Medium for miltoniopsis
Login
User Name
Password   


Registration is FREE. Click to become a member of OrchidBoard community
(You're NOT logged in)

menu menu

Sponsor
Donate Now
and become
Forum Supporter.

Medium for miltoniopsis
Many perks!
<...more...>


Sponsor
 

Google


Fauna Top Sites
Register Medium for miltoniopsis Members Medium for miltoniopsis Medium for miltoniopsis Today's PostsMedium for miltoniopsis Medium for miltoniopsis Medium for miltoniopsis
LOG IN/REGISTER TO CLOSE THIS ADVERTISEMENT
Go Back   Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web ! > >
Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 02-02-2022, 11:12 PM
Grim Tuesday Grim Tuesday is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 102
Medium for miltoniopsis
Default Medium for miltoniopsis

I bought a rather large miltoniopsis lillian nakamoto in the "discount" section of a garden center a few months ago post-bloom. When I got it home, a bunch of its leaves turned yellow and black and fell off. I treated that as if it was a fungal infection and sprayed it with a fungicide. That seemed to help and after I put it somewhere in my home that is cooler and gets more airflow, it has been doing seemingly fine. Only one leaf has black spots now and I can't tell if it's fungus or just...black spots.

Recently, it has started on two new pseudobulbs! However, it is super big for its pot and there is a huge tangle of dead dried out roots on top so I want to re-pot it. What would be the right medium? And would this be a plant I should consider semi-hydro for? I am in a low humidity house (less than 20) with wintertime daytime highs in the high 60s and nighttime lows in the low 50s. Summer daytime highs in the 80s and nighttime high 60s.

Also, whenever I water it I get a whiff of a pungent, difficult to describe scent. A bit acrid, kinda ozone like? Is this normal or does it indicate something bad going on in the root zone?
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes nemesis liked this post
  #2  
Old 02-03-2022, 10:33 AM
Ray's Avatar
Ray Ray is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: May 2005
Member of:AOS
Location: Oak Island NC
Posts: 15,278
Medium for miltoniopsis Male
Default

Sounds to me like the odor of decaying organic matter. Could be roots and could be the potting medium, or both.

The best time to repot is just as new roots are emerging from the base of the plant, but in this situation, waiting for the next round of new growth might doom the plant, so I’d go for it.

When you change the medium (even if that’s fresh stuff of the same mix), the plant will need to grow new roots, so you’re going to want to “baby” it for a few weeks to let it get reestablished.
__________________
Ray Barkalow, Orchid Iconoclast
FIRSTRAYS.COM
Try Kelpak - you won't be sorry!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-03-2022, 10:52 AM
Grim Tuesday Grim Tuesday is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 102
Medium for miltoniopsis
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray View Post
Sounds to me like the odor of decaying organic matter. Could be roots and could be the potting medium, or both.

The best time to repot is just as new roots are emerging from the base of the plant, but in this situation, waiting for the next round of new growth might doom the plant, so I’d go for it.

When you change the medium (even if that’s fresh stuff of the same mix), the plant will need to grow new roots, so you’re going to want to “baby” it for a few weeks to let it get reestablished.
Thanks for the advice! All I have on hand right now is some "chunky" phalaenopsis mix from Better Gro and some spaghnum moss (sidebar - I also got a bag of better gro bark at Lowes but it was quite mildewy smelling/musty in the bag - is that OK to use?). Qualitatively the bark I have, especially in the phaelonopsis mix, seems too coarse for how thick the roots look. I suppose I could sort it by hand and find some of the smaller pieces in it. Will that be appropriate for a miltoniopsis? I am also planning to make an order from Kelly's Korner or Quarter Acre for some finer bark or coco husks, but that won't be here for at least week or more. I will say the odor has been around for at least three months already and there are new roots growing currently.

Last edited by Grim Tuesday; 02-03-2022 at 10:55 AM..
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-03-2022, 12:06 PM
Dimples Dimples is online now
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jan 2022
Zone: 8b
Location: Olympia, WA
Posts: 982
Medium for miltoniopsis
Default

I don't grow miltoniopsis yet but they're the type of orchid I'd like to try growing next so I've been reading up quite a bit on their care.

First off, have you looked at the roots? Hopefully, you should be able to gently work the pot off the rootball/medium without disturbing it too much.

Take a look, take some pictures, and post them here so people that do grow miltoniopsis can help you troubleshoot if you need more help.

Without seeing the plant, if you think you can baby the existing medium situation for a week while you wait on a bark/medium order without letting it stay soggy or too dry, repotting once into the "correct" medium (correct for your conditions and your care habits) would be my choice.

Moving a finer rooted orchid into a different and still unsuitable medium for a week or two isn't going to make the situation much better for the plant and may end up increasing the total amount of stress/root damage/etc. done during the repotting and re-repotting process.

Now, if you pull the plant out of the pot and find a rotting sludge, it may be worth the temporary repot into the less-than-ideal chunky bark just to get the roots out of the broken down bark soup. Look at the roots and make your choice based on what you find.

