Orcidae long thin petals Miltonia
Fine-petaled white and violet orchids Miltonia
Orchids with long, slender star-shaped petals Miltonia flavescens
Pink orchid with flattened labellum Miltonia
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
The Miltonia orchid, a star in the heart of the forest
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
The Miltonia genus comprises around ten species, a few natural hybrids and thousands of cultivars. The botanical varieties grow in the coastal forests of Brazil. Their name is a tribute to Lord Fitzwilliam Milton, an English nobleman who fell in love with this starry-flowered orchid.
How to recognize the Miltonia orchid?
Miltonia is an epiphytic or lithophytic orchid with an upright, bushy habit. It grows from 15 to 50 centimetres tall.
Its underground rhizomes thicken to form ten-centimeter pseudobulbs at the base. Flattened and oval, they are surrounded by one or two leaf bracts.
The pseudobulbs are surmounted by two narrow, flexible leaves. 40 centimetres long and three centimetres wide, they come in all shades of green. Almost yellow when they receive a lot of light, the limbs turn olive green on certain cultivars.
In the wild, they flower from April to July. They exude a sweet, rose-like fragrance. For two months, the flowering stem rises from the heart of the foliage. It holds up to ten waxy flowers. Almost every color exists. They change according to the variety. Miltonia clowesii has brown flowers with white stripes, while Miltonia flavescens has yellow petals and sepals. Miltonia spectabilis has a white, pink or violet inflorescence.
Sometimes confused with the pansy orchid, Miltonia orchids can be recognized by the shape of their flowers. With their narrow petals and sepals, Miltonia orchids resemble stars. The broad, flattened labellum offers a striking contrast. Often white, it can be adorned with polka dots or stripes.
The Miltonia, like bamboo Orchid or the Cymbidium orchid, is non-toxic. It causes no harm when ingested or handled.
Our maintenance tips
Watering
Your Orchid Miltonia likes humidity. The plant appreciates frequent and generous watering. But its roots may rot if you overwater. To get the dosage right, leave the soil to dry out partially between two waterings (by about a centimetre). The substrate should always remain slightly moist.
After each watering, remove any stagnant water from the saucer or planter to avoid drowning the roots.
Spray
Spray foliage with non-calcareous water at room temperature. This increases humidity, prevents pest attacks and repels dust.
Repotting
In spring, transfer your Miltonia to a larger pot, so that it can continue to grow.
Miltonia orchids grow by developing new pseudobulbs in front of the old ones. After a few seasons, they may feel cramped. You can repot them in the same pot or in a slightly larger one.
Dig up your Orchid Miltonia. Untangle the roots and remove any residual bark and sphagnum moss.
To give your plant more room, remove the old bulbs. You can recognize them by their crumpled appearance. At miltonia orchids, bulbs flower only once. These stems will not give rise to new flowering stems. Cut them off with a clean, sharp tool, such as secateurs or scissors. If you notice any dead roots, prune them back.
Line your pierced pot with an epiphytic plant mix of bark and sphagnum moss. Place your Orchid Miltonia at the bottom of the pot. This will give it plenty of room to grow. Fill with substrate and pack down.
Water for the first time, moistening the substrate from above. Be sure to use non-calcareous water at room temperature.
For the first month after repotting, water from the top rather than the bottom. Stop adding fertilizers.
Fertilization
You can stimulate the development of your plant during its growth phase, in spring and summer, with fertilizer.
To stimulate the growth of your Orchid Miltonia add orchid fertilizer to the water.
Prune
Cut the flower stem at leaf height once the flowers have faded.
When the pseudobulb has dried, remove it with clean secateurs.
Cutting
Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.
When dividing your plant, always keep at least three healthy pseudobulbs per plant.
After cleaning the roots, separate the pseudobulbs. You can use clean secateurs or your hands.
In a pierced pot, pour a layer of epiphytic plant mix. It should contain sphagnum moss and bark.
Place your cutting against one side of the pot. The new shoots will form one in front of the other. Placing your plant at the edge rather than in the center will give it more room to grow.
Fill with substrate and press down. Water from the top to moisten the mixture of bark and sphagnum moss.
Wait a month before adding fertilizer. Water from above during this period.
Diseases / Threats
Information
| Family | Orchids - Orchidaceae |
| Type | Miltonia - Miltonia |
| Species | Orchid Miltonia - Miltonia |
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Exposure | |
| Substrat | |
| Planting methods |
In pots Bucket |
| Categories | |
| Tags |
Flowery Fritillary |
| Origin |
South America |
| Hardiness (USDA) | 12a |
| Leaf color |
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| Flower colors |
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