New Masdie Jelly Belly

[plantaholic]

Hi,

I bought a new masdie today at our annual show. It's a Jelly Belly. I don't know the parentage (or whatever you call it) so I'm not too sure about temperatures. Do any of you know the background for Masdie Jelly Belly?

Thanks for the help.

[billc]

The International Orchid Register / RHS Gardening

It would probably do best with night time temps 55-60F, daytime no higher than 75-80. Keep it moist with good air movement in low light.

Bill

[plantaholic]

I can keep the daytime temps just fine. I was thinking about putting an ice cube in the tray beside it at night as our house only gets down to 64 degrees then. What do you think?

[Lordoftheswarms]

Instead of doing that thing with the ice cube, add a computer fan soldered to a cell phone power adapter.
Mist in the mornings, the evaporation throughout the day and night will reduce the temperature to appropriate levels for you. Also, you get to spend daily time with your plants.

[RosieC]

I keep masdies cool by growing in porous clay pots and moss. I don't generally like moss but it seems to work well for this.

Provided you keep it moist the evaporation from the clay causes a cooling affect arround the roots which helps the plant when its warm. Beware though that if it dries it can get warmer than a plastic pot in warm weather.

I built a greenhouse to grow masdies so haven't tried this technique inside, but my masdies seem to love it in warm weather.

[Discus]

I tried growing a cool demanding nepenthes (in moss inside a plastic pot) inside another terracotta pot which sits in water all the time. The plastic pot is raised out of the water by sitting on a bed of hydroton LECA. Seemed to keep it happy through the hot African summer; my masdevallias didn't do well at all, aside from the one in moss, which as another experiment, I have planted in a large teracotta pot, filled mostly with LECA, with moss at the top for the plant to grow in, also kept continually moist. It seems to like it, so I may move the other masdies into similar conditions.

[The Orchid Boy]

The parentage is Masd. Copper Angel x Masd. mendozae. The parentage on Masd. Copper Angel is Masd. triangularis x Masd. veitchiana. So Masdevallia Jelly Belly's parentage is ([M. triangularis x M. veitchiana] x M. mendozae) I always like to do a little research on species that make up the hybrids. Here's a little info to get you started:
IOSPE PHOTOS
IOSPE PHOTOS
IOSPE PHOTOS

[plantaholic]

So, how cold can it get before problems start? I have it outside right now with temps in the 60s by day and going down to the upper forties at night. Seems to be okay but I'm not sure. Also, what's best for watering this one? It doesn't like tap water or distilled water. It does seem to enjoy the river water that we have for watering the lawn in the summer. That's going to be ending soon and Jelly Belly will be coming in for the winter. Any ideas for watering it so it doesn't get those awful brown tips?

[Vanda lover]

Originally Posted by Discus

I tried growing a cool demanding nepenthes (in moss inside a plastic pot) inside another terracotta pot which sits in water all the time. The plastic pot is raised out of the water by sitting on a bed of hydroton LECA. Seemed to keep it happy through the hot African summer; my masdevallias didn't do well at all, aside from the one in moss, which as another experiment, I have planted in a large teracotta pot, filled mostly with LECA, with moss at the top for the plant to grow in, also kept continually moist. It seems to like it, so I may move the other masdies into similar conditions.

I use this same method except that I plant the masd in a clay pot and put it within the other clay pot. The water evaporating off them really keeps them cool, even on very hot days.

[The Orchid Boy]

Use RO water or melted snow.