Good luck!
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 2 Likes
Likes Grim Tuesday, realoldbeachbum liked this post
  #5  
Old 02-03-2022, 01:55 PM
Grim Tuesday Grim Tuesday is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 102
Medium for miltoniopsis
Default

Here are some pictures of it. Wish I had taken a look earlier, but I didn't want to disturb the roots when I didn't have anywhere new to put it. But wow this is not looking like a happy root situation! Last pic is one of the new growths with new roots coming out.

Pictures:

PXL-20220203-175011739 — ImgBB

PXL-20220203-175037805 — ImgBB

PXL-20220203-175032925 — ImgBB

PXL-20220203-175021519-MP — ImgBB
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 02-03-2022, 04:12 PM
WaterWitchin's Avatar
WaterWitchin WaterWitchin is offline
Administrator
 

Join Date: Feb 2011
Zone: 6a
Location: Kansas
Posts: 5,243
Default

Shoot, I don't think they look that bad. But sure ready for a bit bigger pot.
__________________
Caveat: Everything suggested is based on my environment and culture. Please adjust accordingly.
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 2 Likes
Likes Roberta, Dimples liked this post
  #7  
Old 02-03-2022, 06:39 PM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jun 2015
Zone: 9b
Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
Posts: 18,794
Medium for miltoniopsis Male
Default

I don't grow them because it's too hot here. I had hoped some of our expert Miltoniopsis growers would be here but they aren't.

Fine bark or sphagnum works well with these. If you aren't an expert grower I would not use medium nor large bark. These need a lot of water and should never dry out. If you do put it into medium bark consider standing it in a dish with a small amount of water.

Homes are problematic for them. They like to be cooler than most of us like our homes, and also much more humid. They prefer water low in dissolved solids, like rain or reverse osmosis water. They do need regular fertilizing.

I would take your plant to the sink, rinse off whatever old medium comes off easily, then repot into the sphagnum you have, packing it tightly.

Watering with sphagnum is different than watering with bark. Unless the plant is taking up so much water it drains the sphagnum dry in a few days, you don't want to soak it completely. Just run water over the top for a second or two. The water will diffuse through the moss rendering it moist but still well-aerated. Sphagnum lasts up to two years in a pot, so plants in sphagnum must be repotted often. But a Miltioniopsis grown well will need repotting in about two years.
__________________
May the bridges I've burned light my way.

Weather forecast for my neighborhood
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 02-03-2022, 07:53 PM
Grim Tuesday Grim Tuesday is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 102
Medium for miltoniopsis
Default

Thanks for the advice, I'll give the spaghnum a go. I think this is probably the one time my drafty uninsulated "apartment" (converted row house) has ever been to my advantage. Those crappy windows certainly don't help my electric bill but the miltoniopsis does seem to enjoy it there. How worried should I be about overpotting this guy? I was looking through plastic pots I have in the house and what I've got is two sizes up, not just one.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 02-03-2022, 08:00 PM
Fairorchids's Avatar
Fairorchids Fairorchids is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Aug 2013
Zone: 7a
Location: North Plainfield, NJ
Posts: 2,829
Medium for miltoniopsis Male
Default

In my experience:

1. Miltoniopsis needs to be repotted every year (they 'hate' stale medium).
2. It is a thin root plant. Depending upon how frequently you want to water, you can choose between two mediums:
2.a Spaghnum/bark mix (3:1, using seedling size bark).
2.b Bark/charcoal/perlite mix (2:1:1, all seedling size)

I do not let the plants get large. I divide into 2-3 PB divisions, and typically squeeze them into a 3" pot. The 2.b mix requires more frequent watering than the 2.a mix.
__________________
Kim (Fair Orchids)

Founder of SPCOP (Society to Prevention of Cruelty to Orchid People), with the goal of barring the taxonomists from tinkering with established genera!

I am neither a 'lumper' nor a 'splitter', but I refuse to re-write millions of labels.
Reply With Quote
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likes
Likes Grim Tuesday liked this post
  #10  
Old 02-03-2022, 08:10 PM
Grim Tuesday Grim Tuesday is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 102
Medium for miltoniopsis
Default

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?
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
60s, black, highs, nighttime, spots


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Make your Own Murashige&Skoog (MS) Medium by Chemicals. hobibotanik Propagation 0 02-22-2020 07:12 AM
Pre soaked medium Vs dry medium in potting Ravi Beginner Discussion 1 11-24-2018 09:29 AM
Found tiny white bugs in new bag of medium right before repotting ptk Potting & Repotting 11 11-20-2018 06:16 AM
moss or bark for phal? Lady Tottington Hybrids 43 05-30-2011 11:12 AM
Bad Medium, Good Intentions AaronM Hybrids 11 05-29-2008 11:59 PM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:18 PM.

© 2007 OrchidBoard.com
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO v2.0.37 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.

Clubs vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.