Help! Masdevallia dropping leaves

[sldubbs]

Right after I brought my Masdevallia home, the leaves started getting brown spots then turned yellow and died. It has 1 leaf left. Can it be saved?
Sherry

[nurseryman]

Hi Sherry,
EEK!....ok, shock over....how long have you had it?...What to say....brown spots..?...take a look at the
roots, are they ok?....dont think Masdevallias like too much sun, like cooler conditions, with some humidity....Any chance of a picture?....it might help....Difficult to guess the cause.
Sorry, wasnt much help
Rich

[cb977]

At the WOC, I bought a Masd infracta that had about 14 leaves on it. That very night, the leaves started dropping! I was somehow able to stop the freefall at 4 leaves and it's started to put out new growth.

I mounted it with a small amount of sphag and kept it in a rather shady spot until the recovery started happening.

Good luck with yours...let us know how it goes.

[whygreenberg]

You know what, my Masd. floribunda did the same thing when I first got it. Seems like the Masdies can go into a little bit of shock when they're forced with a sudden change of location & conditions. Heat I think can be a sure cause of leaf drop. Esp. if it's not used to it.

[Mahon]

The leaf drop seems to be a problem of improper conditions, maybe too much heat and light with too much water. Many of the Pleurothallids go through a "shock" or setback period, but Masdevallia usually do not experience it as much as other genera in the Subtribe, like Porroglossum or Brachionidium (especially).

My only suggestion is grow it a bit drier for a while, in cooler temperatures. Also, the key to keeping a healthy Pleurothallid collection is air movement...


-Pat

[sldubbs]

Originally Posted by nurseryman

Hi Sherry,
EEK!....ok, shock over....how long have you had it?...What to say....brown spots..?...take a look at the
roots, are they ok?....dont think Masdevallias like too much sun, like cooler conditions, with some humidity....Any chance of a picture?....it might help....Difficult to guess the cause.
Sorry, wasnt much help
Rich

Rich, I have only had it almost 2 weeks. It might be getting too much sun and heat. I'll move it to a shady spot. I'm not sure what to do about the cooler conditions though. I'll just have to see if it pulls through! Sherry

[sldubbs]

Sussanne B, What is sphag?
Sherry

[nurseryman]

Hi again Sherry. You could try putting the plant and its pot into a larger pot, and in the gap put some moss. Keep this moist and it may help keep some humidity around it, which will cool the air

[Royal]

Sherry, The high light definitly could have been the culprit. Looks like you're getting some good tips. Just a couple more things:

1. Hybrids are usually more forgiving. You didn't mention the variety, but in general, species have more demanding requirements and narrower tolerances. If your new to MasD's (like me), start with a hybrid.

2. Sphag = sphagnum moss (don't get peat)

3. MasD's like the high humidity, but don't make the mistake of trying to compensate by frequent misting. Over the long run, it'll do more harm than good.

Hope this helps a little.

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