't have all the components/sizes (to make the mix, you need hard kanuma (3 sizes), baked akadama (3 sizes), and satsuma (3 sizes), so 9 components in total). It is a lot of work to get all the components individually, so it's just easier to buy the mix, ready to use. To grow C. goeringii, I obtained all the materials required (pots from Japan only (Japanese Cymbidium pots are standardized, must easier to use than the Chinese made pots), cymbidium mix, and C. goeringii racks) before I consider even buying the plants since obtaining these materials are equally diffiicult as obtaining Japanese/Korean C. goeringii. There is a lot of preparation.

I also want to point out the the mix contains baked akadama (not regular akadama) and hard kanuma (not regular kanuma). Regular akadama and regular kanuma are too soft, so crumbles too easily, creates waterlog too easily, if you use them, probably needs to be repotted every year. I don't use.


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## NYEric (Sep 28, 2021)

And... this is why I won't ever...


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## jokerpass (Sep 28, 2021)

NYEric said:


> And... this is why I won't ever...


there is a reason why you don't see them in North America and Europe. It is a mystery to pretty much everyone in the West, it's unfortunate, but that's the sad truth....


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## NYEric (Sep 29, 2021)

No problem. To each their own.


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## Ozpaph (Oct 3, 2021)

fascinating. Thank-you


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