Miltonia orchid is a beautiful plant with large, wide-open flowers. For their shape, miltonia is often called the pansy orchid. The genus of plants belongs to the large family Orchidaceae. You can meet the beauty on the trees in the tropical forest of the center and south of Brazil. Miltonia attracts many gardeners with its beauty, but it requires careful care and special care. Only in this case it is possible to achieve abundant and bright flowering.
Plant description
Miltonia is a herbaceous perennial. It is an epiphyte, that is, it settles in the recesses of the bark of large trees and feeds on their sap. Miltonia roots are well developed and partially located on the soil surface. They also need light and contact with air.
At the base of the miltonia are pseudobulbs. They are oval or pear-shaped and are 7-8 cm long. These parts of the plant are designed to store moisture. Above the pseudobulbs, rigid, belt-shaped leaves of dark green color rise. Their length is 35-40 cm, they can be located vertically or slightly bent back.
During flowering (July-October), a long erect flower stalk blooms from the axils of the leaves. It carries 6-8 large flowers. The diameter of a star-shaped or rounded bud reaches 9-10 cm. Petals are painted in white, purple or terracotta. They can be wide, fringed or lanceolate. The lip usually has a wider shape and contrasts in color. Flowering lasts long enough (4-6 weeks), but it is worth cutting the flower stalk - and the buds immediately fade.
Types of Miltonia
Miltonia has about 20 species and intraspecific hybrids. There are also about 40 interspecific hybrids of miltonia. Consider the most interesting types of miltonia.
Miltonia is snow-white. The plant blooms in September. On a long peduncle, up to 5 large flowers bloom with a diameter of 8-9 cm. The variety got its name for the snow-white tone of the lip, which is surrounded by darker lanceolate petals. The whole flower resembles a star in shape.
Miltonia Klousa. The inflorescence consists of 8-10 large flowers of tiger color. On the yellow petals are dark brown stripes. In the center is a white lip with a purple base.
Miltoniopsis. Hybrid miltonia with phalaenopsis. Miltonia blooms in the second half of summer with flowers similar in shape to pansies. On a white background, lips are red and yellow shapeless spots.
Miltonia Renelli. Among the erect glossy leaves, a dense peduncle grows with 3-5 snow-white flowers. The pale pink lip has a white border and is covered with purple stripes.
Mitassia. The plant has large stellate flowers of lilac and purple color. Blossom begins in the fall. Prefers cool content.
Breeding methods
The propagation of miltonia is carried out by the method of dividing the bush. In the spring, during transplantation, the overgrown plant should be divided into several parts. In each dividend, 3-5 pseudobulbs should remain. The cut points are treated with crushed charcoal and dried for several hours in the air. After this, miltonia can be planted in small transparent pots with soil for adult plants.
After division, the orchid needs more careful watering. For a while, the plant stops growing. Larger bushes, consisting of a large number of bulbs, grow better and bloom more abundantly, so the division should not be carried out too often.
How to transplant an orchid
Miltonia is not transplanted too often, it is enough to do this once every 2-3 years. The best time for this procedure is the beginning of spring. If the roots of the miltonia have grown so much that they do not fit in the pot, you can take a larger container or divide the bush into several parts.
The pot needs to be taken transparent, plastic, with large drainage holes. During transplantation, the old soil is completely cleaned from the roots and soaked in water. This prevents the development of root rot and excessive soil acidification. The soil for miltonia is made up of the following components:
- crushed fern roots;
- sphagnum moss;
- turf land;
- sheet earth;
- pieces of charcoal.
Do not deepen the pseudobulbs too much, part of the rhizome should be located on the surface of the soil.
Home Care
Taking care of miltonia at home requires some effort. This is the only way to achieve long and plentiful flowering. Of great importance is the selection of the correct location for the orchid.
Lighting. Miltonia loves ambient light. Direct sunlight leads to burns and the appearance of ugly spots on foliage. Small penumbra is allowed. With the right selection of the intensity and duration of lighting, the leaves acquire a light pinkish color.
Temperature. The optimum air temperature is + 20 ... + 22 ° C. In summer, it is necessary to ventilate the room more often so that the flower does not overheat. In intense heat, orchid leaves become smaller and shrink, growth slows down. When airing, it is important to protect miltonia from drafts. In winter, you can lower the air temperature to + 15 ° C.
Humidity. The optimum humidity for miltonia is 70%. In a drier room, the tips of the leaves begin to dry. Often it is undesirable to spray foliage, it is better to place containers with water or wet pebbles nearby. Periodically, you should wipe the leaves from dust with a damp cloth.
Watering. During the period of active growth and flowering, miltonia needs abundant watering. Wrinkled bulbs indicate a lack of moisture. Like other orchids, it is better to water it by immersing the pot for 10-15 minutes in a basin with water. You can also use a hot shower (+ 45 ° C). Excess water must be removed immediately from the sump. After bathing, the leaves are wiped dry.
Fertilizers Top dressing is applied twice a month from April to the end of flowering. You need to use special compositions for orchids. Part of the fertilizing is poured into the soil, and the other part is sprayed with leaves.
Rest period. After flowering, young bulbs begin to grow in miltonia. When they are equal in size to the old ones, it is necessary to reduce watering and move the pot to a cooler place (+ 15 ... + 17 ° C). In this state, the plant is 1.5-2 months, it rests and is gaining strength for new flowering.
Diseases and Pests
Miltonia may be susceptible to fungal infections. With excessive watering and dampness, as well as with the accumulation of water in the axils of the leaves, rot may develop. Its first sign is yellowed leaves. In this case, it is important to change the irrigation regime, remove the damaged parts of the plant and carry out the fungicide treatment.
Periodically, spider mites, aphids and scale insects settle on leaflets. Insecticide solutions help get rid of parasites. Processing should be repeated twice with an interval of 5-7 days.
