Is there a masdie doctor in the house?

[koshki]

I now have 24 masdies that I have been collecting since Oct 2009. For the most part, they have been growing, but not blooming. I'm concerned that I haven't been providing them the right culture to bloom, and would like your help.

This past summer, I moved them from the west window in my bedroom (very cold room in winter) to the sunroom, which is on the north side of the house. We keep the doors open from the main part of the house, so it gets heat, but we don't heat the room itself. Right now (mid afternoon in January), it's about 63 degrees where the masdies are, with 43% humidity. I don't know how cool it gets in there at night, but it must get lower than 63, as we don't have the heat operating in the sunroom.

I have had the following masdies bloom for me:

coccinea...four spikes, only one reached maturity and bloomed, but poorly
Othello...three spikes, only one bloom
Georgian Franczk...four spikes, one bloom
triangularis...regular rebloomer since I got it in bloom last June
Hampshire Prolific...only one spike that bloomed
infracta...has had two blooms, but literally dozens of buds that have just dried up on the end spikes

The infracta is especially frustrating, as it appears to be an otherwise extremely healthy plant, growing long pretty leaves, and so many spikes, I couldn't count them...and still growing more. But they just dry up before opening, and I don't know why.

Isn't this a nice looking infracta?

This is happening all over the plant

Grr!


With the exception of the coccinea, which I just recently repotted in s/h (which it seems to love), they are all in sphag. I water at least every third day. I have not been very good about fertilizing, as I've worried about doing it too much. But they are growing.

Some plants have some trouble breaking through the sheaths when starting new leaves and have some deformed ones, but when I notice that happening, I try to open the sheaths using a toothpick to tease it open, which seems to work well.

This is where I've got them growing. The top shelf is where my phals live, and they are spiking like crazy. I have them on the top because it's warmer up there. The shelves where the masdies are lower and cooler.







For a while I thought it was a temperature issue, but for the most part, the plants look healthy, so I'm not sure they're stressed from heat. I can't do anything about the humidity, so that leaves light. However, I don't think the bud blast is light related, so I'm scratching my head.

Ok, all you champion masdie growers...what is your diagnosis? And what should I do?

TIA,

[sunshine]

My guess is it is too cool at night. My house is about 68-72 degrees. I do have a humidifier that I run when I'm home. How often do you water? Right now because of work their getting watered once a week. Mine also sit in humidity trays and I leave a little extra water in these. I also fertilize weekly with a 10-15-10 fertilizer. You may have to put a heater on timer for a few hours in the night. The temperature drop is my guess on the bud blasting.

[koshki]

Oh, no, it is definitely not too cool for masdies. I checked on the temp ranges for mine, and some get as low as in the high 30s, although most are in the high 50s for low temps. If anything, I'm worried it gets too warm for them!

Most of them sit in plastic containers that hold a bit of water...the best I can do to increase the humidity levels near the plants.

[sunshine]

You have an Othello, it is on my wish list. Well, if their happy with temps then it must be humidity. I got one at Walmart that does a large room for $25 and needs no filters.

[orchids4me]

If I had orchid wiz I'd check each one. They may just have slight variances in culture certain times of year during certain months. Some times cool and high humidity can mean disater if the air movement isn't just right etc. I can't grow them because my conditions are not cool enough in the summer......they just die.....
maybe brooke or katrina can figure this one out and see what you need to tweak for bud blast.
Good luck
Emmaye

[Brooke]

"Some plants have some trouble breaking through the sheaths when starting new leaves and have some deformed ones, but when I notice that happening, I try to open the sheaths using a toothpick to tease it open, which seems to work well."

I have a few that do this and the bracts dry out too much for the emerging leaves to break out. You are caught between a rock and a hard place because if kept too wet you can get a rot and lose leaves or you keep it drier and you get kinky leaves and spikes.

I also think the bud blast is a humidity issue. I don't know what to tell you to remedy it because you either have humidity or you don't. I have a couple that bloom great sometimes but the next round of spikes dry up.

Your plants look great, if your phals are happy the temps aren't too cool. Sometimes you get some that are a PITA and you can't do anything to make them happy.

