Miltonia potting.

I started with this nice Miltonia plant which I purchased at a local farmers market about four years ago. It was spring and it had a few bright, colorful, blooms. That winter, new shoots emerged. What I knew about orchids then were that they were supposed to be temperamental and needed to be watched carefully. I looked at the "soil" and wondered, "What the heck is that? What could possibly grow in that? It looks like something you'd find blown up against the curb on a windy day?" I figured, I must go out and buy the good stuff. So I bought some potting soil and repotted it with that. Yes, the exact opposite of what it needed. The plant soon stopped growing. The leaves turned yellow. I waited until next spring for a bloom but nothing. Later that year I returned the plant to the nice lady that sold it to me. She looked over the situation and told me that the plant needed to have bark, not soil and promptly did the changeover for me. She told me to wait until the next spring for the next bloom. Sure enough, her prediction was correct. Then the following winter, I repotted with some bark mix and some *orchid* potting soil. And I'm wondering now if orchid potting soil is an oxymoron. According to my research, a Miltonia is an epiphyte which never even touches soil in the forest. Here are some pictures of the plant:

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The top two photos are how the plant looks today. The bottom two are how it looked last year.

I was wondering does it look healthy now and should I get rid of the orchid potting soil?

Thanks for your reply.

David,

*Soil* is a misnomer for epiphyte mixes. There are in fact terrestrial orchids that grow in soil, but the majority of what most of us grow are epiphytes that won't do well in dirt.

There are many potting media that are suitable for our orchids. They range from the classic bark (usually lightened up with some sponge rock or Perlite) that you show to fired clay pellets to plain old pebbles.

Regarding your plant, the bark on top looks okay, but what matters is how the bark down in the pot is like. You may want to check it to see that it hasn't broken down and turned to mush. Also, while the plant appears to have a new growth and looks pretty healthy, there is at least one brown pseudobulb right smack dab in the center of he photos. I can't tell if it is soft or just dried up.

If it is soft, it's necessary to excise it using a clean razor blade or a sterilized cutting tool Cut away any rotten tissue and then seal the cut with a paste of Elmer's Glue and cinnamon. (Cinnamon has properties that protect the plant from bacteria and fungus.)

If the p-bulb is hard, you might be able to just cut it off or leave it to shrivel on its own.

One last thing. You picture the plant in a glazed, decorative planter. I see indentations on the side that may or may not be holes. The plant needs air circulation in order for the medium to dry out. Does the pot have holes anywhere?

Diana