Care & Separation of Miltonia Orchids

Growing conditions

• Wild miltonia orchids thrive in moist areas with daily rain and fog. Daily watering or misting is necessary for healthy indoor plants, but they do not survive if their roots stay wet. The plants need good air circulation and a potting mixture with good drainage. A dry spell causes leaves to pleat and darken. Bright, indirect light and no strong sun keeps the thin leaves a bright green. Moderate temperatures in the 61 to 78 degree Fahrenheit range suit miltonia.

Fertilizer

• Miltonia is sensitive to fertilizer. A diluted feeding with a 30-10-10 high nitrogenous-based orchid fertilizer is recommended. Flushing the potting medium with clean water every few weeks removes the excess minerals. Do not fertilize it during the fall and winter when plant growth is slow.

Pots and Potting Medium

• Grow the Miltonia in a bark potting medium with perilite and sphagnum moss added to keep it airy and moist. Baskets are a good container for Miltonia as they encourage air circulation. A cork or bark slice wired with a layer of sphagnum moss to hold moisture can also be used to support the plant. The fine roots like to creep and a cork raft or bark slab allows it to spread out. The flat slabs of barb will need more conscientious watering and misting.

Separating Plants

• The miltonia has very fine roots and does not like to be disturbed. Grow it in smaller baskets that keep the roots secure or in slat baskets of sphagnum moss supporting the roots. The appearance of small shoots at the base of older growth is a good sign that the plant can be divided. The division should contain at least two pseudo-bulbs. If the division is too small, the plant does not thrive and eventually dies.