Macodes petola (1 plant per pot)

• This plant stays compact.
• This plant grows and blooms easily in a living room.
• This plant has beautiful spotted leaves.
• This plant is suitable for a terrarium.
• This plant purifies the air.

• Pay attention! Plants and orchids are living organisms that need good care.

Note: This is one plant in a 5,5 cm pot.

The Macodes petola is a sensitive plant!
For example it is sensitive to low temperatures and moisture on the leaves, but also for transport.
 
We strongly advise against using potting soil for the Macodes Petola. For a Macodes, peat or coconut fiber is much better, especially due to its sensitivity to moisture. We wrap the small plants in Sphagnum. These are airy materials. It is also important to allow the plants to dry up a little before watering again. The substrate must never be completely dry though! Osmosis water is best for these plants, which is highly purified water. You can find an osmosis machine in our webshop: 

https://orchids-shop.com/reverse-osmose-system-75-simple-280-liter.html

The Macodes petola can of course be recognized by the unique golden sparkle on the veins of the leaves. You can see this shimmer when the sun shines on it.

There is an old Javanese legend about this plant. A beloved goddess descended from heaven and went among the people. She wanted to bring joy to the people on earth. She was divinely beautiful and veiled in a shiny silk cloth, woven with gold thread. People laughed at her and drove her to the forest. In this flight her beautiful cloth tore and pieces of it remained hanging on branches and fell on rocks. The people who chased her saw who she was and begged forgiveness. The goddess did not give in to this, turned her cloth around and returned to heaven. The pieces of her veil were scattered through the forest and they turned into plants with the golden glow of silk and veins of heavenly gold threads. These plants with leaves full of gold and silver can still be found in the jungle of Indonesia. These are considered as gifts from heaven.

Macodes petola comes from Java, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, the Philippines and the southern islands of Ryukyu.

It is an evergreen, small-sized plant that grows in the earth. The dark green leaves have many golden, net-shaped veins. The plant blooms in the fall. The upright flower stem, which grows to a height of 20 cm, carries about 15 small flowers. The flowers are approximately one centimeter in size. They are red-brown with a white lip.

Throughout the year the average temperature is 21.5-29 ° C and the average night temperature is 16.5-19 ° C. The plants should not be exposed to direct sunlight. A constant strong movement of the air is desirable.

The plants must be watered abundantly, especially during active growth. The substrate must never dry completely. The Macodes petola needs a humidity of 70-90% for most of the year.

The plant needs a substrate that can drain excess water. We recommend sphagnum, we ourself use sphagnum for the Macodes petola. Sphagnum can be found here:

https://orchids-shop.com/nieuw-zeelandse-sphagnum-mos.html

During the active growth, the plants must be fertilized every week with some fertilizer for orchids. You can use balanced fertilizer all year round, but they need calcium in particular and that is why we recommend the flowering-stimulating fertilizer:

https://orchids-shop.com/orchidee-n-kunstmest-13-0-46-kalisalpeter.html

Rest period:
Watering in the winter can be somewhat reduced, especially in dark places. However, never let it dry completely. If the amount of water decreases, fertilization must also be reduced.