My wife recently purchased a miltoniopsis orchid - Milt. Kelly Barfiled 'MKO' - in bloom at the local Lowes. She's not owned one before. It appears to be a healthy plant It is the "pansy" type.
She put it out on our pool deck area (in central Florida) with her Phil. collection.
WIthin in 2-3 days, the flowers wilted and the leaves sagged. We've since brought it in doors and the leaves seemed to have perked up.
Is this an orchid that can do well outdoors in Florida or do we need to keep it out of the heat?
Miltoniopsis in general appreciate cooler conditions. Having said that there are any number of warm tolerant Miltonopsis hybrids out there. Not taking the time to investigate your hybrid's specific background makes any comment I could make almost meaningless, however that won't stop me, LOL!
I've had trouble here in California keeping these moist enough and humid enough. I doubt you'd encounter either of these 'problems' in Florida. I agree with our surmise that the outdoor heat was too much for it or too much for it all at once, and a period of acclimation may be required before you try putting it outdoors next year, if it lasts until next year. I say that not becasue of anything you or your wife have done or will do to the plant, just that many times these 'box store' orchids are 'forced' into bloom, and take some time to recover, if ever they do. In other words its not your fault if it dies.
Speaking very generally I've found that Miltoniopsis like to be repotted into fresh mix annually. They don't like salts accumulating at the roots. They like to be pot bound. and they like a certain amount of light in order to bloom. They like to be evenly moist. Not soaking wet. Not soaking wet then allowed to dry completely. Evenly moist. And that's my trouble with them. I let them dry too much. They linger and fail to bloom.... hmmmmm, are you sure you want to take advice from me???
Personally, I'd do just what you did. Take it inside, keep it from drafts from the A/C and heat (since hopefully you'll have it into the winter) put it in a place where it gets bright indirect light and see what happens. Feed with half strength plant food.
What she said. Plus: though there are indeed some Miltoniopsis that are warm tolerant, as a Floridian I can't be bothered to look for them because there are so many orchids that are better suited to our climate. Why mess with something that will require extra care? I know some people who grow cooler types, like standard Cyms, but they go so far as to use ice to regulate the temperature. Doesn't sound like fun to me! I assisted in the suicide of one Milt. when I first began growing orchids, so I stay away from them, along with Zygos and such.
Also, *warm tolerant* doesn't necessarily mean *Florida warm* tolerant. It can get awfully hot here at times, and more so in the center of the state than here nearer to the coast.
Vandaceous takes in a big list of plants, Duane (Duane Eddie?? LOL). Angraecums, Aerides and more are part of the tribe. And add Encyclias to your list of can do orchids for FL. There are more, but at the moment my brain is not working at full strength. I don't know how far into the addiction you are, but lots of hybrids fill the bill, too.
Also, good to remember that within the various categories there can be species that are cool growing. You can get lots of info on culture needs via Google, and for species try
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