Medium for miltoniopsis

[WaterWitchin]

Grim, I had a couple or three Milts back in late 1990s, when I was just starting to get into orchids other than grocery store phals. They didn't last a long time in my care, because I was new to overall orchid culture and didn't know what I was doing. (Kept way warmer than I should have and fried them.)

I've thought several times about getting another now that I know how to care for them. I grow mostly everything in SH, and really think they'd do well in it. BUT, that's just a gut feeling from growing lots of stuff in SH. Why don't you give it a whirl and see? You can be my guinea pig.

[estación seca]

I too wanted to try them in S/H inside my home since it's cooler there in summer than in the sunroom.

I have bought several small ones from Olympic Orchids. They arrive in 2" / 5cm pots in sphagnum moss. My intent was to move them when they began making a new growth.

I haven't been able to keep them alive long enough. They have either dried out completely just once due to my neglect or they've gotten too warm.

[WaterWitchin]

What did you consider "too warm" for your circmstances Estación Seca?

[Fairorchids]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

Wow thanks for the potting mix recipe! Is there a particular cultural reason you don't let them get too large? Or aesthetics. Also, the cultural requirements I'm hearing (cold, moist, always wet) sound like what is often described as the ideal one for semi hydro. Is that a route worth pursuing?

I can't comment on SH, as I have never grown anything that way.

The reason I keep Miltoniopsis small is, that once you exceed 4" pot size, it is difficult to maintain the desirable moisture level throughout the larger volume of mix.

[Grim Tuesday]

Thanks guys, I think I'll give S/H a try with it. Will go to Ikea today and pick up some LECA and an appropriate pot. Looking through what they have online it looks like almost the things I could use as pots (that are easy on the eyes...since I'm a windowsill grower I think I'd like to avoid looking at takeout containers and the like every day!) are opaque. Is this going to set me up for failure since I won't be able to see if the roots are taking to S/H or is it more of a "if it's going to work, it's going to work, and if it isn't it isn't" kind of thing? I don't know if I'm equipped to drill glass.

[estación seca]

I'm not sure what to advise. Nobody here on the thread has grown them in S/H. Don't do it unless you're willing to take it to the sink and fully flush the pot every day until the plant is established. You must not let the roots dry. When they reach the zone in the pot that is always moist you can decrease watering frequency.

Consider a 1-liter plastic deli container fitting into a decorative container. That will also keep water off your windowsill or table.

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

What did you consider "too warm" for your circumstances Estación Seca?

Upper 80s F / 28+C. They declined rapidly.

[Grim Tuesday]

Hmm you're right, it seems that there is lots of "it should work in S/H" but not a lot of testimonials for how well it has worked for this plant (like there seems to be for oncidiums). Given that maybe it's better to re-pot into spaghnum/bark, especially since it seems to be relatively happy in my conditions in its current 100% spaghnum, and it would be a pity to change something just for the sake of changing something and torpedo the plant. I have some seedlings arriving soon to play with in S/H.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

Hmm you're right, it seems that there is lots of "it should work in S/H" but not a lot of testimonials for how well it has worked for this plant (like there seems to be for oncidiums). Given that maybe it's better to re-pot into spaghnum/bark, especially since it seems to be relatively happy in my conditions in its current 100% spaghnum, and it would be a pity to change something just for the sake of changing something and torpedo the plant. I have some seedlings arriving soon to play with in S/H.

I agree. Just about anything will grow in SH... IF you have the right conditions, and do your culture correctly. Experiment with something you're willing to lose and not lose sleep over. Milts aren't the easiest to grow as a starter plant, and trying to learn two different things at once with the same plant isn't conducive to a great result.

Meanwhile, Imma find an inexpensive Milt and put it in SH. Why not? I should be the one guinea-piggin, not you!

---------- Post added at 10:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 AM ----------

ES... yeah, same here. Hit the high 70s then up to very low 80s, and that was all she wrote. Kind of like the Masdies... when they say they want it cool, they really, really mean it.

[estación seca]

I may try another small one as soon as I can get it, but move it so S/H on arrival, with the sphagnum moss still around the roots. Then keep it on my kitchen windowsill, which is quite cool this time of year.

[BobcatJohnson]

I have been holding off on responding to this thread, as I am no expert, so I was allowing for more experienced growers to chime in. It seems however that most of the regulars on the site have not tried this.

I have placed two miltoniopsis orchids in semi-hydro with leca and self watering setups. One of them failed and the other one struggled to establish. I personally chalk it up to the high heat of summer I get here in Las Vegas. Those plants really prefer colder climate than what I have in the summer.

However, once winter hit, the one surviving stopped rotting bulbs and new leaves, and produced a root system visible in the pot, and a very stunted bulb that bloomed anyways with two spikes totaling 7 flowers. The Plant (milt Morris Chestnut 'H171') is now working on two new growths, with no signs of rotting leaves and appears to be happy. However, summer is always right around the corner here in the desert and I don't know if I'll be able to keep it cool enough for these two growths to develop fully.

I do know that there is at least one user of the forum, who makes you-tube videos, who grows his milts in leca and self watering setups.

I will try to get pictures uploaded, however my computer has been having usb problems lately and I haven't been able to get pics off my phone onto my computer. If I can I will.