Miltonia is one of the beautiful representatives of the flowers of the orchid family. Various bright and variegated colors present in its coloring will delight any person and will not leave anyone indifferent. This flower has a special beauty and aroma, and also allows you to grow various hybrid species. The article details the Miltonia orchid, home care. Photos of plants are presented below.
Miltonia Overview
The homeland of the Miltonia orchid is sultry Brazilian, Colombian and Central American rainforests. This species includes more than 20 varieties, many of which are grown at home. Miltonia orchid feels very good at home. Caring for her does not require any special skills or specific conditions. However, the flower itself is very moody and loves attention and care.
Miltonia orchid needs a certain humidity, light and temperature conditions in order for it to fully grow and develop. This flower got its name in honor of the famous gardener and orchid collector Adlagen Milton. In the gardeners' guide, a flower is described as a flowering herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the orchid family. Miltonia is used to breed new hybrid species of orchids, which is very convenient, since it has a wide range of colors.
Description of appearance
Orchid is an epiphyte with an air-like root system, that is, it can grow on the bark of trees, while not being a parasite, and on earthen litter. The plant has narrow, elongated leaves, somewhat reminiscent of a belt. Most often, their color is monophonic, light green, but saturated greens, as well as gray and yellow shades, are also found.
Miltoniae have flowers that are distinguished by a variety of colors, and their petals are vaguely reminiscent of butterfly wings, for which this species received the nickname - a butterfly fluttering in the wind. The flower forms pseudobulbs, with the help of which reproduction is carried out. From them appear leaves and curly peduncles.
Caring for a miltonia orchid at home will not cause you much trouble if you choose the right type for it. It is important to choose exactly the variety that will be pleasing to the eye and at the same time will not be very demanding and capricious.
Varieties of miltonia
Among the types of miltonia, the following can be distinguished:
- Miltonia Regnella - this is one of the varieties that has long inflorescences reaching about 60 cm. It blooms for up to seven fragrant white flowers for a period from one and a half to two months. There are specimens with a lilac or pink lip. The color of the lip is most often heterogeneous; there are purple touches along its border and in the central part.
- Miltonia brilliant is relatively small in size and, growing, reaches a height of 18 to 30 cm. Usually two flowers grow, having a diameter of up to 7.5 cm, white or pink. The lip itself is painted in deep pink and lies on a purple or dark red base with dark pink veins.
- Miltonia yellowish grows up to 45 cm, has long green leaf-shaped leaves. From 7 to 15 flowers grow in inflorescence, which are about 7.5 cm in diameter. The flowers exude a delicate, pleasant aroma, long petals with pointed tips are painted in a pale yellow color.
Miltonia. Home care. A photo
The main rules of care include the following:
- Miltonia orchid does not tolerate direct sunlight, especially in the afternoon, when the rays differ in intensity. Therefore, it is necessary to place it at partial shade, usually these are windows in the house that overlook the east or west side. If you put an orchid on a window facing north, then in this case the plant will need an additional light source. Direct exposure to sunlight can cause burns to the plant, causing it to appear gray or brownish spots.
- Orchids of all kinds are very sensitive to drafts, so you need to pay special attention to the tightness of closing windows and doors.
- Miltonia is a very thermophilic flower, it needs a temperature from 20 ° to 23 ° C, but not above 25 ° C. In winter, the plant begins to dormant, and the temperature regime should be gradually reduced to a mark of 16 ° C, but without crossing the threshold at 12 ° C.
- During the heating season, you need to pay extra attention to miltonia. Home care should be special. It is precisely because of the inability to reduce the intensity of heating the room that the orchid is placed on a glazed balcony and provide it with additional moisture.
Miltonia watering and necessary humidity
In its natural environment, the miltonia orchid grows in a tropical climate, where, as you know, air humidity is more than 80%. In the winter season, at home, the humidity does not exceed 50%, so the plant needs additional moisture. There are several ways to do this:
- Pots in which the orchids are placed on a pallet with wet expanded clay, pebbles or with a bed of moistened moss.
- Orchids are home to decorative fountains.
- At the same time, the flowers themselves cannot be sprayed, as this can lead to their decay and the appearance of spots on the leaves and petals. It is only necessary to moisten the room in which the orchids are located.
The following can be said about miltonia, home care and watering: it is carried out in the same way as for other varieties of orchids. During the growing season and during the flowering of miltonia abundant watering is required, however, the plant does not need to be oversaturated with water, as this will lead to rotting of the root system. With the onset of the rest period, it is reduced by three to five times. In order to avoid decay of the orchid, it is recommended to use transparent plastic pots to accurately control the water level.
Winter watering and soil
Caring for miltonia and watering in the winter season is somewhat different from the summer period and off-season. In the summer, as soon as the top layer of the earth in the pot dries up, the orchid is immediately abundantly watered. And in winter, when the topsoil dries up, it is allowed to stand for two or three days, and then it is also well saturated with water.
