How to Care for an Encyclia Cindy Plant

Provide the proper growth medium for the Encyclia Cindy orchid. The plant needs a fast-draining medium and will do well in an orchid pot with fir bark. Orchids do not grow in soil but rather natural humus with high organic content. Soils can make an orchid rot.

Place the pot in a room with bright but indirect lighting such as a southern exposure window with the blinds tilted. The temperatures at night cannot be below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and the maximum daytime temperature is 85. In the winter when the orchid is not actively growing, the daytime temperatures can be a little lower than they are in the spring and summer.

Place a saucer under the pot with a thin layer of pebbles and 1/2 inch of water. This will evaporate and provide humidity. Water the plant every two weeks or as much as it takes to completely moisten the roots, but allow it time to dry out. In the summer this may mean watering three times a week. Every other week, water until the liquid flushes out of the drainage holes. This will remove excess salt and mineral deposits from the fir bark.

Use a plant mister in summer every day to provide more humidity. Move it to a cooler location if temperatures exceed 85 degrees. In winter, household heating systems dry the air, and it may be necessary to invest in a humidifier to provide enough moisture.

Feed the plant every third watering with an orchid food diluted to one-quarter strength. Suspend watering in the dormant winter period for two months and resume in late February or early spring. Cut off spent flower stalks.