Characteristics of miltonia: etymology of the name, distinctive features, care secrets, breeding steps, difficulties in growing and ways to solve them, species. Meltonia (Miltonia) belongs to the genus of herbaceous perennial plants, reckoned by scientists to the Orchid family (Orchidaceae). In the taxonomy, the position of this genus is not yet established, since some botanists include this orchid to the subtribe Oncidiums (Oncidiinae), which is part of the Epidendric subfamily. Most miltonia are found in central and southern Brazil, as well as in northeastern Argentina and eastern Paraguay. These plants have an epiphytic type of life, that is, they like to settle on the branches and trunks of trees. Most of all, orchids have chosen humid forests for their living habitat, which are widespread at altitudes of 600-900 meters above sea level. The genus includes up to 20 varieties of flowering orchids.
This genus bears its name in honor of Viscount Milton (1786-1857), who was a major philanthropist of the time and devoted many efforts and funds to support gardening, and was also considered one of the most significant collectors of orchids.
This plant has a sympodial type of growth, that is, it has a rhizome and pseudobulbs. In this case, the stem of the plant consists of shoots, which subsequently form a bush. Those shoots that are located in the horizontal plane and are the rhizome. The part growing vertically forms thickenings called pseudobulbs. The overall size of miltonia is not large. The pseudobulbs are medium, oval, with little or significant flattening. Their size reaches 7–8 cm in length and 4–5 cm in width. They give rise to a pair of leaf plates and several scaly leaves that cover the base of tubiridium - a tuber located above the ground, of stem origin.
Leaf plates with a thin skin, their shape is lanceolate-linear, the top is pointed, the color is light green or grayish-green, in the lower part there is a longitudinal addition along the central vein. The length of the sheet varies between 35-40 cm.
When flowering, flowering stems are formed, reaching 40 cm. Loose racemose inflorescences are formed on them, consisting of 3-14 buds (depending on the variety). Flowers of miltonia often have a pleasant aroma; in their color they resemble flowers of "pansies", for which the plant is popularly called "pansy orchid". There are shades of red, pink, yellow, purple, violet and white. Often the interior has a pattern of longitudinal stripes of a contrasting color. Sepals (sepals) are shorter than petals (petals). The lip is large, with two lobes. The column (spliced by anrotsy and genets) is short. When pollen sticks together, two polylines are formed in the anther nest. When fully expanded, the flower reaches 10–12 cm in diameter.
Rules for caring for miltonia at home
- Location and lighting level when growing "pansy orchids" you need to choose carefully, since if the latter should be bright enough, but scattered, devoid of direct rays of the sun. For this, sills of windows facing east or west are suitable. In the south - Meltonia will be very hot and in direct sunlight, its leaves will acquire a pinkish tint. You will have to arrange shading with light curtains or stick tracing paper (translucent paper) on the window glass.
- Content temperature. Since meltonia is a "resident" of the warm regions of the planet, keeping it in warm, but not hot, room conditions is suitable for it. In the spring and summer months, the thermometer should not go beyond 16–20 units. But with the arrival of autumn and during all winter months, the heat indices are reduced to a range of 15-18 degrees. The minimum temperature value that miltonia can tolerate for a short time is 3-4 degrees. Otherwise, the orchid will not bloom and will quickly die. Also, this delicate flower does not tolerate drafts, and when ventilating the rooms that are necessary for the orchid, you need to remove the pot with the plant from the cold air currents.
- Air humidity when growing miltonia should be high, with rates of 60-80%. If the air in the room where the orchid is located is too dry, then this threatens the buds to dry out and fall off. The humidity should be increased in proportion to the rise in temperature. To raise the humidity indicators, it is recommended not only to spray the leaf plates of the plant, but also to install household air humidifiers and steam generators next to it, or simply containers with water. If ventilation is not carried out at high humidity, then sooner or later this will lead to the development of fungal diseases on miltonia. When spraying, warm soft water is applied.