Watch your coccinea and s/h - I tried s/h with three different masdies and for a long time they grew roots and appeared happy. After about a year, all the roots rotted and I've never figured out why.

Brooke

[katrina]

Katherine -- wish I had an answer for the bud blast/drying...but I don't. Happens to mine too. I've always suspected it's a humidity issue. In their natural habitat these guys grow in a cloud of mist 24/7 and there's no way we can mimic that in our homes so I take it as part of the territory and if they continue to do it...they are gone.

I've had Othello for over a year and a half and have yet to take a spike into a bloom. They ALWAYS dry up on me. I recently switched it's potting set up...the last time...if it doesn't do the trick...it will find a new home.

As to the blooms. My guess is a light issue. This is nothing more than a best guess because I struggle w/this one too. Working on it as I type w/a few. I'm gradually increasing the light over a period of time and if it doesn't do the trick...the plant(s) will find a new home.

Darn these masdies! Some of them can be so frustrating! I have a friend who is as enamored w/them as I am and we regularly make the statement that we wish we didn't like them so much.

BTW - I water mine a lot but mine can dry fairly fast too. The really small ones get watered every day or they dry out. The 4"-ers get watered every other day...even if they are still moist. 3 days and they'll be bone dry so I water even though they are still wet.

I doubt that was much help so I guess the best I can offer is my sympathy because I know what you're going through. Some love me...some don't.

[rcb]

I just had this happen with one of mine, although one spike did go on to open and bloom. I'm pretty sure for me it's not humidity. We are running on average about 70 - 80%, although it does once in a while drop off sometimes into the high 60% range during the day if it's not raining. And I'm pretty sure it's not air movement, as I've got enough that thinner leaves, and smaller mounts sway.

I have no idea why.

I would probably give your plant another year to "get it right" and then do what Kat suggested.

And Brooke - as for S/H, after about a year now, I've found some are doing just great, and a few not. The not ones, I ended up potting in spag. The ones doing well, I've even had to pot a couple up into a larger pot.

[koshki]

Well, it's good to know I'm not the only one suffering bud blast with these guys. Now, if I can just figure out how to get the rest of them to even grow spikes!

Brooke, thanks for the heads up about the s/h. I am considering putting another one in it, but I have to find the right container first. The coccinea really seems to like it...very happy leaves, at any rate!

Kat, you've got yours under lights, correct? Can you tell me how many FCs they're getting? I'm trying to decide if I need to either rig up some lights on the shelf where they are now or find room under my other lights (sure), or find something else altogether.

Also, how often do you guys fertilize, what do you use, and how much do you use? I have MSU liquid for tap water on hand.

[sunshine]

Originally Posted by katrina

Katherine -- wish I had an answer for the bud blast/drying...but I don't. Happens to mine too. I've always suspected it's a humidity issue. In their natural habitat these guys grow in a cloud of mist 24/7 and there's no way we can mimic that in our homes so I take it as part of the territory and if they continue to do it...they are gone.

I've had Othello for over a year and a half and have yet to take a spike into a bloom. They ALWAYS dry up on me. I recently switched it's potting set up...the last time...if it doesn't do the trick...it will find a new home.

As to the blooms. My guess is a light issue. This is nothing more than a best guess because I struggle w/this one too. Working on it as I type w/a few. I'm gradually increasing the light over a period of time and if it doesn't do the trick...the plant(s) will find a new home.

Darn these masdies! Some of them can be so frustrating! I have a friend who is as enamored w/them as I am and we regularly make the statement that we wish we didn't like them so much.

BTW - I water mine a lot but mine can dry fairly fast too. The really small ones get watered every day or they dry out. The 4"-ers get watered every other day...even if they are still moist. 3 days and they'll be bone dry so I water even though they are still wet.

I doubt that was much help so I guess the best I can offer is my sympathy because I know what you're going through. Some love me...some don't.

katrina My new shelving has several spaces available for adoption

[katrina]

Originally Posted by sunshine

katrina My new shelving has several spaces available for adoption

I'll be sure and keep you in mind Sunshine.

