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.