How to successfully grow/flower Barleana Howard

[hotelman80]

I am inquiring about any tricks or skills necessary to get Barleana Howard to bloom. I have picked one up at a local orchid show and have been doing reserach but cannot find any good information on it. It grows like a weed along with my other Masdies but just want to get a head start on getting this to flower.

Any experiences or conditions that anyone has used to get this to flower would be great.

[lambelkip]

keep doing what you've been doing, just be patient.
The correct name for this plant is Masdevallia barlaeana 'Howard' (note the spelling and capitalization, it will help when trying to find more information about the plant.)

[Tindomul]

What are you doing that your Masdies are growing like weeds????
I sure this is a cool grower, but beyond that I have to look for more info.. I'll share anything I can get with you tomorrow.

[Roy]

Actually its barlaeana " Harold " and this plant is renouned as being the worst plant to flower of all time. Luck or chance is the key.

[Tindomul]

Unfortunately I could not find much info on growing it. All I have is that it is from very elevations in Peru in exposed rocky habitats. So I would assume really windy cold temps and high humidity. It probably gets a dose of fog every day where its from. It is closely allied to M amabilis which is terrestrial and lithophytic on exposed, rocky habitats which are also semi-arid. These plants probably get most of their water from fog, humidity rather than rain.

[bcub30]

Sorry , not much luck with this one.Mine was toast after a sad sad year of constant struggling! And it was in the Orchidarium also.

Scott

[greengarden]

I'm just yanking this thread back in to the present to enquire as to your statement Roy that it is very hard to flower. I just leave mine dumped out under the patio(Sth Coast NSW) and give it a squirt with the hose and it flowers very well for me. I've killed a few other things with neglect but not this one, in fact I start with one, which has since been divided into two and just a couple of days ago I pulled three small divisions off it to grow on for the sales table at the orchid club. Just wondering why it is considered such a difficult critter to keep?

If you are interested mine is grown in a base of small orchid bark mixed with charcoal and terracotta and with a one inch layer of sphagnum on the top. It seems to thrive this way.