Katherine -- yep...lights...just regular 4', 2 bulb shop lights. The fcs range from 300 to around 750 or so depending on where the plant is in relation to the bulbs. Meaning some are sitting outside rather than just under the bulbs. If that makes sense. I do try to rotate some of them around otherwise some seem to get some yellow casting on the leaves from too much light. Others (seems to be the thicker leaved plants) don't seem to mind the higher light at all and I'm sure they'd be fine in even higher light.

I have a couple that do better w/light more in the phal range.

Gradually increase the light though. I find they can rebel when the change is too quick. Just like when I move them inside to outside and visa versa...it never fails...for about 2 weeks I lose leaves. After that they calm down and start putting out new leaves. At least that's been my experience. It happens at every move and has since that first year. I just expect when they get moved.

I'm really bad about fertilizing my masdies. I should do it more in the Winter but to date I've only done it about every other week at 1/4 strength. I'm going to try and remember to boost that during the winter months. During the Summer I hardly fert at all because I figure they are stressed from the heat and I don't want to try and push any growth. Plus, I worry about "burn" when the temps are high. I don't know if it would happen...but I do worry about it. I might hit them w/a very weak fert (foliage only-light mist -very early morning or late evening) maybe once a month during the hot months.

[koshki]

Thanks for taking the readings. In OrchidWiz, it recommends light levels of 800-1500 FCs for most...some as high as 2000. Mine are far below that, and even below your levels, so I think I've got to figure out a way to get them some more light.

My poor masdies don't even get fertilized every other week, so I'll have to start doing that more. Do you have any idea how many ppm your 1/4 strength is?

When do your masdies grow the most? I would have guessed during the summer, but not?

Oh, and another thing that crossed my mind...perhaps I'm not getting enough of a diurnal difference in my sunroom? During the day, it tops at about 65 degrees, but last night I think the low was only 61. I've been so worried about overheating them, I sort of forgot about what they'd be accustomed to in the wild as far as temperature differences.

Thanks for all your help. I just love these little buggers...got a tovarensis in spike over the weekend (spikes appear to have made the trip quite well). Crazy, right?

[katrina]

Hubby got me some orchids for our anniversary in Dec and one of them was tovarensis. LOVE it!!

I have no clue what the ppm is. Honestly, I don't pay attention to all that...too much scientific stuff for my brain. I use MSU and I use about 1/4 of the regular strength. In the Summer, even weaker...super, super weak.

In my experience, I see a little bit of growth in the Summer...but very little. I see a lot more growth during the Winter. I don't know if it's a heat thing or if perhaps they just don't grow much in the Summer.

I keep my house set at 58 at night. During the day (this time of the year) w/the lights on it hangs around 72-75. I do get a good drop but I'm not sure how much that matters when the temps are cooler. I believe it's more important in the Summer when they are exposed to a lot of heat. IMO during those really hot months a significant drop at night helps their ability to bounce back from extreme highs.

I should just tell my hubby I'm taking over the fridge for these guys...rig a light that stays on w/the door closed...and just grow most of them in there. Hmmmmm.....

[Bolero]

Originally Posted by sunshine

My guess is it is too cool at night. My house is about 68-72 degrees. I do have a humidifier that I run when I'm home. How often do you water? Right now because of work their getting watered once a week. Mine also sit in humidity trays and I leave a little extra water in these. I also fertilize weekly with a 10-15-10 fertilizer. You may have to put a heater on timer for a few hours in the night. The temperature drop is my guess on the bud blasting.

Sorry but that's just to warm as a minimum in my view.

;-)

Just so everyone knows, I grow mine down to 0C (32F) which might be on the cool side but it's perfectly fine. Minimums in my view shouldn't be above 15C if possible for most species and hybrids.

[sunshine]

Originally Posted by Bolero

Sorry but that's just to warm as a minimum in my view.

;-)

Just so everyone knows, I grow mine down to 0C (32F) which might be on the cool side but it's perfectly fine. Minimums in my view shouldn't be above 15C if possible for most species and hybrids.

