Macodes petola care is little complicated. This the reason most of the new growers do not grow this jewel orchid.
In this post, we will explain how to care for your macodes petola in an easy way. How to fix the common pest issues and plant problems.
Under ideal growing conditions, the plant thrives like crazy and develops unique leaves. Due to its bright leaves, it is also famous as the Macodes lightning plant.
Indirect light, warm temperature, and light aerated soil are the basic care steps. With regular limited fertilization and medium humidity levels, you can speed up the growing process.
Let discuss all its growing details in depth.
About the plant
It is a jewel orchid with velvety textured green leaves. All the leaves have a bright yellowish lines on them and are often called lightning waves. Each leaf has a different pattern on them. Some leaves have large vines like lightning waves where others have short bolts.
These lines on leaves shine when the sunlight falls on them. This creates an electric effect. It looks like the plant leaves are glowing like an electric bulb.
But in reality, it is just the reflection of light that creates this illusion.
This orchid plant is native to rain forests of Southeast Asia and Malaysia. On the jungle floor, it gets limited light with high humidity.
We have to create similar situations for this plant in our home. In Macodes petola care only low humidity causes problems. If you know how to maintain consistent humidity then you can grow it without many efforts.
Later in this post, you’ll learn different techniques for increasing humidity in grow room.
Quick care guide
| Common Names | Jewel Orchids |
| Light | Filtered bright light but not direct sunlight |
| Water | Moderate needs |
| Humidity | 50 to 76 % |
| Temperature | 18 to 29 degrees C |
| Soil | Well-aerated |
| Fertilization | Weekly in active stage |
| Toxicity | Non- Toxic to pets and Humans |
| Pests | Common plant pests |
| Diseases | Root rot and other bacterial diseases |
Macodes petola care
In most of the homes, we have a suitable warm temperature for good macodes petola care. There might be some issues with humidity. If you live in desert areas. Otherwise, your indoor environment is good to grow and care for macodes petola jewel orchid.
Without wasting time read the below section and find out what your plants need to grow it. And how you can keep macodes plants in good shape.
Light
This is one of the rare plants that needs low light to gow. This means you do not need to worry about the light requirements. Place it in any part of the house where it can get low light.
The source of light can be sunlight (indirect) or artificial grow lights.
Remember that direct exposure to sunlight scorches the plant leaves. And its leaves are the real beauty.
If you are living in an apartment and do have a north-facing window. Then you can buy LED grow light to grow plants indoors. These lights emit healthy light that is easy to absorb for plants.
Moreover, LEDs cannot release heat like old lighting technologies. You can easily find the best LED grow lights under $100 on Amazon.
With a single grow light, you can grow multiple plants like macodes petola jewel orchid in pots.
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Water
Water is necessary for plants. Do not let the root area dry because this will cause serious damage to the petola plant.
As this plant needs high humidity this means it needs more water. But overwatering can result in root rot-like conditions.
So how do you know when to water your jewel orchid plants.
There is a simple technique to water plants that are prone to fungal diseases. First of all, insert the finger or use a digital soil moisture meter to feel or measure the soil moisture.
If the soil has appropriate water contents, then no need to water the plants.
If the top 1.5 inches of the soil become dry then you need to immediately water it. For watering macodes petola always use clean hygienic water. The water that you can drink is suitable for watering plants.
Rainwater is best for plants. In low rainfall areas, you need to store rainwater in rain barrels for later use.
Soil
Macodes petola need high humidity with good aeration. This means the soil has to be light in weight and must have water storing capabilities.
The garden soil can store water for a long time. But it becomes heavy and soggy when watered. Therefore, you need to use soilless potting mixes. Add some nutrients on the side and they will be ready to support your plants.
Do not add compost to the soil. Because when you water more to keep the soil moist. The organic material starts to decompose due to the presence of excess water.
This releases a bad smell and also can kill your plants.
There are two options
Sphagnum Moss
Use it if you have a busy schedule. Unpack the moss and soak it in the water. After that plant the macodes in it. This material is light and can hold water for a long time. Once it starts drying, you only need to use a spray bottle to mist some water.
This technique is easy to grow jewel orchid.
Peat, Perlite, and Coir
Add these three substances in equal amounts. The peat makes the mixture well-aerated and perlite stores a large amount of water without being heavy and soggy. The coco coir help plant stands firmly and also supply some essential nutrients to the growing macodes petola.