- Watering. When the orchid begins to activate growth (spring and summer), then as the substrate dries in the pot, it is necessary to perform abundant moisture. Drying out of the soil is not permissible, as this will result in an immediate discharge of buds and flowers. But stagnation of water in a pot has a detrimental effect on miltonia. Constant waterlogging of the substrate will lead to the beginning of rotting of the root system of the flower. Watering your orchid can be done with a warm shower if you have soft water at the temperature of a tropical rain. Pi this indicators of water temperature should be in the range of 30-45 degrees. After such a "shower" procedure, it is recommended to remove all the water that has entered the leaf sinuses (at the very base of the stem) by blotting with soft napkins, otherwise the stagnation of such a liquid will lead to decay. You can also carry out "bottom watering": when the pot with the plant is placed in the basin for 15–20 minutes, so that the roots and substrate are saturated with liquid. Then it is taken out, the remaining liquid is allowed to drain and put in place. In winter and autumn, miltonia is at rest, therefore, soil moisture is significantly reduced, but they cannot be completely stopped. Water for irrigation is used only soft, if it is too hard, then soon the substrate will become sufficiently saline and the plant will begin to ache. It is recommended to use rain or river water. If this is not possible, then you can use tap water, but previously passed through a filter, boiled and settled for a couple of days. Also, some growers use distilled water.
- Fertilizers for miltonia are also introduced during the period of activation of the growing season - in spring and summer. The frequency of feeding is once 14 days. Universal preparations are used for representatives of orchids, which are diluted in half the dose specified by the manufacturer in water for irrigation. Fertilizers can be used either to water the orchid or to spray the leaf plates with the specified solution. You can alternate root and foliar dressings.
- Rest period. Immediately after new pseudobulbs mature in miltonia, a dormant period begins. In this case, young shoots should take the same size. At this time, it is recommended to reduce heat indicators to 15-16 degrees, and greatly reduce watering. When new peduncles become visible, you can increase the temperature and moisture.
- Transplant and substrate recommendations. For transplanting miltonia, a plastic pot is used, made of a transparent material that has holes on the surface - this will help access to the root system with a sufficient amount of light and air. The transplant is carried out when the orchid has just bloomed, and the length of its young shoots has become equal to 5 cm. The substrate can be purchased specialized, suitable for representatives of orchids. The optimal composition is that there are small pieces of charcoal, peat and small pieces of coniferous bark.
Recommendations for self-breeding meltonia
When breeding "pansy orchids", the method of dividing the overgrown bush into divisions is used.
It is recommended to combine the transplanting process with reproduction so that the plant is not so often subjected to stressful situations. This procedure can be carried out every three years, it is better to choose the time in the spring. Miltonia is removed from the pot and the substrate is carefully cleaned from its roots as possible. Then, using a sharply sharpened knife, they divide the overgrown bush. The division is carried out in such a way that each division has at least three pseudobulbs (but preferably five) with a developed root system. This will allow the plants to root normally in the future and start new growth.
Places of cuts need to be powdered with activated charcoal or charcoal powder in order to carry out disinfection. Then the delenki are planted in prepared pots with drainage and a substrate suitable for adult miltonia. The orchid division is planted to the same depth as before. If the plant is planted too deep, the root system may rot.
However, since the orchid tolerates division very painfully and then it is difficult to recover, it is not worth rushing with reproduction. At first, it is recommended to keep the pots in a place with little shading. It is better not to water in the first couple of days, so that the sections on the dividers are delayed.
Difficulties in growing meltonia and ways to solve them
If the conditions for growing an orchid are violated, then it becomes a victim of harmful insects, among which aphids, scale insects, whiteflies and thrips are distinguished. If pests or products of their vital activity are found, then it is recommended to wipe the sheet plates with soap, oil or alcohol. If such drugs do not give the desired effect, then they are treated with insecticidal or acaricidal agents.
You can also highlight the following problems when growing miltonia:
- drying of the tips of the foliage is associated with excessive salinity of the substrate in the pot, in order to prevent this, it is recommended to use rain or demineralized (distilled) water for irrigation;
- also, with salinity of the soil, the color of the foliage changes, it turns yellow;
- if the measles system decays, it is recommended to immediately transplant into a new sterilized pot and soil, as well as lower the moisture level.
