Intermediate Masdies/Dracs?
 

I am going to need our Masdie/Drac experts for this one! :bowing :bowing :bowing I have been interested in Masdevallias and Draculas for quite a while, but due to the torridly hot weather of my main growing area (27.5*C daytime average), I have shied away from these two lovely genera. Just recently (today), I had the genius idea if taking the empty fish tank I have and putting it in our basement were it is MUCH cooler, and I want to know what kind of Masdevallia and Dracula species would thrive with a summer high of 21*C? I am not quite sure of the nighttime temps as I have just put a thermometer down there, but would the nighttime temps be important? If so, I could guess and say it would be around 17*C. Would this environment be productive to any species from these two ADORABLE genera? If so, a list of any you can think of would be AWESOME! And as I said, I am not so sure what the night time lows would be, but I will know tonight. Once again, thank you to the Pleurothallis Masters we have on the Board! :bowing :bowing :bowing

I also forgot to mention, what would be the average foot-candle requirement for the Masdies/Dracs?

Ehehe, I also forgot to ask questions in regards to water quality. How detrimental is it to have uber clean water? As far as I am concerned, our city's water is pretty good, as I have been growing my orchids with tap water for over a year, and I haven't noticed any salt build-ups. If pure water is important, how would leaving pots of water out for 24 hours work? Or would boiling the water for a while be any better? I have no way of collecting rain water, other than putting pots outside, and our weather is VERY unpredictable. Buying distilled water may be an option, but I am a little cheap like that :D RO water, is of course WAY out of my league. Once again, thank you! :bowing :bowing :bowing

As a beginner, my recommendations of a couple beginner's Masdevallias for you would be Masd. infracta and Masd. princeps. Masd. infracta comes in a variety of colors, and has a wide temperature range. Masd. princeps also does well in a fairly wide temperature range and has large flowers that are about 10" tall from sepaline tail to sepaline tail.

Once you get the hang of Masdevallias, then we'll talk Draculas. Draculas tend to have a narrower temperature range than Masdevallias do. They are also much more sensitive to salt build up and over fertilization. Many also have pendulous flower spikes. The other thing with Draculas is that people can easily over water them, rotting their roots out.

I don't know how well Masdevallias or Draculas will do in a tank. I don't grow them in tanks.

I can't answer your question about your water source because I use filtered water, but yes, these guys are sensitive to salt build up, particularly Draculas.

The footcandles requirement is something in the range of roughly 1,000 to 1,500 footcandles.

Night time lows are important.

Forgot...

Masd. nidifica, wide temperature range, grows like a weed.

Maybe even some hybrids would do good for you, such as:

Masd Dean Haas
Masd Copper Angel
Masd Sunset Jaguar 'Nightbreed'

Water quality the way I look at it is if I wouldn't drink it I wouldn't give it to my plants either. So how important is that?
Tap water isn't going to kill anything unless you are in Arizona ;). It is always nice to know whats in the water you use. If you are hooked into a municipal water source they use all kinds of novel cheap stuff to raise the PH in the water to keep the dissolved solids from dropping out into their system. You see the result of this in the scum and calcified rock in the bottom of your water heater. Go ahead stick your head in there and smell it next time dad opens it up...Its nasty.


But Masdys are pretty forgiving plants I myself have found. Dracs need clean rainwater or RO. Tap water even if on the soft side is just not good for the tender roots. Even though the masdys are touted as being warm tolerant, some of the hybrids still do much better in cooler conditions. Your tank in the basement with some good light and air flow would be a small masdy haven. The cooler you can grow the masdy the more light and water he can have. The more plant and more bloom you will have. Masdy's are a great choice for getting that orchid ego pumped up some :) go For it. I would and did play with Masdys before I dropped too much hard earned money on the Dracs. You can get some inexpensive ones and see how they do. I have one Drac and hes doing fine making 1 bloom a month :)..better than dropping a leaf a day hey hey hey..

Nightbreed is a beauty!!! King, what about Hampshire Prolific. I have this and it has done well in my warmer temps and it was a sequential bloomer. Stayed in bloom for about 3 months.

