MILTONIA ORCHIDS

Miltonia Orchids

Most people do think that Miltonia orchid and Miltoniopsis orchid is the same flower, while they are not. If somebody refers an orchid as a pansy orchid, the orchid must be a miltoniopsis orchid which indeed looks like a pansy garden flower. While the Miltonia orchid does not look like a pansy flower at all.

There are quite a lot of differences between those two. An Miltonia has two leaves on every pseudobulb, while the miltoniopsis has only one. The pseudobulbs of a Miltonia are rounder which grows with some distance, while miltoniopsis possesses flatter pseudobulbs that are closely bunched together. The last is as mentioned above, the pansy appearance should be the attribute of a miltoniopsis. If the Miltonia is most suitable to thrive in an intermediate climate, the miltoniopsis tends to flourish in a bit cooler climate.

The miltonias are native to Brazil, but could also be found in other south American countries like Argentina, Paraguay and Peru. In spite the appearance that does not refers to the beautiful and colorful pansy flower, miltonia orchids are still beautiful orchids with their own uniqueness which is the pleasant rose-like fragrant.

Humidity. Looking at their native habitat in Brazil, where they are showered by rain and mantled by fog and mist, and never exposed to a dry period, means that you should always keep it moist if you decide to care for a Miltonia. Your potting media should not be too mushy since it could rotten the roots. To avoid this happening add some charcoals and perlite together with spaghnum moss or bark to the potting media to facilitate drainage.

Light. You can use a 50% shade cloth during the middle of the day to provide the proper lighting which should be about 1,500 to 3,000 foot candles. You can also put it in a bright spot at your home, but avoid direct sunlight or behind a net during summer.

Temperature. Keep it between 60º – 85º Fahrenheit (or 15º – 30º Celsius), since they will thrive in a warmer with bright sunshine climate. If you cultivate miltonias in a greenhouse you can optimize the use of sunlight by placing them in the right spot.

Watering. As an attempt to maintain a high humidity you need to water your orchid frequently, but watering it too often will lead to wet feet indicated by the rotten of roots. Thus a well managed air movement is a critical factor to keep your orchid dry. If you have you orchid placed in a greenhouse, good air movement can be provided by the presence of a fan.

Fertilizers. You can feed your Miltonia orchid with a regular dose of a 30:10:10 high nitrogen orchid fertilizer formulae to facilitate the orchid to grow new roots and leaves after repotting. This can be continued with a 18:18:18 general feeding in summer to fatten the bulbs to build enough food reserve in the autumn. Avoid to do fertilizing in autumn and winter.

Pests and diseases. Miltonias are susceptible to scale, aphids, spider mite and red spider mite. You should closely monitor those pests presence if you wish to enjoy a healthy orchid.