Miltoniopsis Lady Sigrid Karabelnikoff

[Leo Schordje]

This opened this last week, and I was very pleased with it. I love Miltoniopsis but they don't always thrive for me. This is the best waterfall pattern I own now. The hybrid, Miltoniopsis Lady Sigrid Karabelnikoff, was made by Ivan Komoda of Hawaii. He is a close friend with Sally & Lee Karabelnikoff of Anchorage, Alaska. The hybrid is named for Lee's mother, who passed away in January of 2008. She was in her late 90's.

It also brings back fond memories of a wonderful trip to Alaska. The Anchorage Orchid Society had me up as a speaker the end of February of 2008. Sally and Lee were my hosts, and what wonderful hosts they were. They took me all over the area, and showed me the sights of Anchorage in Winter. The 'Fur Rendevous' was a wonderful, canival like event, complete with dog sled races, and reindeer races. Sally & Lee are such down to earth, fun people, the best you'd ever want to meet. I really had a great time, for a first visit to Alaska. I am trying to figure out a way to get back there again within the next few years.

Lee (left dark blue coat) Sally (right pale blue coat)

the dogs doing what the love, racing toward the finish line, a 20 mile race

Don't Stop dogs!!!

 

[goldenrose]

:clap: :drool: Beautiful waterfall! and yours has cat's eyes! I can pass by regular miltonias but not the waterfalls! :drool:
Similar to mine, out of the Hajime Ono parent as well. http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15354
Nice to meet the faces of Alaska!

 

[toddybear]

Lovely pattern!

 

[terryros]

I still have trouble getting my Miltoniopsis hybrids, including a Hajime Ono, to open flat. Growth is good and I think I use a lot of water. I am worried that it may be a little too warm when they are blooming.

 

[Pete]

blooming miltoniopsis on the mainland can be tricky unless its really nice and cool. actually getting them to bloom usually isnt too much of an issue, once days are longer and warm up a bit, however in a lot of places on the mainland this is not a gradual thing and all of a sudden its super hot; too hot in fact for the milt. flowers to be flat. i used to be a grower at a production facility here in hawaii where we grew tons of milts. they would open soo much better when it was cooler. just by going up the hill 1500 feet flowers would be considerably larger, flatter, darker and with better substance.

 

[Leo Schordje]

They will open flat only if the humidity is above 50% while opening. The waterfall types are more touchy about this than the more simple colored types. The heavy pigment that makes up the pattern of the waterfall, can distort the lip. Higher humidity will help minimise this effect, but if yours is a seedling, rather than a selected tissue cultured plant, you may just have a seedling that is prone to this cupping or even crippling. Ivan Komoda wrote about this in an article some years ago, explaining his breeding program that gave us Hajime Ono and many other great waterfalls.

They also like more light than one might think. Up to Cattleya bright, or 40% shade is what they prefer, but in this light you need to keep the air moving and the temperatures down. A tricky balance, to give them strong light but keep the leaves and roots under 85 F or 30 C during the day. It is better to grow more heavily shaded than to over-heat the plants. They might not bloom as profusely in the shade, but that is better than the risk of burning the plant.

At night they want to be at or slightly above 60 F or 15 C. They resent a hard drying out, they resent being too wet.

Nothing in of itself too difficult, but hard to do consistiently over the long term. Mine do well for a couple years, then I have an event that sets them back or kills them. Hopefully this one above will become one of my long term survivors.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

I knew that Miltoniopsis liked cooler temps, but Alaskan dog races wasn't what I had in mind...:rollhappy: Looks like a good time though!

 

[SlipperFan]

Echo Tom...

I wonder what kinds of orchids Alaskans are growing successfully.

 

[JeanLux]

cool flowers!!! Jean

 

[Greenpaph]

Superb presentation, Leo! Thanks for sharing. I have never seen this one before!

 

[terryros]

I think my curled Miltoniopsis flower problem has to be that when the flowers are developing I can no longer get night time temperatures to the 60 degree point. As I enter Summer in my indoor plant room, and the Miltoniopsis begin to spike, my temperature range is about 83 F to 67 F. Great for all the intermediates, but not so good for the Miltoniopsis. I water them well and humidity ranges 50 - 90 so I don't think it is either of these issues for the flowers. I just may not be able to bloom them well. Have to accept reality.

 

[tenman]

Actually I read somewhere recently that it's not so much the temperature as it is too much light that causes the curling, though I have always thought it wa tepmerature too.

 

[etex]

Beautiful blooms, Leo!