Question

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Followup To thank you for your help. i live in NYC in a bright (south light) but very dry apt. I also keep the orchid which is in a 4 inch plastic pot inside a larger ceramic pot. I thought maybe it was not getting enough air circulation. My plants always beg me to take a shower with them but it would be too weird--so i have to say no. Barbara

Question -
i have what i believe is a miltoniopsis of some kind. it has long thin leaves that grow from a bulb like structure that is striated. it is growing nicely with new growth from the base of the bulbs. however the new leaves are wrinkled. what has caused this? i water in the shower once a week for 10 min. i feed a diluted fer. plus i use thrive vitamin mixture once a week at shower time.

thank you,

barbara peterson

Answer -
Hello Barbara,

That miltoniopsis must be one happy orchid taking a shower with you! (grin)

From your description of what you have been doing, every thing seems fine. You didn't mention where you live or where and how you grow it. That would help in trying to determine if there is a problem with climate or growing environment.

With that said, miltoniopsis need bright indirect sunlight or enough where the leaves will be a light to medium green color. Temperatures should be between 55 to 80 degrees, humidity above 50%, some light air movement. Are you feeding it a fertilizer recommended for orchids? Thrive is a good product but I would recommend using only a few drops mixed with the fertilizer solution.

Wrinkled leaves is usually an indication of the plant becoming too dry at some time in the past. This can happen even when it is watered regularly but water is not getting to the roots of the bulb with the wrinkled leaves. I've had this happen to a few orchids myself.

Hope this helps. Good luck and good growing.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.

Answer
Hi Barbara,

Aw shucks! Here I was fantasizing about you taking showers with your orchids. (grin)

It would be best to leave the pot out of the ceramic pot, putting it in when you want to dress it up a bit. Inside the ceramic pot limits the amount of air exchange around the roots. By the way, there are some decorative ceramic pots that have holes all around, those would allow a better flow of air to the root zone.

One of these years I hope to make it to NYC but I'm afraid I'm too much of a home body to go that far, never been east of the Mississippi River.

Hope this helps.  Good luck and good growing.

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.