Miltioniopsis - dead flower bud:( dying leaves

[PleaseBloom]

Hi everyone. I got this plant 'Hajime Ono' a few moths ago and have been struggling to keep him alive. It came infested with sails. I repotted and got rid of those. I think I overwatered because quite a few leaves turned yellow and came off. I did pull from pot and put just bark in the lower half of the pots to help dry out faster and no more dead leaves Then I got a spike! (was probably there when purchasd and was so small i didnt notice) Waited forever for flowers and now one of the buds died...WHY??? The only thing i can think of is maybe i got miracle gro orchid food mist on it? I do mist every week or two in addition to 20-20-20 fertilizer very watered down every few weeks. Any help with this plants care would be greatly appreciated. Is it planted at an ok depth?

Also this tempermental thing and its suite mate 'Lillian Nakamoto' are poted in a bark, moss and pearlite mix and have their own humidifier. Lillian does nothing...doesnt grow but doesnt have dying leaves. She is growing roots like crazy. Haijime is growing new shoots but I dont think roots really. The picture of both is a couple weeks after purchase.

[Roberta]

Lots of things can cause bud blast. I have found Miltoniopsis to be on the touchy side. Any sudden change can do it. A draft, temperature change, just the process of getting adjusted to new medium, even ripening fruit in the area (giving off ethylene gas), leaky gas stove in the area... You did the right thing to repot even if it set the spike back a bit, it'll recover. This group of orchids does need to be kept on the damp side - you can lose leaves if it gets dry. Actually, both plants look great.

Misting leaves with fertilizer won't do harm except for making spots as the water evaporates and leaves salts behind, but won't do any good either.. orchids don't take any significant amount of nutrient through leaves. And fertilizer is the least important factor in culture - orchids need very little. So dilute fertilizer (half of what it says on the bottle is a good general rule) every week or two is plenty.

They will make new roots as the new growth develops. So be patient. Orchids don't do anything fast. If you lose this bloom cycle it's disappointing of course, but if you continue to give the plant good care, you'll get another in a year or less. With orchids, we're in for the long haul. Progress is measured in months or more.

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[PleaseBloom]

Thanks for the info. It was quite cold in the evenings recently so maybe the overnight drop in temp was a little too much. I feel i spend more time catering to these 2 than anything else

[Roberta]

There is so much to learn! A lifetime of learning if you become as hooked on these fascinating plants as I did. A journey, not a destination.

[estación seca]

They prefer outdoor conditions like San Francisco on a foggy summer day. Not many people can grow them in a house except in cool climates.

[Roberta]

I have found that hybrid Miltoniopsis don't like temperatures below about 50 deg F, or above about 80 deg F. So they aren't "warm growers" or "cool growers" but rather "narrow-range picky growers". San Francisco is pretty cold, but Santa Barbara is nearly perfect. I don't live in either. House temps are better than outside in most places, unless one doesn't have A/C for hot summers. I have one species, Miltoniopsis vexillaria, that grows for me outside (so gets winter lows into the low 40's or high 30's F and summer highs around 85-90 deg F) and tolerates it, grows and blooms. Hybrids I have given up on, can't get it right. My general rule is if that if I fail twice on something (unless I REALLY like and think I know what's missing might go to 3 tries) I give up on that one and try something else... my success rate has improved greatly as I try things and learn what does and doesn't work. But then I push the envelope harder and still lose some.

So, @PleaseBloom, don't get discouraged by this one. Nobody bats 1.000, but there are many types to choose from, and with experience you'll find the ones that work best for you.

[Optimist]

It just sounds like you got the plants at a time past their bloom cycle. That happens. They bloom every year for a specific time, often weeks or months, but sometimes only days. After that it is; roots, new growth, new stems and leaves starting, and it takes another year to see another flower. I just bought an orchid, past blooming time. It is putting out 2 new leaf sets, and will just sit there growing maybe 1/2 inch a month till the new leaves are ready to put out a bloom spike. As for the bud blast. Stress. Sometimes just moving an orchid will cause it.

To add to the situation, many are artificially induced to bloom-- and so it takes another year to get on their proper schedule. Welcome to the world of the orchid.

We love orchids! They are moody, cantankerous, belligerent, disobedient, and independent, they do not follow our rules, they are more like cats than dogs.

[dbarron]

For me, miltonopsis flowers each time a growth matures. I have one that arrived heavily budded in Nov 2021, this is the 3rd or 4th bloom starting now. So basically, it's how fast you can promote new growth to mature, is how often it will flower for you.
Never let it get too dry, because nothing is worse (for me) than those crinkled pleated leaves that accuse you for the next two years or so and actually deform the new PBs (lodging leaves and such).

[PleaseBloom]

Thanks for all the advice and engouragment everyone. Fingers crossed I keep it alive and non crinkly to get some flowers in the spring.