Who said Masdevallia don't have big root systems - I beg to disagree ;)
 

Can't remember which thread it was, but someone said a few months ago that Masdies don't ever get big root systems.

Well while I fully agree that if you buy a masdie with hardly any roots you shouldn't worry too much... but I just want to show evidence of brilliant root systems in Masdies as I've just been reminded of this as I re-pot my oldest Masdie (veitchianna).

I've just taken it out of an 11cm (4.3") pot and there was no way it would go back into the 13cm (5") pot I had planned for it... so now it's in a 15cm (6") pot!

The roots were a solid mass, took a lot of teasing out and the roots were all firm and strong, all the way through the mass. First pic shows how the roots were growing out the old pot, the second the mass just removed, and the third the teased out root mass.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7295/9...9595ec4a_n.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9...8144d6a4_n.jpg http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3804/9...721c40af_n.jpg

Maybe it should be revised to speak of only the smaller species then. ;)

Nice.

Wow-what a bunch of great Roots :)

I don't know if I'm just jealous and covetous, but I hate you right now. I don't think any of the Masdies that have pass through had even 10% of the roots you have.:drool:

Outstanding!

Brooke

Wow, how do you grow it?

Excellent growing!

Thanks everyone :) I grow in porous clay pots in moss... and the clay seems to be a key to this great root growth.

Both the veitchianna and the others started very small when I got them, but veitchanna is now massive and all of them seem to move up a pot size every time I re-pot. Is it that the plant is big and so grows big roots, or is it that the roots get big allowing the plant to grow big :dunno:... I don't know as both seem to happen in conjunction with each other.

In the summer my conditions are probably too warm for these but the porous clay helps the root zone stay cool. In the winter they all go down to around 5C on a regular basis, occasionally they drop slightly cooler but never below 2C.

This is a different one, I bought this in May 2011 and kept it in a plastic pot for the first year, apart from that it was in the same place as my other masdies and got the same conditions.

Here are the roots after a year with me in a plastic pot in June 2012.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3769/9...3cb2e42e_n.jpg

Then I repotted in clay and here are the roots another year later in May 2013
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/9...3c0e65e6_n.jpg

It's a striking difference, especially bearing in mind the repot in 2012 found a lot of dead roots, the repot in 2013 found almost none.

For me at least the clay pots really work. They have to be porous though, I've found some which look like plain clay pots but have actually been treated to be non-porous... they don't work for the masdies at all.

what sort of media are you using in conjunction with these porous clay pots (is there even ROOM for media in there with all those gorgeous roots :evil: ;) )?

Rosie - You just helped me with this post - I got a few Princeps this last weekend, and also a Redshine that need re-potting - I'm going tomorrow morning to get pots, and will keep you in mind! I already knew about the clay (they are all in them now), but now I will be more specific. THANK YOU.