What did I do wrong with Pleurothallis mastodon?

[Pattywack]

That is a shame, it sounds as if it got too dry. Andy's used to call me after an order was delivered and ask how my plants were doing. It surprised me the first time they called but I've always appreciated it. Any questions I may have had or issues and they were great to answer. It's been so long now I don't know what they may do except offer suggestions for next time.

[Leafmite]

I agree. Sounds like the roots were gone before you had a chance to grow it. Most of these never want dry roots. You should call Andy and tell him. He might offer to add a replacement to your next order (hopefully a mounted/potted one next time).

[u bada]

Just seeing this now... Pleurothallis species do range in climate needs depending on local and such... prolifera for instance is on the other end handling almost cattleya conditions on my balcony, and it comes from fairly dry mid-high elevations with varying temperatures and humidity throughout the year in brazil, while others grow in cold wet dark situations... so it's actually somewhat hard to make generalizations... Many pleurothallis however grow warmer than is often reported (all of my current ones handled 90's the other weekend), but I did do research prior purchasing to their potential to handle these temps... m

astadon from ecuador so when you get one from ecuador and from along cordilleras they need fairly secure non variable conditions, this is partly why they do well in tanks/ growing cases since conditions never really change, but when they're a species from other countries in northern central south america (mexico, venezuela, costa rica, islands) conditions can be variable and at least warmer... and when they're from brazil and surrounding southern south america then their conditions can be highly variable from cold to warm, to varying humdity, etc. since mastadon is from ecuador so it needs fairly stable environment.

ok, but to try to generalize yes pleuros that have done best for me are in tanks with 80-100% humidity. Imports and divisions are absolutely placed in tanks with the fans rolling, and in pots or on mounts with sphag sopping wet at all times, pretty much the only way many of them establish... they need the absolute high humidity but like what was discussed, they can rot... once a pleurothallis is established they can be more adaptable... however, not sure about this one. My guess is not...

I experiment with plants all the time, probably to a fault, and have been trying various pleuros in glass cylinders, as well as growing them in tanks/ growing cases... they do very well in growing cases outfitted with fans and lights, but in cylinders I've had mixed results and certainly the ones that are succeeding are the ones on cylinders outside on the balcony where wind keeps them fairly aerated... I'm very impressed with those here that manage in glass cylinders and bowls and such on here, and I've taken note of those that handle the little air movement in them.

Apart from all of that, I generally have mixed results with cuttings from mixed genera in general. Between Andy's cutting sale and SBOE's 7.5 specials sale, I've lost quite a few... it's cheap but that doesn't mean a given division regardless of plant has the strength to become a new plant, very quickly anyway... Catt's, epi's, oncidiums are better at this kind of propagation, but bulbos/ pleuros in my personal experience, chances of them taking can be a bit of crapshoot even if you provide high humidity and good air flow and dunk in kelp, so don't feel too bad. I've been sitting even currently with various cuttings of various genera, including dendrobiums that haven't done anything since I've gotten them 3 to even 6 months ago...

[Ermie]

Just to reiterate, pleuros should never dry out. Drying out too many times in a row over a short enough span of time can very easily kill them. The key to watering these plants is to water when becoming moist and no less than moist. Also, their roots are supposed to be wiry, especially in the "pleurothallis" and "scaphosepalum" genera, so no worries there. (Unless, of course, the roots are black and falling apart.)

I hope you will succeed in your nest attempt!

[estación seca]

Thanks all. I will ask questions about potential plants in another thread.

[Tindomul]

Is there a possibility that it was over heated in your tank, maybe not all day, but at some point? Sealing tanks is generally a bad idea unless you have a means to cool the tank and a means to keep the air moving at all times.
You said your sunroom has humidity levels between 50-60%, do you think that's something you could be comfortable with in attempting to grow these without the use of a tank? Maybe get a fogger to keep the local humidity up around your plant. I would try that, but then again, I am always taking risks with my plants.

[estación seca]

Thanks... The tank never got direct sunlight, so I don't think it would have been above the temperature of the rest of the room. It didn't have a light. Before putting it into the tank I had it in a large, inverted glass jar.

The glass on top didn't provide a tight seal; the water in the jar in the tank evaporated over time. But there was no fan in the tank.

The greater than 50% relative humidity referred to inside the tank, not the sunroom. I'm pretty sure it was well above 50%. At that time the RH was 40%-60% in the sunroom. I worried that might not be enough for a pleurothallis. I knew that room would be too hot in the summer, so I had planned on growing the plant inside a jar or terrarium in the cooler part of the house during the summer. But it didn't make it that long. The sunroom now is around 70% RH all the time, but it's also seldom under 80 F / 27C.

The other plants in that tank were very happy when I left them for a week. Wait - that didn't sound right.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Thanks... The tank never got direct sunlight, so I don't think it would have been above the temperature of the rest of the room. It didn't have a light. Before putting it into the tank I had it in a large, inverted glass jar.

The glass on top didn't provide a tight seal; the water in the jar in the tank evaporated over time. But there was no fan in the tank.

The greater than 50% relative humidity referred to inside the tank, not the sunroom. I'm pretty sure it was well above 50%. At that time the RH was 40%-60% in the sunroom. I worried that might not be enough for a pleurothallis. I knew that room would be too hot in the summer, so I had planned on growing the plant inside a jar or terrarium in the cooler part of the house during the summer. But it didn't make it that long. The sunroom now is around 70% RH all the time, but it's also seldom under 80 F / 27C.

The other plants in that tank were very happy when I left them for a week. Wait - that didn't sound right.

it made me think about the movie that what the pets do when were gone, can't think of the name of it. What do our plants do when were gone, hummmm.

[Ermie]

Sometimes, what I tend to do growing the bigger pleuros outside of my orchidarium is I'll mount them and then stick them in a container (that is not closed and so that the leaves are above the edge of the container) and stuff sphagnum moss up to just below the leaves. This way the water wicks up from the sphagnum (which I water, not the mount) to the wooden mount so I have to water less and, the moist sphagnum creates a small area of high humidity. My area has 40% humidity and they still grow great in the containers. If I can't find a container for them, they won't make it outside, so into the orchidarium they go! Hope this method helps.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by Ermie

Sometimes, what I tend to do growing the bigger pleuros outside of my orchidarium is I'll mount them and then stick them in a container (that is not closed and so that the leaves are above the edge of the container) and stuff sphagnum moss up to just below the leaves. This way the water wicks up from the sphagnum (which I water, not the mount) to the wooden mount so I have to water less and, the moist sphagnum creates a small area of high humidity. My area has 40% humidity and they still grow great in the containers. If I can't find a container for them, they won't make it outside, so into the orchidarium they go! Hope this method helps.

Thanks! I'm not entirely clear on what you mean...
Are you mounting the plant on a vertical piece of something, and standing the bottom of the mount on the bottom of the container? Then filling the container with moss up to... where?

Or, is the plant mounted on a horizontal piece of something? Is that resting on the bottom of the container, with the leaves growing up out of the container, and the mount is buried in a deep layer of moss that fills the container to the opening?

Or, is the plant mounted on a horizontal mount, which is buried in moss somewhere closer to the top of the container?

Does the moss completely cover the mount, the rhizome of the plant and some of the leaf stalks?