My mini virus test results

[silken]

Originally Posted by DavidCampen

I consider pH meters to be too much of a hassle to be worth it for occasional use. You have to store the pH meter with its probe kept wet in a storage solution and if you actually want a correct reading then you also need to perform a 2 point calibration, using 2 buffer solutions, every day that you use the pH meter. So in addition to the pH meter you need a bottle of storage solution and 2 bottles of buffer solutions.

I use pH papers. With an assortment of pH papers in different ranges you can determine pH to within 1/2 unit.
I use these Hydrion brand Microfine pH papers in the ranges 2.9-5.2, 4.9-6.9 and 6.0-8.0:
Micro Essential Lab Hydrion MicroFine pH Test Paper Dispenser: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
Along with another couple of rolls of broader range papers.

Thanks for the info. Yes, a meter sounds like a lot of hassle. I might be at a hydroponics store next weekend. Would they carry this sort of stuff? It seems unbelievable but our city of approx. 250,000 doesn't have even one hydroponics store anymore! I'll be in Edmonton next weekend at an orchid show!

[NYCorchidman]

Originally Posted by camille1585

OMG, you are going to get a GIANT laugh out of this... So I went to the site you posted, found the list of European distributors and you know what? The distributor for the Netherlands is located... in the building where I work!! At the other end of the hallway.

Plant Research International is part of Wageningen University. OMG, I don't think I have laughed so hard in ages.

Good for you, Camille!

[Connie Star]

I did buy the Agdia test strips in the lot of 25 and tested a few before the test strips expired. I have also sent samples to Critter Creek Labs for testing which was more expensive per individual test, but considering that I wasted a lot of the Agdia strips I'm going to have any future suspects tested there.
Camille, that is a riot about finding the distributor down the hall from your lab!

[silken]

I was sort of kicking myself for not getting the larger pack of 25 tests. Likely shipping and other charges would have been about the same and now I would like to test a few more! It lasts a year in the fridge. Oh well, I might order some more or go in with someone else and get the larger bunch.

[Aki_James]

I do find Miltoniopsis to be very sensitive to everything. I've only ever owned 2 and both looked similar to yours for the first year...I found that switching out the growing medium more often helped me with this problem especially depending on the fertilizer I was using.

I no longer have any milts...which is why you never leave someone to look after your precious orchids while you leave for 3 weeks....Miltoniopsis is my absolute favourite orchid. I hope they have some at the Edmonton orchid show!!! I will buy them all!!! they can be so hard to find in Canada at least...

[silken]

Originally Posted by Aki_James

I do find Miltoniopsis to be very sensitive to everything. I've only ever owned 2 and both looked similar to yours for the first year...I found that switching out the growing medium more often helped me with this problem especially depending on the fertilizer I was using.

I no longer have any milts...which is why you never leave someone to look after your precious orchids while you leave for 3 weeks....Miltoniopsis is my absolute favourite orchid. I hope they have some at the Edmonton orchid show!!! I will buy them all!!! they can be so hard to find in Canada at least...

I'm pretty regular about changing potting medium (once a year). But I think I haven't found the right one for me yet. I've just started moving a few into Orchiata to see what that does.

A friend just told me that Safeway has a few. They'll likely be NOID's but I got a nice one there once. They only get them at most once a year.

ForestView has Milt's for sale at the Edmonton show. I have one on pre-order

[Aki_James]

OMG thank you, I really hope they have Milt. Island Peach ‘Kalapana Sunrise’ at the show I think its too late to preorder, and that one is droolsom!

[silken]

Actually I just checked the show vendors list and ForestView's deadline for pre-orders is the 18th. Here is the page. Right at the start of the 2nd paragraph is a link for the vendor list and their contact info:
2013 Vendor Information

[NYCorchidman]

I find miltoniopsis a lot tougher than I expected. With all the negative rumors about how sensitive and difficult they are, now I know they are not true at all. maybe they might apply to some older hybrids.

I always liked them but never bought any for that reason. Until...last year.

I found a store where they had lots of miltoniopsis at a bargain price. I bought quite a few.
They were very colorful, fragrant and long lasting!
Over the summer, they survived. even sending out lots of new growths!

I always meant to repot them once the heat wave was off, but I got lazy and never got to the task.
Now the mix is very old (it looks) and the 4inch pots are all packed with roots, literally look like bowls of noodles and break open any time.

I think about repotting them now to give them more room, but with new growths more than half way mature, I'm afraid upsetting them at this point will result no flowering this spring, so I'm just hanging there with mine.

What I'm saying by this is that miltoniopsis sitting in old mix is probably not the cause of sever yellow/brown mottling/streaking on their leaves.
I suspect maybe it is some virus that affects these types of orchids easily or fungal of some sort, or nothing!

Now, I feel really bad that I didn't repot my milts last fall. They are too crowded and new growths are smaller than the old ones. I'm curious to see how they perform as far as flowering is concerned this season.

Silken, I know you said you have lots of miltoniopsis.
If you'd like, I will send you division of mine as I will definitely divide all my milt and keep them smaller.
These plants make so many new growths per pbs that I can't handle. lol

I have large white with light brown mask (crazy fragrant), pastel yellow (not so fragrant), rouge available.
I have three other colors too but they are not large enough to be divided yet. One of them, I plan to get rid of. lol

[DavidCampen]

Originally Posted by silken

Thanks for the info. Yes, a meter sounds like a lot of hassle. I might be at a hydroponics store next weekend. Would they carry this sort of stuff? It seems unbelievable but our city of approx. 250,000 doesn't have even one hydroponics store anymore! I'll be in Edmonton next weekend at an orchid show!

I don't know if a hydroponics store would have much if any of a selection of pH papers. The only thing I buy from a hydroponics store is Hydroton (now Hydrocorn).
I buy a lot from Amazon.com but I see that the Canadian version has a much more limited selection.