Water must be used purified, at room temperature (about + 22 ° C), it can be a little warmer. Watering is allowed to carry out rain, boiled and distilled water. The bottom of the pot must have several openings for removing excess water. Excess moisture that appears in the pan must be drained.
Caring for the orchid miltonia at home, one must not forget about the soil in which it grows. As you know, orchids in natural conditions grow on trees, and ordinary soil containing soil and peat will not work for them. The basis of the mixture in which the orchid will grow should be the bark of a tree. Most often, a specially prepared composition is used, which is sold in stores for gardeners.
Miltonia care and transplant at home
You need to approach the orchid transplant very carefully, as the flowers do not like this procedure and transfer it rather painfully. It is necessary to transplant plants as necessary, but not more than once every three to four years.
To do this, you need prepared soil from pine bark, peat, sphagnum moss and polystyrene, in a ratio of 4/1/2/1. In this composition, you can add a little crushed fern bark, leaf and turf soil in a ratio of one to four. The main thing is that the soil mixture has a good ability to pass air and moisture.
A transplant should be carried out at the very beginning of spring, before the flowering of orchids. This is done in several cases:
- For the root system, the pot has become too small.
- Orchid growth has slowed significantly.
- Dry or rotten roots appeared.
- Pests have wound up in the ground.
Transplantation is as follows. Previously, a layer of expanded clay or large parts of the pine bark is laid on the bottom of the pot. Then a plant is pulled out of the old pot and soaked in water at room temperature for 10 minutes. After that, the root system is carefully cleaned of the old soil, and the orchid is transplanted into the prepared pot. The roots are sprinkled with the finished mixture and watered abundantly with water.
Fertilizer and reproduction of miltonia
Simultaneously with the transplant, the production of miltonia with the help of pseudobulbs is also carried out. Careful care of miltonia at home will help not only to save flowers, but also to increase their number. The pseudobulbs of the miltonia orchid are located in the lower part of the stem; one flower may have several. They must be separated from the main plant and rooted in a previously prepared container with soil.
And there is also another way of plant separation: each part of the bush should have two or three shoots, it is placed in a separate container, while the roots do not deepen, since there is a high probability of their decay after watering.
Fertilizers are applied from early spring to early fall, during the period when the orchid is actively growing. Usually used ready-made dressing, purchased in a specialized store. Fertilizers are added once every two weeks, take a third of the amount that is available in the package. Top dressing should be carried out sparingly, since excess additives can lead to poor flowering.
Miltonia Mix
Miltonia mix is a hybrid orchid that has beautiful fragrant flowers and small but strong pseudobulbs. The color of the glossy leaves with a lanceolate shape is light green. Peduncles are long and hold from two to seven flowers. Every year, flower stalks are becoming more and more.
Flowers have a beautiful rainbow color. Growing, this orchid reaches up to 60 cm, and blooms for six weeks. She loves bright lighting and high humidity, requires medium temperatures from + 18 ° to + 25 ° C. As for the miltonia mix, home care is no different from caring for a regular miltonia. Transplant, fertilize, water and plant it you need in exactly the same way.
The main difficulties of growing
The main difficulties in growing Miltonia orchids are errors in caring for it and non-compliance with the above rules and recommendations. Excess water used for irrigation, non-compliance with humidity and temperature conditions or the presence of drafts. Proper lighting also plays a large role in the good growth and development of these colors.
Consider several problems and the reasons for their appearance:
- The tips of the leaves dry. In this case, most likely, low-quality water (or with a high salt content) is used to irrigate the miltonia. Soil replacement and the use of good water are recommended.
- The appearance of rotten roots. The reason for this may be too dense soil or too abundant watering. To fix the problem, you need to change the soil and more metered to water the miltonia.
- The appearance of pests most often occurs in the winter, when central heating is turned on and air humidity becomes 50% or lower. To solve the problem, it is necessary to treat the orchid flower with a weak concentrate of parasite medication and provide the required humidity.
Some Other Care Issues
When caring for miltonia at home, other problems may arise. What should be done with this?
- If miltonia begins to dry leaves and stems too quickly, it means that perhaps the plant suffers from a worm. To resolve the situation, you need to wipe the entire plant with a solution of alcohol, according to the instructions.
- If gray spots appear on the surface of flowers or leaves, then this is a clear sign that the orchid was burned by direct sunlight. It is required to move pots with plants to a place where there is a partial shade.
- It is recommended that the miltonia fit tightly in the container. If you noticed that there was a free place in the ground, it must be replaced. In this case, you need to inspect the root system for the appearance of dead roots. All damaged roots are cut, and the cut places are treated with activated carbon and transplanted.
Caring for the flowers of miltonia at home will not be a heavy burden even for a novice amateur gardener. The main thing is to follow all the requirements and recommendations for the care of orchid miltonia and often pay attention to plants in order to notice possible negative changes. Following these rules, you will get a good harvest of beautiful flowers that will delight you not only with their appearance, but also with a pleasant, delicate aroma.