Temperature
In jungles, it grows in warm weather. 18 to 30 degrees C is the best temperature range. If the temperature drops below 18 Degrees C. Then the plants feel uncomfortable and start dying.
On the other hand, if you give macodes petola good care then they can survive in 15 degrees C.
Higher temperature is not a problem. As a member of rain forests, this plant cannot tolerate the cooler months.
You should move the plant pot inside before the winter starts.
Humidity
For best macodes petola care keep the humidity in between 50 to 72 %. If it goes above 80 % then there is a risk of moisture-loving pathogens.
They are deadly for plants and also for humans. Higher humidity is not good for our lungs.
More the 60 % humidity put a negative effect on human health. The good news is we have home humidity in between 35 to 60 %.
And most of the houseplants can survive in 35 to 60 % air moisture. Those who do need high humidity above 80% all the time are not considered houseplants.
There are many plants that are not suitable for the indoor environment.
While growing plants do not use humidifiers. Use them only if you are living in the desert areas and your home humidity is less than 35%.
Fertilization
Macodes is a slow-growing plant so it does not need any fertilizer applications. For good health, you should fertilize it in the active growing stage.
Use any liquid balanced form of nutrients. 10-10-10 will be the best for good growth and for a long bloom period.
If you find a nutrient bottle that is high in nitrogen and low in phosphorous and potassium 3will also work. For example, a 6-4-4 NPK ratio from fox farms will do best.
Some growers prefer weekly fertilization while others prefer monthly. There is no big difference in both techniques. In weekly applications, you have to work more. So, monthly fertilization application is good.
Read the instruction written on the bottle and then dilute accordingly. Fox farm produces the best fertilizers for jewel orchid plants.
Pruning
Pruning is not necessary in this case. It is required when seeing old dead leaves and broken stems. The stems are prone to breaking when the plant grows tall. Because they are made up of soft tissue and do not handle the heavyweight of leaves.
Nobody likes to prune this plant because it looks so beautiful. By cutting its parts you can destroy its beauty.
Repotting
As it is a slow grower you do not need to repot it more often. Even in some cases, growers do not need to repot it for the first 5 years.
- To repot it gently take it out of the old pot.
- Remove the soil from the roots and inspect for any type of root infection.
- Use new potting soil and put them in the new pot and water the soil.
- The new pot has to be less than 2 inches wider and deeper.
- You are done with repotting.
Macodes petola propagation
In total there are 4 methods of macodes petola propagation. You can copy it by offset division, stem cuttings, Rhizome, and Air layering. In all these methods first 2 are the easiest. We all know stem cutting is the easy propagation method.
Offset divisions
In this technique take out the plant from its pot. Then take a sharp knife and sterilize it with rubbing alcohol. Sterilization is necessary to keep the offsets safe from unwanted infections.
Make sure each division has roots and healthy leaves.
Then plant them in different pots and give them the best care. Your plants will grow identical to the mother plant.
Stem cuttings
This is the most widely used and easiest method of plant propagation. Here you do not need to take the plant out of its pot. Just cut the healthy stem of plants.
Dip it in the rooting hormone and plant it in the pot. Make sure you use the same material that you use to grow the mother plant.
Then put the plant container in a high humidity location. In case of low humidity cover the container with a clear plastic cover. This will lock the moisture inside the cover. But as we all know plants do need fresh air.
Otherwise, they will get infected by fungal disease.
You need to lift the cover to give the cutting fresh air once in 2 days. Do not uncover the entire pot. just like it 4 inches from one side than on another side.
Macodes petola Pests and Diseases
Good macodes petola care also need you to save it from common pest plant diseases. The regular moist soil increases the chances of overwatering. This results in root rot-like conditions. Sometimes plant leaves start to rot if you mist water on leaves.
Do not mist water on macodes petola jewel orchid leaves in any conditions. This will not increase the humidity. It will increase your headache.
For pests, at the first step use rubbing alcohol to wipe them. If they are present in large numbers then spray it on the entire plant.
In 90% of the cases, the problem will get solved. After that clean the plant, remove the dead pests and spray neem oil on the whole plant. This will help the jewel orchid to heal fast. Neem oil also prevents future attacks of pests.
If you still see them then use commercial pesticides. But this will also damage the plant itself. Therefore, stick to the rubbing alcohol method or you can use insecticidal soap.
Spray isopropyl alcohol twice if there are some stubborn pests left on the plant.
