Masdevallia 'Angel Frost' Problems

[katied]

I have a Masdevallia 'Angel Frost' that I got in March of this year. I got it Colorado and brought it back home.

It flowered and did fine until about a month later when it started to loose all of its leaves and I had three leaves left. I started putting it in a wine cooler at night (at 53 degrees F) and leaving it in a small greenhouse with about 70% to 90% humidity during the day and about 75 degrees. It started to grow back one small leaf back but then the new growth died and two leaves fell off.

I am not sure what to do now and if I am doing everything right.

Photos:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10738...CIyk3cz2p9qdDQ

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Orchid Journal: Masdevallia 'Angel Frost' Problems

[Zoi2]

What kind of air circulation is it getting and how often are you watering?
Joann

[katied]

It has some air circulation when I open it several times a day and it is potted in sphagnum moss and I only water it when it is almost dried out. Should I leave it in an open area under my fan and on top of a humidity tray? Also should I have it potted with the moss or with a bark mix?

[Lordoftheswarms]

Are you overfertilizing? That's a sure way to lose a lot of leaves very quickly.

[katied]

I fertilized once since I got it cause I didn't know when they fertilized it so I didn't want to fertilize it too much. Should I fertilize it again lightly and see if that helps it?

[Lordoftheswarms]

Don't fertilize it unless you know what you are doing.
Do you know what concentration you used?
I use roughly 8 ml fertilizer in 8000 ml of reverse osmosis water at every watering. If you used the fertilizer straight, I'm surprised your plant didn't die 100% right there. If that is what you did, and it sounds like it, you need to replace the media, that overkill fertilizer solution is still in the media. Even if you used pure RO water to flush the media, you wouldn't be able to dilute it down to a concentration that wouldn't kill the plant.

[Lordoftheswarms]

Also, fertilizer is to help healthy plants grow. Never fertilize a sick plant, it'll just make things worse.

By the time you know the exceptions to this, you won't need to ask.

[katied]

I have been growing orchids for about 3 years or so now and I always fertilize with just 1/4 of the strength fertilizer solution. I planned on not fertilizing it again until the plant is showing some signs of recovery. I didn't know if I need to pot it back in bark or to leave it in the sphagnum moss it is in (loosely packed) under a fan by a window.

[Wynn Dee13]

I grow my Masdies in sphagnum moss in clay pots. I grow under lights and I have a fan going 24/7. I water them when they dry out but don't let them stay dry for long. In your pics it looks like the plant was too wet and it rotted. But I'm not 100% sure. I hope someone can help you out. Have you looked at the roots? I'm sure that would give you some information.

[Lordoftheswarms]

Maybe it is overwatering that did it in then.