My Masdie issue!!!!

[Paul Mc]

This is the only Masdie I've been able to keep alive longer than 6 months!!! But something has been wrong for a few months now. At first I thought it was mites, but I never saw any specks on a white cloth/tissue, and it seems to progress. It's not over the entire orchid mind you, but every leaf eventually succumbs to this. Can any one please help me? I really want to keep this one alive!

Bottom side of a freshly fallen off leaf.


Top of it


This is a pretty progressed leaf. They tend to have black spotting first then progress to a black mat, then do this!

[31drew31]

I find if my Masdevallias get too warm (80F) the bottom of their leaves get the black spotting. Never usually leads to leaf drop though, just ugly undersides. A couple days this summer my grow area hit 82F and my M. veitchiana now has this on 80% of the leaves. Since then all new leaves are normal.

[WhiteRabbit]

I've only been growing Masdies since earlier this year, but one would definitely get some ugly foliage (similar to yours, dropped foliage) after some heat.

[Bud]

That is very good info, drew....I also have this problem and one of my masdies lost all leaves as they turned similar to Paul's leaf....I will put my masdies below 80F

[31drew31]

Here is the Masdevallia I was talking about. Same leaves in each photo.

[Hugorchids]

was your potting medium ever dried out and then you suddenly drenched the pot? I would spray down with physan and move to a area with more circulation for several week, resume normal watering.

[Paul Mc]

Those pictures of the leaves look exactly like mine! So maybe it is heat related. I've got mine in a glass base with water inside so perhaps the inside of the base is getting too hot causing the issues. We keep the air conditioner on 74. We did have it off a few days and the temps neared 80 inside. I'm positive this must be the issue then.

I water it as the medium appears dry on top, so it's possible it could be dried out before I water it. I've sprayed it a few times with cinnamon extract, water and dish soap but the issue persisted. It had me wondering personally if it was too much light, but heat inside the base never crossed my mind before.

[sithwitch]

I had the same thing happen to my masd. Copper Angel and one masd. glandulosa. I am no great expert on any pleurothalids, but in my case, I believe it was really heat and watering related.

My RH is quite low for masdies (40% to 60%), but my masd. launcheana is actually actively growing while my Copper Angel is slowly giving up the ghost. However, my launcheana is a warm grower, while the others 2 were intermediate. The fact that I potted it RJ style in a glass bowl might help too, since it kept the root way more moist than the tree fern/sphag mix the Copper Angel came in.

I feel your pain about not being able to keep alive more than 6 months! The launcheana is the first one I've managed to kept healthy even with the heat we had. I am keeping my fingers crossed!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Might be caused by warmth. Lower the temperatures, and they will stop doing that.

[AnonYMouse]

My masdies are sporting that look too. New leaves doing fine since incorporating heat counter measures into their care (cool pots, pot-in-pot, wet pebble trays, fans).

Now, if I can only stop rotting roots.