Question
I have several Miltonia orchids and they have bloomed fine in the past.  This winter, 2 have bloomed with very short stems so the flowers are down in the base of the plant.  We had a very gray summer last summer and I put the plants outside all summer.  Could this be why?  We are in the NW. They are in a greenhouse in the winter, and the power occasionally goes out, so the temps went down to the 40s a couple times.  Thank you.

Answer
Lois, the lower light levels could be responsible for the shorter flower spikes.  You might consider, if you haven't already, adding supplemental lighting in the greenhouse for the winter. These could be area lights that focus on your miltonias to see if that helps in the future. The lower temperatures might also have played a role in shortening the flower spikes as growth ceases below 50 degrees.