Miltoniopsis - Newton Falls - Drooping Flowers

[Marilyn_C]

Good afternoon to you all,

A newbie to Miltoniopsis and really really need some advice.

My son recently bought me a Miltoniopsis - Newton Falls. It is absolutely stunning, but I have never kept one of these before so bought the book DK RHS 'Orchids' to help along the way. When I first got it, the soil was dry but the orchid was fine. In the above mentioned book it says to not allow the soil to dry out, so I gave it some water. It then pretty much dried out again showing how dry the soil was to start off with and all the flowers have now drooped, since then they have not perked up and the outer leaves (1 from each side) have gone a little yellow despite the soil now being moist. I have added a bowl with gravel around the outside to help with the humidity as well after reading this up on google however I am not convinced this cure is for this particular species (?). It is currently in our living room in non-direct sunlight.

Any help would be much appreciated :-)

Regards,

Marilyn.

[WhiteRabbit]

Hi Marilyn!
I'm not sure how old the blooms were, so I can't say whether or not they dropped because they were simply done blooming, or if they maybe dropped because the plant was kept too dry.
The outer bract foliage yellowing sounds normal - eventually all the outer bract foliage will yellow and die. And sometime down the road the foliage at the top of the pbulb will too - tho there should be new growth on your plant before the leaves from the top die.
Miltoniopsis do like to remain moist. I don't know what type of media yours is potted in. Some media stays moist longer than others. I have bamboo skewers - like for kabobs - in all my orchid pots to help determine when to water. Miltoniopsis should only allow to dry slightly (no longer very wet, like after watering, but still a bit moist) - kababob will feel slightly damp and cool to your skin. Or poke a finger an inch or so into the media.
If it's potted in bark chips - once those are completely dry - they do need to be soaked, or they won't retain much moisture. You can set the pot into sink, bucket, washtub, filled with (tepid)water to about half an inch below the rim of the pot. Soak for 30 minutes or longer.
If your plant is done blooming, it's a good time to repot as well.

[Marilyn_C]

Hi WhiteRabbit,

Many thanks for your fast reply.

I have just noticed today that there is another flower stalk coming up so it is looking a little more promising now. I couldnt see this before as the leaves are in a cylindrical shape.

It looks as though it is planted in a mixture of moss, bark and compost. Are there any products you would reccomend to re-pot it in for best results when it has finished flowering?

Also, can the old flower stalks be cut off or is it best to wait a while to allow any nutrients to go back into the plant?

Regards,

Marilyn.

[WhiteRabbit]

woot! for new spike! The old spikes usually die pretty quickly after the flowers drop - in my experience anyway. They can be cut.

As to potting media - ask 10 people you may get 10 different answers lol. Milts have fine roots, so a finer bark potting mix for orchids is good. Soak the mix for several hours at least before using it - just to get it thoroughly 'wetted'. New media will also dry faster than old for a few weeks. My only real recommendation is DO NOT get Miracle Gro orchid mix. I actually haven't used it myself, but from other people's accounts it is much too fine and heavy for most orchids.

[RosieC]

I'm still unsure about my Miltioniopsis but mine is growing two new growths so I'm relatively happy.

I have actually had conflicting advise on the whole watering thing. I was letting mine dry out, not on purpose but because I kept forgetting to water it. Under that (lack of) care it started growing the new growths and seemed fairly happy. I mentioned this to someone working in an Orchid Nursary and he said "Ah Miltoniopsis is often confused with Miltonia and their care advise lumped together. Actually Miltioniopsis prefer to dry out a bit more than Miltonia".

I actually care for mine similar to my Phals, it is on an east windowledge and is watered when when it the skewer feels dry. I try and aim for when it is JUST dry, but it can go a little longer.

As for what media to use... I would advise talking to the guy at this website and buying what he suggests from him.
Orchid Accessories

It's a UK based site and I have found his media to be really good quality. My Miltoniopsis is currently in a mixture of his fine bark and just a small amount of medium CHC (again from him), but that was just what I had already, not what he advised. He has given me advise on potting Masda in the past though and he seems really knowledgable in my experience.

[Triffid]

Originally Posted by RosieC

As for what media to use... I would advise talking to the guy at this website and buying what he suggests from him.
Orchid Accessories

It's a UK based site and I have found his media to be really good quality. My Miltoniopsis is currently in a mixture of his fine bark and just a small amount of medium CHC (again from him), but that was just what I had already, not what he advised. He has given me advise on potting Masda in the past though and he seems really knowledgable in my experience.

I'll back that statement up, both Friendly and Informative. One of those people who you can just tell, really cares about his plants