Orchid Cambria Nelly Isler red and white

Credit: Arne and Bent Larsen

Orchid Cambria Nelly Isler dark pink

Credit: Maja Dumat

Orchid Cambria Nelly Isler red

Credit: David J Stang

Orchid Cambria Nelly Isler pink

Credit: Kroton

Cambria Nelly Isler orchid, peppery-scented flowers

Some orchids come from Asia, others from the Andes. Cambria Nelly Isler was born in the greenhouse of a certain Mr. Isler, in the 90s. To create this variety, the botanist crossed no less than four different orchid genera. The result? An indoor plant with abundant, fragrant blooms.

How to recognize the Cambria Nelly Isler orchid?

The Cambria Nelly Isler orchid is an epiphyte with an upright habit. At maturity, it reaches a height of 70 centimetres.

The stem and leaves grow from an ovoid, swollen pseudobulb. It supports the foliage. Medium-green and thick, the leaf blades are lance-shaped. They measure at most 25 centimetres long and three centimetres wide.

The flower stalks grow in the middle of this rosette. Each bears between 12 and 16 flowers. Like Hybrid Cambria or vuylstekeara Cambria orchids orchids, they have three petals, three sepals and a crinkled labellum. Thin and pointed, they are arranged in a star shape. Nelly Isler's Cambria orchid has plain bright red petals and sepals, and a variegated label with a yellow heart. Cultivars come in pink, orange or cream.

Indoors, it blooms at any time of year. For three to four weeks, it gives off a subtle peppery fragrance.

The Cambria Nelly Isler orchid is harmless to humans and animals. It is non-toxic when touched or ingested.

Our maintenance tips

Light and humidity are key to keeping cambria orchids Nelly Isler in top form. To stimulate flowering, don't hesitate to take the plant outdoors between June and September.

Watering

If you're worried about drowning the root system, water your Cambria Nelly Isler from below.

Get a container larger and wider than your Cambria Nelly Isler pot. Pour in room-temperature, non-calcareous water, such as recycled rainwater.

Place your plant and its pot in the water-filled container, with the liquid halfway up. Wait at least fifteen minutes. Once all the potting soil has been soaked, return your Cambria Nelly Isler to its place.

Spray

Cambria orchids Nelly Isler like humidity. Mist their foliage with non-calcareous water at room temperature.

Spray the substrate if it is dry.

Repotting

In spring, transfer your Cambria Nelly Isler to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.

Cambria orchids Nelly Isler grow by developing new pseudobulbs in front of the old ones. After a few seasons, they may feel cramped. You can repot them in the same pot or in a slightly larger one.

Dig up your Cambria Nelly Isler. Untangle the roots and remove any residual bark and sphagnum moss.

To give your plant more room, remove the old bulbs. You can recognize them by their crumpled appearance. At cambria orchids Nelly Isler, bulbs flower only once. These stems will not give rise to new flowering stems. Cut them off with a clean, sharp tool, such as secateurs or scissors. If you notice any dead roots, prune them back.

Line your pierced pot with an epiphytic plant mix of bark and sphagnum moss. Place your Cambria Nelly Isler at the bottom of the pot. This will give it plenty of room to grow. Fill with substrate and pack down.

Water for the first time, moistening the substrate from above. Be sure to use non-calcareous water at room temperature.

For the first month after repotting, water from the top rather than the bottom. Stop adding fertilizers.

Fertilization

You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.

Apply orchid fertilizer diluted with water.

Prune

Cut the flower stem at leaf height once the flowers have faded.

When the pseudobulb has dried, remove it with clean secateurs.

Cutting

Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.

When dividing your plant, always keep at least three healthy pseudobulbs per plant.

After cleaning the roots, separate the pseudobulbs. You can use clean secateurs or your hands.

In a pierced pot, pour a layer of epiphytic plant mix. It should contain sphagnum moss and bark.

Place your cutting against one side of the pot. The new shoots will form one in front of the other. Placing your plant at the edge rather than in the center will give it more room to grow.

Fill with substrate and press down. Water from the top to moisten the mixture of bark and sphagnum moss.

Wait a month before adding fertilizer. Water from above during this period.

Diseases / Threats

Grey rot - Botrytis

Mealybugs

Information

Family	Orchids - Orchidaceae
Type	Cambria - Cambria
Species	Cambria Nelly Isler - Cambria Nelly Isler
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposure	Sun
Substrat	Humus soil
Planting methods	In pots Bucket
Categories	Interior Flowery
Tags	Flowery Fritillary
Origins	Central America South America
Hardiness (USDA)	12a
Leaf color
Flower colors