Interesting facts about meltonia
Often in florist circles you can hear how miltonia is called "pansy orchid" because of the color of its flowers. However, this name can also fit miltoniopsis and multiple hybrids obtained from the magnificent miltonia (Miltonia spectabilis). But if we compare the flowers of other varieties of miltonia, then they can be confused rather with oncidium. And as mentioned earlier, the debate about the taxonomy of miltonia has not yet come to a logical end, since it is genetically less close to miltoniopis than to oncidium.
The plant is one of the participants in the breeding work, on its basis to date, many hybrid interspecific varieties have been bred (sometimes one plant has up to six species of "parents" - orchids). For example, when Miltonia was crossed with representatives of the genus Brassia, an orchid with the name Miltassia was obtained. Today, those species that grow in mountainous areas have been transferred to the genus Miltoniopsis, consisting of five varieties.
A distinctive feature between miltoniopis and miltonia is that the first of the pseudobulb has only one leaf, while the meltonia has a couple of them. It is also easier to grow it at home, since miltoniopis comes from equatorial territories.
Types of meltonia orchids
- White Meltonia (Miltonia candida) possesses pseudobulbs, giving rise to 1-2 peduncles, which measure 40 cm in length. Each of the flower-bearing stems is crowned with 3-5 flowers, reaching 10 cm in opening. Flowers are collected in a loose erect raceme. The flowers have a pleasant aroma. Sepals have a yellow color, and a wavy surface, the petals are decorated with large spots and specks of red-brown color. The lip is white and strongly protruding forward. It has a light purple or purple spot and three short brushes. The shape of the lip is almost rounded, the edge is wavy. The flowering process occurs in autumn.
- Meltonia regnellii has thin and glossy sheet plates. Flowering stems stretch upwards and 3–7 flowers with a pleasant aroma bloom at their top. Sepals (sepals) and petals (petals) are white, with a delicate light pink color at the lip. The shape of the flower is somewhat flattened. The lip has a light pink color, decorated with pinkish-purple stripes on the surface, the border is snow-white.
- Meltonia splendid (Miltonia spectabilis), which is also called the brilliant Meltonia. This variety is versatile, so it can tolerate both warm and cold temperatures. The pseudobulbs have flattening from the sides and their shape is slightly elongated. Belt-shaped sheet plates painted in yellow color. The flowers are large in size, often their color is white with the addition of yellowness, or there may be specimens with pinkish petals and sepals with a pattern of purple veins. The flowering process occurs in August and autumn.
- Meltonia yellowish a native of Argentina and the owner of pseudobulbs, carrying a pair of leaf plates. On the flowering stem, up to 14 large flowers with a white tint are formed, the surface of which is decorated with a pattern. That is, the entire surface of the petals is yellow (straw), but in the middle part they begin to take on a snow-white color scheme, with a pattern of stripes. The flowers have a delicate aroma. From the buds, racemose inflorescences are collected. The top of the petals is pointed, the edge is wavy. The flowering process takes place from early March to August.
- Meltonia hybrid lush can reach a height of half a meter. Its flowers in diameter when opened are measured 10 cm, from which inflorescences of various bright shades are formed: red and pink, yellow and beige. Some of the varieties can have a pleasant, sophisticated aroma.
- Meltonia Sunset, is a hybrid plant, one of the progenitors is Miltonia Renelli. This orchid is distinguished by rather large flowers that exude a strong aroma that combines coniferous, fruit and berry notes. The color of the petals and sepals of flowers is bright yellow with colorful sharp color transitions.
- Meltonia Newton Falls, is a variety in which the size of flowers at full disclosure reaches 12 cm. The color of the petals and sepals is dark crimson, there are inclusions of snow-white color on the lip. The scent of this orchid is bright, reminiscent of a violet scent.
- There is also the cambria orchid, which is mistakenly called Miltonia Cambria. The plant is a rather complex hybrid, in which there were three different varieties of orchid representatives, among which there was also Miltonia. It is quite difficult to distinguish this plant without special knowledge, since its flowers are of a wide variety.
More about the features of caring for Meltonia orchids in the following story:
