Miltonia phymatochila - Pad-Like Lip Miltonia's flowers are 5 cm in diameter and are fragrant with a spicy scent. The petals and sepals are green...
Miltonia phymatochila, also called Pad-Like Lip Miltonia, Oncidium phymatochilum, Phymatochilum brasiliense, is a species of the genus Miltonia. This species was described by Norris H. Williams and Mark W. Chase in 2001. It was treated as the genus Oncidium before its affinities were revealed by molecular phylogeny data.
DESCRIPTION OF MILTONIA PHYMATOCHILA - PAD-LIKE LIP MILTONIA
Miltonia phymatochila is native to Eastern Brazil. It is found growing on trees in forest of Bahia, Pernambuco, Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo in Brazil at elevations of 650-1300 meters above sea level.
It is a short, medium sized, warm to cool growing, erect epiphyte with fusiform, slightly compressed pseudobulbs that are enveloped basally by several imbricating sheaths. The single leaf is apical, elliptic to elliptic-oblanceolate, coriaceous, acute or obtuse, dark green, speckled red basally.
Pad-Like Lip Miltonia blooms in the fall from the pendant, 90 to 180 cm long, loosely many flowered (more than 5), fractiflex panicle that is pale green with crimson spots. The flowers are 5 cm in diameter and are fragrant with a spicy scent. The petals and sepals are green or yellowish green with brown spots. The lip is white with brown spots on basal portions. The callus of the lip is yellow with light brown spots.
MILTONIA PHYMATOCHILA - PAD-LIKE LIP MILTONIA CARE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Miltonia phymatochila is not demanding the bright sunlight. It can be grown in bright ambient light, and in partial shade (9000-15000 lux). The plant should be protected from direct sunlight: put behind a curtain or in the shadow of other plants. Direct sunlight burns the thin leaves within a short period of time.
If leaves are dark green they most likely require more light but if they are reddish or yellowish-green they may require less light. A slight pinkish tinge to the leaves indicate they are receiving the correct amount of light. It can be difficult to give them the right amount of bright light to encourage flowering without producing yellow leaves.
Temperature:
Pad-Like Lip Miltonia grow best at intermediate temperatures, day temperature at 27-29°C, and nights should average 16-18°C, with a diurnal range of about 10-11 °C. For successful cultivation of this type of orchid, it is necessary that the night temperature always be 10 ° C lower than the daytime. The plant can be grown at lower temperature but produce more and larger growths and more flowers if night temperatures do not fall below 16°C.
Humidity:
The plant needs the humidity level of 60-80%. It does not tolerate the temperatures of over 32 ° C. It is necessary to increase the humidity of the air along with the temperature. This will help the plant survive the forced heat better. At that time, the air humidity should be at least 80-90%. Too dry air has a negative effect on the development of the plant: its growth is inhibited, and the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out. The higher temperature, the higher the humidity should be, and the higher the humidity, the more often and longer it is necessary to ventilate the room where the plants are contained, otherwise the probability of rotting and various kinds of fungal diseases. Good air movement is essential while the plants are in leaf and growing.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Miltonia phymatochila are mainly grow in pots. The medium must drain well while remaining moist. A mixture of bark of coniferous trees with peat and small pieces of a sponge is best suited as a substrate. Charcoal, crushed oyster shells, peanut hulls, rice hulls, coarse peat moss, or shredded tree-fern fibe can be added to the mix depending on the growers watering practices and the general conditions in the growing area.
It is recommended to replant this type of orchid every 1-2 years, since the substrate during this period manages to lose all its beneficial properties. The best time for transplanting is the period immediately after flowering and until the moment when new sprouts reach a size of 5 cm and begin to grow their own roots. Transplantation during the hot summer period is extremely undesirable, since this may lead to a prolonged non-blooming orchid.
When transplanting into a new pot, it is necessary to carefully monitor that new sprouts are not deeply buried, as they are very sensitive to decay. At the bottom of the pot should be put a thick layer of drainage.
Watering:
During the period of growth, Pad-Like Lip Miltonia needs frequent and abundant watering. Excess water during irrigation should flow freely from the pot, since stagnation of water both inside the pot and in its pan can very quickly lead to rotting of the roots and lower parts of the plant. The substrate between waterings should dry up, but in no case should not dry out completely. This is especially important during the blooming of the orchid, since re-drying is fraught with very fast drying of both flowers and buds.
In the hot summer period, daily spraying of the outer part of the plant is recommended, this will increase the humidity of the air around the plant and help it better survive the heat and prevent the occurrence of the spider mite . It is necessary to spray a plant only in the first half of the day, so that in the evening the water had time to dry. The new sprouts are very sensitive to rotting, therefore within two hours after spraying it is recommended to carefully wipe the leaves with paper napkins or handkerchiefs in order to remove excess water from the leaf axils.
Fertilizer:
During the period of new growth fertilize Miltonia phymatochila weekly in 1/3 of the concentration of fertilizer indicated on the package. Too concentrated fertilizer has a negative effect on their roots, they turn black, become slimy and die. You can use a fertilizer high in nitrogen, such as 30-10-10, most of the time. However, once every 3-4 weeks, it is recommended to use a fertilizer with less nitrogen and more phosphate such as 10-20-10. The periodic use of a high-phosphate fertilizer improves flowering.
Salt buildup can result from over fertilizing or using heavily mineralized water. To prevent this condition, pots should be leached every few weeks especially when fertilizer is being applied most heavily. Plants should first be watered normally to dissolve the accumulated salts. An hour or so later, the medium should be flushed with water equal to about twice the volume of the pot. Year-round leaching is important in areas with heavily mineralized water.
Rest period:
To stimulate flowering, Miltonia phymatochila needs a well-defined rest period. It begins immediately after the maturation of new bulbs (as a rule, at the beginning of autumn), i.e. when new young sprouts reach the size of old ones, the fact is that orchids are much drier and colder than usual and do not fertilize. The ideal temperature for this period is 15-16 ° C. It is necessary to water the plant very sparingly, no more than once a week and in a small amount. After the appearance of peduncles, the dormant period ends: the watering of the orchid is resumed in the usual volume, and the total temperature of the content rises.
After flowering, the peduncles are removed, if necessary, the plant is transplanted and kept dry for some time. This is necessary both for the rest of the orchid after abundant flowering and for the acclimatization of the plant after transplantation in order to prevent wound rotting on the roots.
Water should be reduced slightly in winter, especially for plants grown in the dark, short-day conditions common in temperate latitudes, or if night temperatures in the growing area are cooler than 16°C. The plants simply do use as much water when light is low, days are short, or temperatures are cool. However, plants should never be allowed to dry out completely. If water is reduced, fertilizer should also be reduced until plants begin growing the next spring.
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