Cymbidium SOS

Cymbidiums would do best outside as long as it doesn’t get below freezing very often. They need bright light (but not direct afternoon light) and most people don’t have nearly enough light indoors to flower well. Some Cymbidiums also need a cool down in the winter to flower, since yours have been outside they are the kind that do need that cool down. My plants have been outside, drenched and even flooded sometimes and they are fine, Cymbidiums don’t like to dry out much.

 

Don't even think of keeping Cyms indoors. Not enough light, not enough cool-down in the fall. My first orchid (a lot of years ago) was a Cymbidium given to my by a co-worker who lived in an inland area - summers with multiple weeks of triple-digit F temperatures, winters with some frosty nights. She grew them under a large deciduous tree - it gave the Cyms some shade from the mid-summer sun and the extra light they like in winter. I live closer to the coast so climate is milder but I still get hot summers and chilly winters. And they certainly get rained upon - especially this year. What does the medium look like? If they haven't been repotted in the last couple of years, they will benefit from fresh medium - small bark is good. They do need good drainage - nothing under the pot that would prevent drainage. Some the leaves look a bit toasted, when you repot you can trim the ugly ones. Those aren't particularly large plants, so don't divide them. Maybe in a few years. New growth will be starting soon so it will be a good time to repot once they stop blooming. Don't worry about ugly leaves - Cyms tend to get them, and it's no reflection on their health.

At any rate, the only "temperature control" these need or want is a bit of protection if the night temperature is below 29 deg F, and some shading from the midday sun in summer. In southern California, Mother Nature provides one the best climates in the world for growing these along the coastal region from San Diego to San Francisco (and moderately inland). Warm, sunny summer with moderately cool nights, a period in the fall with warm days and chilly nights, exactly what they need.