Miltonia: proper care and reproduction

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Orchid of the genus Miltonia (Miltonia) refers to plants of perennial, herbaceous plants of the Orchidaceae family. Its homeland is Central and South America. It got its name in honor of one of the collectors of these beautiful flowers, the English scientist Milton Adligen.

In the people, this plant has another name – “pansies” . This is due to its buds, which in their structure are very similar to the flowers of the same name.

Miltonia is a very beautiful orchid with light green ovoid pseudobulbs.

They grow 1-3 narrow leaves and form peduncles (15-50 cm long) with white, pink or rose-red flowers.

Most miltonias are mountain plants native to Argentina and Brazil. It belongs to epiphytic orchids, their peculiarity is that they parasitize on other plants and receive nutrition from them. For the first time, they started talking about miltonia back in the 19th century, but at that time it was attributed to the genus Oncidium.

In nature, the species of this orchid mix with each other, thereby forming new natural hybrids.

Breeders are also engaged in artificial breeding, so today there are a lot of species and varieties of this plant. Blooms in summer or autumn.

Florists consider miltonia the most favorite species:
“California Plum” (California Plum).

Miltonia “Emotion” (Emotion).

Miltonia “Hybrid Grouville” (Hybrid Grouville).

Look at the miltonia orchid in the photo, the beauty and tenderness of this plant will captivate everyone.

How to care for miltonia: how to water and replant a flower

Miltonia is a rather demanding plant to the conditions of its habitat, therefore, among flower growers, this orchid has become famous for its reputation as a capricious flower.
Growing in the house, it is planted in plastic flowerpots, as they retain moisture several times better than clay ones. Miltonia prefers a sunny place with protection from the midday sun.
Remember that this orchid does not like direct sunlight, so it should be shaded or placed on the western or eastern window sills. She needs clean air and high humidity. In the summer it is necessary to keep the plant on a pallet with wet pebbles and spray. The temperature of the content is constant – 18-24 ° C during the day and 12-15 ° C at night. It is under such conditions that miltonia is grown in greenhouses. The substrate is special for orchids based on osmund, or you can cook it yourself.
This must be done from spruce bark (finely chopped) and coconut fiber, and to maintain moisture in the soil, it is recommended to add a little sphagnum or perlite to such a soil mixture.
Read on to learn how to care for a miltonya orchid.

The main aspects of keeping a plant at home are based on:

  • Timely and sufficient hydration.
  • Top dressing.
  • Humidity.
  • Timely transplant.

In summer, regular watering is necessary, but without stagnant water; in winter, the earthen coma should not be allowed to dry out. It is difficult to say how often miltonia should be watered. It largely depends on the temperature of its content. For example, on hot days, the frequency of humidification can be up to three times a week, and on cool days, once. Florists recommend focusing on an earthen lump, as soon as the upper part dries up, the plant should be watered.
Water for this should be warm, settled. Water for this should be warm, settled. In order for moisture not to accumulate in the pot, there should be drainage holes at the bottom through which excess liquid flows.
Provide the plant with air humidity in the range of 50-70%. It is quite difficult to achieve such indicators in an apartment during the heating season and hot summer days. To facilitate the task can be a tray with wet gravel, on which a flowerpot with a plant is installed.
To facilitate the task can be a tray with wet gravel, on which a flowerpot with a plant is installed.
From April to September, fertilizing is carried out monthly with fertilizers for orchids. Many complain that the plant does not tolerate this procedure. Therefore, it is better not to disturb the orchid once again. Choosing the time for these works, you can also focus on the flowering periods of the plant. As soon as the orchid fades, you can try to transplant it.
By itself, the miltonia orchid loves small pots. When caring for at home, the transplant will not carry the goal of increasing the flowerpot, but updating the soil. If you prepare the land yourself, then it should be disinfected.
The pot can be taken a little more than the previous one. But if the sizes are too different, then most likely the plant will slow down in development.
After transplanting an orchid of the miltonia genus, be prepared that some part of the root system will disappear. This is due to its damage during the work and the difficulties of adapting the plant to the new soil. In order to facilitate transplantation and the flower adapted faster, it is recommended to create a greenhouse environment for the orchid during rooting. Depending on the situation, the pot can be covered with a plastic bottle or polyethylene. For this period, watering should also be reduced as much as possible and feeding of miltonia should be excluded when caring for at home. A transplant will be considered successful when the plant continues to develop and produce new bores.

Miltonia propagation methods

Often, together with an orchid transplant, actions are also performed aimed at its reproduction. This helps to carry out all the work at the same time, without injuring the plant twice. The fact is that after the flowering period, when the transplant is supposed to be carried out, pseudobulbs begin to develop on the root system. They serve as a good planting material for miltonia. Its reproduction occurs by dividing them during transplantation.
Pseudobulbs are taken from below the root system. Even when young enough, they may already have leaves. They are disconnected from the common root system and placed in the soil. Moisten the substrate and cover, creating greenhouse conditions.
Another way to propagate miltonia is to divide the bush. It is appropriate to do this when an adult plant has 3 to 5 shoots. When transplanting, the orchid is carefully divided into separate small bushes and seated in medium-sized pots. In this case, it is not recommended to bury the roots too deep into the ground, as they can rot.

How to grow miltonia without roots and plant resuscitation

You can grow miltonia without roots from the peduncle. For this you will need the following materials:

  • Food film.
  • Moss.
  • A thread.

To begin with, the moss should be soaked in water, as soon as it absorbs enough moisture, it is applied to the base of the peduncle and secured with a thread. Food wrap is used to retain moisture. Attached moss is wrapped around it if there is enough dry air in the room. Since the weight of the peduncle will increase, it makes sense to support this part of the plant so that it does not break. Very soon, roots will appear at the site of the moss, the planting material can be separated and planted in the prepared soil, providing it with greenhouse care.
Miltonia orchid, even with proper care at home (see the video for more details on this), can hurt. Most often this is due to excessive salinity of the soil. At the same time, the ends of the leaves of the flower begin to dry out. It is possible to minimize such a negative effect of the soil on the development of the plant if demineralized or rain water is included in the irrigation.

The decay of the root system requires immediate action from the grower to save the orchid. The most appropriate in this case would be a transplant of miltonia with resuscitation of the roots, during which all affected areas should be removed. Planting the plant is carried out in a disinfected pot with a new soil mixture.

What to do if the leaves of the miltonia orchid turn yellow

The most common orchid pests are:

  • Worms.
  • Shchitovki.
  • Aphid.
  • Spider mite.

Almost all of these parasites cause the leaves of the miltonia orchid to turn yellow or wither. What to do in these cases? If such changes are noticed, then you should carefully examine the plant, determine the cause and begin to fight it. Against worms, anticoagulants are used, scale insects and aphids are treated with fungicides or a strong soapy solution, and spider mites are treated with insectoacaricides.
Despite all its whimsical care, miltonia, when grown properly, will surely delight you with beautiful, delicate and bright flowers that will become a real decoration for your windowsill.

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