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.