I've got a Dracula lotax that grows and blooms like a weed under lights in pretty warm temps. Blooms are small, kinda more Masdie-like, but it's an interesting little plant. For more warmth-tolerant Masdies, you might try floribunda.

I've never grown Masd Hampshire Prolific, but I have grown one of the parents - Masd Copper Angel. So yeah, Daethan, I think you're good with that recommendation. :)

If they are to go into an aquarium, maybe you should take size into consideration. Masd. tonduzii and Schoederiana are great bloomers and stay small. Stelis mystax and Dryadella Edwaldii will get you hooked in no time. Once you get started, it's hard to stop.

One thing you need to plan for is some moving air. Ideally their leaves should gently move. I have checked the pH of our water here and it is on the high side-8.5 to 9pH. I have always understood masdies should have rain water or R/O or at least a lower pH than that. If you use MSU for tap water, does that do something to adjust for that?? I wonder if anyone knows. The nutrients are quite different than the stuff for R/O and rain water. You might get away with doing that if you are using tap water.

I should add Cody, we do have at least one society member who grows at least several masdies and I believe they are in his basement. I'll talk to you when I see you on Sat. about that.

WOW! Thanks a lot everyone! I do plan on getting two muffin fans for the tank, and I also plan to put a layer sphagnum moss on the bottom to hold moisture and maybe keep it slightly cooler. If I manage to obtain a second, larger tank, I am planning on putting the smaller tank inside the larger, and filling the space between the walls with water, which I think will keep it cooler.

I would skip the double tank and just fill the larger tank (if/when you get it) with plants. You are going to get really hooked on these little guys. Mine have been doing fine in 78 through 90. I plant them in sphag in clay pots. The clay wicks the water and keeps the root zone cool. I keep them pretty wet when it is warmer.

I agree, likely no need for the double lined tank. Just use the largest one! If you place it somewhere in a cool corner of the basement, it will likely get cooler in the winter and mine seemed to thrive thru the cool winter in my greenhouse. However I only have 2. I see more in my future tho LOL

Cody, Ecuagenera is coming to Calgary in Oct. and they have lots of nice masdies. I haven't paid much attention to Draculas. Those of us who have ordered plants from them have been happy. So start shopping! I'm sure the society will be in Calgary with a display and we may even be placing a group order with them. Don't let your parents know I am enabling you! (They likely already know:evil:)

Well, they know that I plan on growing in the fish tank in the basement, but let's keep the Ecuagenera part our little secret between us . . . :evil: :rofl: ;) And, I am now going to browse their website. :evil: :evil: :evil:

(This was my 400th post! :biggrin:)

I can second [I]Dracula lotax[I]. I have one that I grow as a windowsill plant, and it grows like crazy and is presently blooming. In my experience, the blooms are very sensitive to humidity, but the plant is fairly robust to temperature. And, it has upright flowers, so no need to hang it.

I also have a Masd. Sunset Jaguar "Psychedelic Sunset" that I also grow as a windowsill plant, but it seems to be just a bit too warm for it. I purchased a "cool pot" and am trying it in that. But in a cool basement under cool lights, it would probably be fine.

One thing about Ecuagenera's website, it isn't totally up to date unless it has been very recently updated since I looked. If there are no prices, it is usually not available. Best to get their price list from them. But we will have that closer to showtime in Oct. They seem to have reasonable prices.

If you have a dehumidifier in your basement, that water is a decent alternative to rain or distilled water.
Leafmite

Wouldn't that pull all the dirt and bacteria in the air into the water? I have emptied the dehumidifier before and the water looks pretty nasty.

Sorry that this doesn't seem to be a good option for you. Yours might be a different type of dehumidifier. Ours is one you can move about (if you like lifting, pushing heavy things) and has a filter to keep the dust out. I hooked a hose to it and put it on top of the dryer and have the water going directly into a watering can or bucket. The water comes out clear. I did worry about mold spores but haven't had any trouble. Unless we have snow to melt or rain waters the plants, this is where I get my plant water. Our tap water is softened 'hard water' and even my non-orchids don't thrive in it. Hope someone else has some suggestions. Good luck!
Leafmite

Start collecting your rain water now Cody :) Get one of those big barrels to sit under your eaves trough.