Too warm It is winter time in Maine. It's down into the teens and 20's F at night. So far my masdies have not protested Masdie Maui Jewel has 4 spikes. I do have to becareful with temps or I will have frozen/busted water pipes. 68-72 is in the living room and it's usually around 65 in the kitchen.

My catts, phals and paphs all seem to be happy in these temps.

[Brooke]

Bolero please don't tell my masdies I'm growing them to warm

Mine never go below 60 in the winter and come to think of it, in the summer either. In the summer I wish I could get them to 60. I do have a couple of cool growers which haven't keeled over yet and continue to bloom but I have a g/h full of orchids which share the same space. All cool, intermediate and warm growers must adapt to 60 or move on.

I agree with Katrina, most but not all, of my masdies do the most growing and blooming in the cooler months. I do have some who are summer bloomers but the most colorful time is winter.

Katherine you will love the tovarensis -it blooms off old and new spikes, multiple blooms per spike. I just lost a tova bloom off of an old spike a week ago. I have no idea why the bloom dried up, the rest are fine.

Masdies are addicting, darn it

Brooke

[katrina]

Originally Posted by Bolero

Sorry but that's just to warm as a minimum in my view.

;-)

Just so everyone knows, I grow mine down to 0C (32F) which might be on the cool side but it's perfectly fine. Minimums in my view shouldn't be above 15C if possible for most species and hybrids.

I don't know if I'd go that cold but I do believe most would do better w/cooler minimums than I can give them. This is why I say if I took over the fridge to grow these guys it would be perfect. With the exception of a few, most would surely love livin' in my fridge. And, I'm confident my warmer temps is the reason I can't grow all masdies. Problem is...like Brooke and Sunshine...and anyone else growing other orchids and/or living in the same space...32 degrees is simply not feasible. Well, not unless we want all the other orchids to perish and/or we want to live like human popsicles and have damaged homes.

Even w/my less than perfectly cold temperatures...I'm able to grow some quite well. As a matter of fact, I have a few that do not want temps below mid-50's. It boils down to finding those that are more flexible in their needs.

[koshki]

Seriously, Bolero, how can you get it that cold in your growing area? Isn't it summer where you are now??

Brooke, I'm excited about the tovarensis...I've wanted one ever since I saw photos of yours, and learned that there is such a thing as a sequential bloomer!

So this is what I'm going to do: I'm going to try to give them some more light, hopefully without raising the temps too much, although it seems like I have some room on that. I'm going to start fertilizing them much more regularly...weakly weekly? I'm not sure there's much more I can do for them about humidity, given that this room is open to the rest of the house, and I'm not sure I could get it over 50% anyway.

Over the weekend, I was doing some research in OrchidWiz, and found that amabilis, ignea, strobelii and veitchianas can take 1200-2000 FCs in light (compared to the others at 800-1500), so I'm going to make sure those hybrids are under the lights. Still 1500 is a lot more than what I've been giving them.

Just to be safe...what should I be watching for if they're light-stressed?

[katrina]

Originally Posted by koshki

I'm not sure there's much more I can do for them about humidity, given that this room is open to the rest of the house, and I'm not sure I could get it over 50% anyway.

Not much we can do about humidity so I don't let it worry me. My house stays higher than some in the Winter from the 40's into the 50's. It might creep up a bit more if it's exceptionally humid outside. Quite frankly, I really don't want any more than that in my home for fear of potential mold issues. Late Sept/Early Oct is the worst for humidity in my house...it can drop into the single digits because of the cool, dry air we get that time of the year. I think growing in a home environment, we just have to go w/the flow there.

Originally Posted by koshki

Just to be safe...what should I be watching for if they're light-stressed?

Yellowing of the leaves is usually my biggest issue when the light is too high. If you can make the change slowly, over a period of a couple/few weeks, you shouldn't have any real trouble.

[Bolero]

Originally Posted by sunshine

Too warm It is winter time in Maine. It's down into the teens and 20's F at night. So far my masdies have not protested Masdie Maui Jewel has 4 spikes. I do have to becareful with temps or I will have frozen/busted water pipes. 68-72 is in the living room and it's usually around 65 in the kitchen.

