Miltoniopsis in spike question

[gngrhill]

I asked this question somewhere else on the forum, but no one replied, so I assume I put it in the wrong place.
I have a miltoniopsis with 4 spikes on it, and I have read that if the flowers get fertilized they will wither and fall off. I currently have it outside and wonder if I should bring it inside before the blooms open so insects can't get to it . Any advice ?

[silken]

I think if you bring it in before the spikes are too developed then the buds and blooms would be safe. Sometimes if you move them once in bud it could cause bud blast, but it usually isn't a problem. Keep the pot oriented the same once buds develop so the flowers present themselves nicely.

[gngrhill]

Thanks silken, for the advice. I am anxious to see the blooms, and I'd hate to loose them. It's my first Milt. to rebloom for me

[silken]

They are usually such a treat when in bloom. Hope all goes well

[lotis146]

Hello gngrhill, I apologize b/c I did see this before in a post I started about putting your plants outside. I meant with great intention to reply and then kept getting sidetracked and forgot! So again, I apologize.

In your original post you asked about the flowers being pollinated I thought...is that right? If so, most orchids have to have very specific pollinators and given that you're probably not in their native environment you likely don't have such creatures. HOWEVER that does not mean something else can't come along and figure it out. Plenty of people on here have had their plants pollinated when they didn't think they could be. That said I've kept more than a few plants out in bloom and never had them pollinated (other than by myself).

It is true that the blooms will wilt when they're pollinated but how quickly and to what extent depends on the flower, I've never pollinated a Miltoniopsis so I don't know. My Zygolum's blooms fade and yellow in color but hang on for a little while, whereas the Phals I've pollinated tend to lose their blooms rather quickly.

I'm not so sure you have anything to worry about in terms of them being pollinated however you may want to bring them in just to enjoy them! I agree with Silken that it may not be too late if they aren't much developed. It can be tricky, I think, as I brought my oncidium Heaven Scent inside to enjoy its spike and now I think they're dropping prematurely though they're back outside again. One more thing Miltoniopsis also do enjoy cooler temps. Best of lucky I look forward to seeing your blooms.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I have to agree that the Miltoniopsis' natural pollinators will not be in the state of New York in the USA. It is safe to assume that where you have them growing is way out of the natural insect pollinators' natural range. Notice that I used the plural form of the word pollinator… Yes, I'm implying that in some orchids, there could possibly be multiple natural pollinators present that can effectively pollinate the flowers. Some orchids, (not all), do not have obligate pollinators even in the wild!

So in essence, if there is an orchid in bloom in a cloud forest of Ecuador, and this orchid's flower tends to attract a few different species of insects, then insect #1 and insect #2, (even though they may be different species coexisting in the same wild habitat), can pollinate the orchid as long as they are similar in shape and size, and they are attracted to that particular species of orchid for whatever reason, (there could be one reason why insect #1 was attracted to this orchid, but insect #2 was attracted to the same orchid for a completely different reason).

In terms of orchids in general, (and not for all orchids), there might be surrogate pollinators present outside of the orchid's natural range of habitats as was mentioned. Particularly if there is an insect that is within the same family that is similar in shape and size.

What do I mean by this?

For example, if you own an orchid where bee #1 is one of the orchid's native pollinators, and if bee #2 is a different bee species that is similar in size and shape to bee #1 but lives on a different continent; then bee #2 can possibly pollinate the orchid you own.

Sometimes some orchids may have pollinators that are not exclusively insects. Some orchids can be pollinated by insects and birds, for instance.

In terms of fertilizing your plant while the orchid's in bud, it will not cause the buds to fall off. I've not noticed this to happen at all.

If anything, the reason why the buds would fall off your plant if you move it from one area to another is if the environmental conditions in the original growing area is completely different from the new growing area, and the plant gets stressed out.

[gngrhill]

thanks all. I guess I shouldn't have to worry about pollinators