Sudden leaf drop

[camille1585]

What's the name of the book? I'm getting into masdies, and before I buy any more it would be nice to actually know how to grow them!

[Paul Mc]

Masdie alias: Gems of the Orchid World. It even has a hybrid and species list with growing temps so you can check the lineage for potential temp requirements. I discovered that the two I've had issues with wanted it much cooler than I was providing despite my thoughts about their needs based on other reading. Oops...

[Paul Mc]

Also, I learned a bit more about proper planting in medium and their needs in the mediums, along with the risks associated with issues combined with various mediums. Again, oops... Lol...

[camille1585]

Sounds nice!! I can get temp requirements off Orchidwiz, but a book is always nice to have. And the cultural info sounds interesting!

---------- Post added at 11:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 PM ----------

Not cheap though over here... On the dutch equivalent of amazon it costs 40€! (that's $50). It's a bit cheaper in France, maybe I'll have it shipped to my mother and pick it up next next I go visit.

[Paul Mc]

Lol... Yeah it's not cheap here either, but used I got it for about 20 US dollars.

[NatalieS]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Sounds nice!! I can get temp requirements off Orchidwiz, but a book is always nice to have. And the cultural info sounds interesting!

---------- Post added at 11:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 PM ----------

Not cheap though over here... On the dutch equivalent of amazon it costs 40€! (that's $50). It's a bit cheaper in France, maybe I'll have it shipped to my mother and pick it up next next I go visit.

Try play.com. I spotted it on there a few weeks ago.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

It could be staying too wet. Masdevallias can actually handle drying out a bit quite well. They don't need to be grown wet all the time. Let the media dry to dampness before watering again.

If you're growing in a net pot, some of the roots that are on the outer fringes closer to where the roots would be exposed to the air in the net pot may be drying out because there is not enough moisture in those zones to support their well-being.

[Paul Mc]

King, it's funny you say that about the wetness! I think what happened was that they were too moist after they had issues which encouraged rot and other issues. Especially since I had them in net pots with moss suspended above a vase of water by the lip of the vase. Plus, I had them buried too low, compounded further by too bright of light in bad temp ranges for the cooler ones. So, based on my reading I've modified the struggling one and the new more heat tolerant one accordingly by the parentage temp/ culture . We'll see how it goes. Please dear LORD, don't let me continue being a masdie killer!!!!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Growing them in incorrect temperature ranges also causes sudden leaf drop. This is why I find many Masdevallia hybrids to be a challenge. Researching their lineage can be difficult and finding what kind of traits they've retained from their breeding is also a bit tricky.

Many species are very straightforward, but finding the correct elevations and regions they come from to find out their temperature ranges are not always easily accessible.

---------- Post added at 03:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:41 PM ----------

Have you ever tried your hand with Masdevallia princeps, Masd reginae, or Masd ayacabana among a few of these giant flowered Masdevallias? They could be a good start.

If you're looking for hybrids, Masd Copper Angel or Masd Dean Haas are good to start with as well.

You could just gain experience with these plants, and then sell off whichever ones you were never really interested in keeping around.

[Paul Mc]

You make good point there about hybrids and their characteristics. Thanks for the names. I'll be on the look out for them now. I just love masdies!