miltoniopsis questions

[orchidphile]

Last February, I bought a miltoniopis at an orchid show. In August, I bought a second one. I freely admit that I bought these two because I adore them and not because I have perfect miltoniopsis conditions.

I converted them to my standard growing method, which is self-watering with leca. I use a microfiber wick to wick up lots of moisture. In one case I ran the wick all the way across the top of the leca for extra moisture and in the other I used pumice and short pieces microfiber to keep the mixture moister. I use a top layer of gravel on my pots to stop the leca from wicking moisture out of my roots.

In the summer, I grow them in an air-conditioned sun room in a tray of water to raise humidity. Temperatures vary from 75-80 in the daytime, with only a small drop at night. In the winter, temps hover around 75 days and 60 nights. Occasionally, it gets slightly cooler if nights are very cold.

So far, they look pretty good. The older one appears fully hydrated and although it hasn't created any new growths, the new shoots that were already there are definitely growing. There are a few brown leaf tips. The new plant appears slightly dehydrated, with leaves in more of a "V" shape than flat, but I would expect this with a plant that has to adapt to a new system and got some damaged roots during the re-potting process.

So here are my questions:

1) Will miltoniopsis bloom in these conditions, which are really intermediate to warm rather than cool, or am I spinning my wheels? Will the plants gradually weaken from too much warmth?

2) My conditions are too hot outside in the summer, but would it help to put them outside for a few weeks in the fall to expose them to cooler conditions than I can give them in my house, or would the extra adaptation needed just cause them stress?

3) How seriously should I take the "no direct sunlight" thing in winter? Everyone says phalaenopsis should be kept out of direct sunlight, but they obviously benefit from a little weak sunlight in winter. Is it the same with these guys?

Sorry this post is so long, but I LOVE these plants and I'm determined to move heaven and earth to grow them. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

[signin1234]

1) Will miltoniopsis bloom in these conditions, which are really intermediate to warm rather than cool, or am I spinning my wheels? Will the plants gradually weaken from too much warmth?

Maybe. There are a handful (+/-) species and hundreds, if not thousands, of Miltoniopsis hybrids. It's tough to generalize without knowing the specific Miltoniopsis you're growing.

Your temperatures sound similar to mine, though yours are perhaps a little cooler. In these conditions, Miltoniopsis have been challenging, but in recent years I've had decent luck. In fact, I have an M. phalaenopsis in bloom currently, and it's bloomed reliably for me for the past couple of years.

For me, the biggest challenges are making sure to repot at the right time(s) (i.e. when they're growing but temperatures are cool seems to be the trick) and making sure the humidity is to their liking (my 50% - 60% average humidity is good for everything else, but Miltoniopsis clearly do better at humidity levels above 70% in my temperatures).

2) My conditions are too hot outside in the summer, but would it help to put them outside for a few weeks in the fall to expose them to cooler conditions than I can give them in my house, or would the extra adaptation needed just cause them stress?

I doubt it, but you can try. The thing is, if they don't have any recently and fully mature psuedobulbs when you attempt this, then it's a moot point anyway. If the outdoor humidity where you live is lower than indoors, then it's going to be stressful, so no point in that either.

3) How seriously should I take the "no direct sunlight" thing in winter? Everyone says phalaenopsis should be kept out of direct sunlight, but they obviously benefit from a little weak sunlight in winter. Is it the same with these guys?

Miltoniopsis have very thin, light leaves, so I would take no direct sunlight with out a pretty serious period of acclimatization very seriously.

[orchidphile]

Thanks for the information, signin1234. I'm still a little puzzled by the light thing. Do they need more or less light than phalaenopsis? Obviously, it's easy to provide no direct sunlight, but how can I be sure they get enough light to bloom?

I can't possibly provide 70% humidity--sometimes I"m lucky to provide 40%. The plants really look pretty good, considering. But if I can't get them to bloom, it won't matter how good they look.

---------- Post added at 10:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:48 AM ----------

I forgot to mention that one of my plants is Milt. White Truffle 'Bright eyes.' I can't find the tag on the other--it may have slipped down inside the pot, but it's maroon in the center with white edges.

One advantage I have with my system is that there is no need to disturb roots to repot, so I expect this would not be a problem.

[signin1234]

For light levels, keep in mind that Phalaenopsis will grow and bloom in a wide range of light levels and it's a fairly large group of species and hybrids with some variation in needs, so we're talking about incredibly ambiguous terminology here. However, yes, if you took a bunch of generic Phalaenopsis and grew them in the lowest possible light levels they'll accept, on average a bunch of generic random Miltoniopis would need more light than that. If you took a bunch of generic Phalaenopsis and grew them in the highest possible light levels they'll accept, on average a bunch of generic random Miltoniopis would probably also grow and bloom in that given other conditions are within acceptable range.

