I grow a few hybrid Miltoniopsis (Mps.), a genus infrequently discussed on Slippertalk (and Orchid Board) and usually considered difficult to grow well in many locations.
The following picture is from my two-pseudobulb (division or mericlone) of Mps. Andrea West ‘Harford’s Wei’ (formerly called ‘#1’), which was awarded an AOS 79-point HCC in 2009. This plant struggled for a few years but is now growing well.
Mps. Andrea West was registered in 2001 as (Capitola x Doctor Ruth Ono) and is comprised of three of the six Mps. species (46% vexillaria, 39% roezlii, and 5% phalaenopsis). The HCC ‘Harford’s Wei’ plant had 25 flowers and buds on four inflorescences with a maximum flower size of 8.7 cm horizontal and 10.6 cm vertical. My plant is years away from something like that.
I like the appearance of Mps. plants and their pansy-like flowers. The flowers come in a range of colors, usually about 4 per inflorescence, can have nice fragrance, and can last 4-8 weeks on the inflorescence (although they don’t last long as cut flowers). Mps. usually bloom in late spring/early summer, but they can bloom in the fall.
As with all orchids, Mps. need the correct light, temperature, and balance of air/water/nutrition at the roots to grow and bloom well. I am using the Baker Miltoniopsis culture sheet as published in the 1993 AOS Bulletin for most of my information.
The species in Andrea West are native near the equator in Columbia and Ecuador where day length varies only from 12.5 hours to 11.5 hours during the year. The high amount of mist and clouds creates an intermediate light requirement that is less than Cattleya light and about in the Phragmipedium range. I vary the height of my LED lights to give my plants about 125 micromoles/meter squared/sec of PAR spectrum light from March 1 to August 31 and then 95 from September 1 to the end of February.
The three species in Andrea West have modestly different natural habitat temperatures so their combination creates a hybrid that is relatively temperature tolerant, being OK with 80-85 F maximums and 60-64 F minimums. My plant room winter maximums are lower than 80 and my summer minimums are higher than 64 but my growth and flowering have been acceptable.
Mps. roots like to be almost continuously moist and the Baker culture sheet has a wonderful description of the natural habitat of vexillaria to explain this:
“During the dry season the day breaks clear, but soon after sunrise a thick mist settles over the forest till about 10 a.m.; it then ascends higher, and the rays of the sun begin with difficulty to penetrate it; the air is then filled with a bluish mist that shuts out the distant view. A light shower of rain falls in the afternoon about 2 o'clock, which often continues till evening, when it gives place to a thick mist. During the rains there is generally a light wind blowing towards the mountains from the lower river valleys. In the rainy season the circumstances are nearly the same, except that the rain is more copious, the drops heavier, and the showers of longer duration.”
My plants are growing in 100% Hydroton (a type of LECA) in 5- or 6-inch Active Aqua square pots that are taller than Rand Aircone pots and most typical round orchid pots. I water with K-Lite fertilizer in RO water every five days until my two peak winter months when the frequency decreases to every 8 days. I vary the weekly nitrogen given to the plants from 95 ppm in peak summer gradually down to 29 in peak winter. I heavily mist the surface layer of Hydroton with RO water each day to prevent precipitation of fertilizer salts on the surface and to ensure that the top layer of roots do not dry out. I also use monthly Kelpak as a growth stimulator.
The following picture is from my two-pseudobulb (division or mericlone) of Mps. Andrea West ‘Harford’s Wei’ (formerly called ‘#1’), which was awarded an AOS 79-point HCC in 2009. This plant struggled for a few years but is now growing well.
Mps. Andrea West was registered in 2001 as (Capitola x Doctor Ruth Ono) and is comprised of three of the six Mps. species (46% vexillaria, 39% roezlii, and 5% phalaenopsis). The HCC ‘Harford’s Wei’ plant had 25 flowers and buds on four inflorescences with a maximum flower size of 8.7 cm horizontal and 10.6 cm vertical. My plant is years away from something like that.
I like the appearance of Mps. plants and their pansy-like flowers. The flowers come in a range of colors, usually about 4 per inflorescence, can have nice fragrance, and can last 4-8 weeks on the inflorescence (although they don’t last long as cut flowers). Mps. usually bloom in late spring/early summer, but they can bloom in the fall.
As with all orchids, Mps. need the correct light, temperature, and balance of air/water/nutrition at the roots to grow and bloom well. I am using the Baker Miltoniopsis culture sheet as published in the 1993 AOS Bulletin for most of my information.
The species in Andrea West are native near the equator in Columbia and Ecuador where day length varies only from 12.5 hours to 11.5 hours during the year. The high amount of mist and clouds creates an intermediate light requirement that is less than Cattleya light and about in the Phragmipedium range. I vary the height of my LED lights to give my plants about 125 micromoles/meter squared/sec of PAR spectrum light from March 1 to August 31 and then 95 from September 1 to the end of February.
The three species in Andrea West have modestly different natural habitat temperatures so their combination creates a hybrid that is relatively temperature tolerant, being OK with 80-85 F maximums and 60-64 F minimums. My plant room winter maximums are lower than 80 and my summer minimums are higher than 64 but my growth and flowering have been acceptable.
Mps. roots like to be almost continuously moist and the Baker culture sheet has a wonderful description of the natural habitat of vexillaria to explain this:
“During the dry season the day breaks clear, but soon after sunrise a thick mist settles over the forest till about 10 a.m.; it then ascends higher, and the rays of the sun begin with difficulty to penetrate it; the air is then filled with a bluish mist that shuts out the distant view. A light shower of rain falls in the afternoon about 2 o'clock, which often continues till evening, when it gives place to a thick mist. During the rains there is generally a light wind blowing towards the mountains from the lower river valleys. In the rainy season the circumstances are nearly the same, except that the rain is more copious, the drops heavier, and the showers of longer duration.”
My plants are growing in 100% Hydroton (a type of LECA) in 5- or 6-inch Active Aqua square pots that are taller than Rand Aircone pots and most typical round orchid pots. I water with K-Lite fertilizer in RO water every five days until my two peak winter months when the frequency decreases to every 8 days. I vary the weekly nitrogen given to the plants from 95 ppm in peak summer gradually down to 29 in peak winter. I heavily mist the surface layer of Hydroton with RO water each day to prevent precipitation of fertilizer salts on the surface and to ensure that the top layer of roots do not dry out. I also use monthly Kelpak as a growth stimulator.
