What is wrong with my Miltoniopsis?

[Fuggs]

Hi all

I bought a Miltoniopsis last week, think its "waterfall" I bought it because the fragrance was beautiful. Now after a week, the flowers have drooped, and they are developing black shrivelled areas at the end of the lower petal.

Was watered yesterday by immersing in rain water and a little feed. The leaves look nice and green, no dead tips.

Its difficult for flowers where I am, and I live in an old cottage, windows are small bit light seems ok. The room is heated by a Aga stove 24/7.

Any ideas guys please. Dont want to lose it if I can help it.

Thanks Fuggs

[james mickelso]

Flowers don't last forever and yours could just be old. Why do you say it is difficult for flowers where you are? I don't know what an Aga stove is but if it is a gas stove, then leaking gas could be causing the flowers to die. Miltoniopsis like cool growing conditions and temps not much warmer than about 80*f. Any higher and they start to wilt. Any lower than about 45*f and they start to wilt. But in between these temps they do fine. Some of the hybrids do a little better with higher temps but lower temps invite root loss. They like a north or east exposure but can take a southerly exposure if kept back from the window or if in a west or south facing window, with a shear white curtain hung in the window. They absolutely must have good water low in iron and salts. RO or distilled water suits them just fine. They do not like to dry out but don't like to stay soaked either. Damp is good. Let them "almost" dry out then water again. The foliage and flowers are delicate and will mark if handled at all or if water stays on them very long. It should be a light bluish green color. They are not heavy feeders but like to be fed lightly (1/4 strength) every other watering with a good flushing (water well, let stand for 10 minutes, then flush water through the media for a minute or two to remove built up salts and food)every month. Please send us some pictures if you can. Tell us what media it is potted in and what your growing conditions are like. I see you are in England and so you should be able to grow it very well. Good luck.

[camille1585]

First of all, welcome to Orchidboard!
Without photos its hard to tell you exactly what is going on. But very often plants bought in bloom don't last long at home if the conditions are very different to what the plant grew in previously.

[silken]

I agree with everything said above. Some of the Miltoniopsis blooms last a few weeks in very nice condition. But it is hard to say how long yours was in bloom when you got it. And there is the trip home from the store-possibly wrapped up which would bruise blooms further. james mickelso's description of what they need is bang on. High humidity is really good for these orchids as well, so setting them on a humidity try might help a bit if you don't have good humidity.

[james mickelso]

One of the keys will be to get that spagnuim moss mixed in with the media as that will help hold moisture in the mix around the roots without being wet or soggy. They like to be kept damp but will rot at the drop of a hat if kept any wetter than that. I know. I've killed my share. The miltoniopsis society is still looking for me.

[RosieC]

I agree with above.

For those that don't know here's an Aga Stove.

You used to find them in old farm houses as a very cheep way of both cooking and heating, now they are the fashionable thing to have in the UK and are much more expensive to buy.

I think they are usually coal powered, at least the very very old one in the farm house at my parents is coal powered. They might have changed the recent ones, not sure as I've not had chance to look closely at the link. They used to have a coal fire in one of the bottom compartments and everything else just used the heat coming from that.

[camille1585]

A farmer neighbor cooks/heats his house that way, and his is wood fueled. Funny that they're fashionable, at our countryhouse it's been sitting in the basement in storage for the past 40 years since my grandparents wanted a 'modern' kitchen. Hmm... maybe we could sell it for a lot of money to some 'fashionable' city people.

[RosieC]

Definitely in the UK you could probably sell it if it's in working condition. Lot of people did throw throw them out of old farm houses wanting 'modern' kitchens, then suddenly they became fashionable and all the second-hand ones got bought up quickly and the manufacturers upped their production of new ones again. It's been that way for years now in the UK.

[Fuggs]

We have had our Aga for about 30 years. It was made in 1950, and is oil fired. The front rail is just about bum [think you guys call it a butt] height, and in the winter, everyone who calls sits on the rail as its always 70F.
Cooks heats the room fabulously. They are about $14000 new now. The old ones are really in big demand, but not many available now.
Would change it for anything.

[RosieC]

I always used to lean on the rail of my parents one as well, that brings back memories They don't have it in the main farm house unfortunately, but in a little cottage which is now rented out.

I was just thinking, theirs must be at least 40 years old. It was there before I was born (37 years ago) and could have been there a LOT longer. My grandad built the cottage when he got married (and his parents lived in the farm house) and so it will probably have been installed some time between then and my parents getting married (40 years ago next month) and them moving into the cottage. I know it wasn't my Mum's choice which is why I think it pre-dates them.

I think like Camille's Mum's it was sometimes wood fired. I think it varied with what Dad had available.