At 50% - 60% humidity, in my temperatures and growing conditions, the Miltoniopsis that I grow show signs of not being happy. And, the blooms wilt and brown around the edges and fade while still fairly young. While I would, and obviously did, say that higher humidity is better, if your plants are doing okay in 40% then that's great for you and for them!

[orchidphile]

Originally Posted by signin1234

For light levels, keep in mind that Phalaenopsis will grow and bloom in a wide range of light levels and it's a fairly large group of species and hybrids with some variation in needs, so we're talking about incredibly ambiguous terminology here. However, yes, if you took a bunch of generic Phalaenopsis and grew them in the lowest possible light levels they'll accept, on average a bunch of generic random Miltoniopis would need more light than that. If you took a bunch of generic Phalaenopsis and grew them in the highest possible light levels they'll accept, on average a bunch of generic random Miltoniopis would probably also grow and bloom in that given other conditions are within acceptable range.

At 50% - 60% humidity, in my temperatures and growing conditions, the Miltoniopsis that I grow show signs of not being happy. And, the blooms wilt and brown around the edges and fade while still fairly young. While I would, and obviously did, say that higher humidity is better, if your plants are doing okay in 40% then that's great for you and for them!

I'm sure you're right that I'm going to have to find some way to up my humidity long term, but there is something very interesting that sometimes happens with leca systems.

I grow miniature sinningias, a plant in the african violet family that is much beloved for it's small size and ability to bloom almost constantly. Unfortunately, I was never able to grow them open shelf in my conditions. Then I transferred them to an inorganic system, and suddenly I could. The same thing happened with several other "terrarium" plants. It seems that some plants that we've assumed need moist air really just need high levels of moisture around their roots, combined with excellent aeration. This is always difficult in organic media, because the media almost immediately begins to compact and to break down.

I'm not suggesting that miltoniopsis is one of these plants, but something like this might partially explain why the plants are doing decently in less-than-ideal conditions.

Anyway, thanks again for the advice.

[aliceinwl]

I grow mine outside. They don’t like any direct sun, but like it bright. During the summer daytime highs are usually in the 70s and nighttime lows are in the low 50s. We’re inland enough that we don’t get much marine layer and humidity is usually relatively low. The blooms on my Miltoniopsis have been lasting months.

I pot mine in clay using a 50:50 blend of miracle grow orchid mix and Better Gro Phalaenopsis mix. After killing my first one, I didn’t hold out a lot of hope for my next one so I decided to use up some old mix. But, the plant did very well so I stuck with the mix and currently have 6. All have rebloomed.

Someone from the U.K. posted here about having one awhile back. I believe she grew it in a bright window. She had some accordioning of the leaves due to low humidity but her plant was a prolific and reliable bloomer and she inspired me to give them another try.

[claypot]

Orchidphile. Miltoniopsis can be a bit tricky. If you take a look at the website for the International Odontoglossum Alliance (Home) you will see that there is a section for "Affiliated Groups" where newsletters from Miltoniopsis in New Zealand are posted. There is considerable cultural information in those newsletters which you might find helpful.

[CZF]

It's really hard to say.

I've found plants sometimes just do what they want, in spite of optimal or terrible growing conditions.

I have a Masdevallia throwing out new roots and flower spikes all over the place and my RH is like low 20's. Technically, this plant should probably be dead, but she's a stubborn little thing lol

[Cheoah]

Hi @orchidphile, big fan of Mps. here. I’ve had some success in my conditions but didn’t do as well with semi hydro culture. I have potted up most of mine in hydro baskets w sphag. This works well. Outdoors here in western NC is pretty marginal but so is my setup outdoors. I think under shade cloth they would do ok.

I really have put some effort into their culture, and push mine on heat mats under LED’s, so they’re very prolific. I’ve got at least 4 in bloom now and guarantee there’s buds hiding elsewhere in the folds. They may be my favorite genera, some of them fill the room w fragrance.

I’ve pushed in some direct light, and they def have their limits. Your tips may be a sign, especially with the sun this time of year. It is low and intense, especially in the south, East windows have done well here. You should be able to get them to rebloom in those conditions but won’t be a specimen. They really like bright indirect light.

Mine are in basement, where Rh easily stays in the 50’s. Temps are 62-75f.

I have to be disciplined flushing out the sphag, even though I fert lightly. My well water doesn’t seem to bother them at 100ppm. But they need routine flushing for best results.

Would post pics but I cannot. Have not been active here and need a few posts.

How are your plants doing now?