My catts, phals and paphs all seem to be happy in these temps.

So 20's inside or outside? What are the plants actually exposed to?

If you are saying 68F is the minimum then it's to high for Masdevallias and if you are having trouble getting them to flower that could be part of the problem.

72 as a maximum is ok though.

I was quoting my winter minimums. My summer minimums are around 12 to 15C......any warmer and I get worried and do a lot of misting.

I am not suggesting you go down to freezing but I am saying that 68F is to high as a minimum. Sorry but it is.

If I could maintain 6C to 8C minimums for all my Masdevallias all year round I would, that for me is the ideal.

But whatever works for you guys. I know 68F or 20C wouldn't work for me, that is something I would grow multifloral paphs at.

Big difference in culture.

[sunshine]

Originally Posted by Bolero

So 20's inside or outside? What are the plants actually exposed to?

If you are saying 68F is the minimum then it's to high for Masdevallias and if you are having trouble getting them to flower that could be part of the problem.

72 as a maximum is ok though.

I was quoting my winter minimums. My summer minimums are around 12 to 15C......any warmer and I get worried and do a lot of misting.

I am not suggesting you go down to freezing but I am saying that 68F is to high as a minimum. Sorry but it is.

If I could maintain 6C to 8C minimums for all my Masdevallias all year round I would, that for me is the ideal.

But whatever works for you guys. I know 68F or 20C wouldn't work for me, that is something I would grow multifloral paphs at.

Big difference in culture.

The 20's is outside. Some nights it goes down into the 10's. We do get temperatures well below 0 and the windchill is even worse. My kitchen stays between 65 F and 68 F. Masdie Maui Jewel has been blooming it's little heart out in the kitchen. I can't get much cooler or it's just too chilly and not only that I don't need frozen/busted water pipes.

[Bolero]

Ok well if they grow for you then that's fine. But those minimums do seem high to me.

I will post the ideal temps for the plants tomorrow, you might be surprised how low they are.

[koshki]

Sunshine, I just looked up your masd. Maui Jewel, and found that it's made up of glandulosa and tonduzii, both of which are rare warm growers...59-82 for the glandulosa and 67-84 for the tonduzii. I gotta get me one of these...it's very cute!

Most of mine from mid to low 40s to highs of low 70s, some highs only in the 60s, and some lows in the 30s!

[sunshine]

Originally Posted by koshki

Sunshine, I just looked up your masd. Maui Jewel, and found that it's made up of glandulosa and tonduzii, both of which are rare warm growers...59-82 for the glandulosa and 67-84 for the tonduzii. I gotta get me one of these...it's very cute!

Most of mine from mid to low 40s to highs of low 70s, some highs only in the 60s, and some lows in the 30s!

Here ya go koshki. This is one of my first masdies. So my temps of 65-72 must be just about right along with the extra humidity I give it when I'm home on the weekends. No wonder it tolerated the the high 80's-90's and humidity I had for several weeks this past summer.

[rcb]

Originally Posted by katrina

I don't know if I'd go that cold but I do believe most would do better w/cooler minimums than I can give them.

I'm still learning how to grow these, but mine right now are outside as long as nights stay about 40F. They have responded, all of them are growing gangbusters right now. Our days are in the 50 - 60F range usually. When we get a freeze, I just bring them into shelter for a day or so, until they go back out.

Now of course summers are a different story.

Another thing I have tried, and it seems to work so far. The ones i have in spag and net pots, I placed in one side of a plastic petrie dish. These are the perfect size, just barely bigger than the net pot. When I water, I take them out, run the water through, and put them back in, and fill the petrie dish. This has allowed me to spread out my waterings to only twice a week. (Remember my air flow down here is pretty high, everything dries fast even with my humidity)

I've poked around in the pots to see if the extra water is causing the roots to rot, doesn't look like it, roots are growing really well. And the extra water is sucked up in about a day.

[koshki]

Sunshine, that is a real cutie! Gotta get one of those!

Renee, can you post a picture of your petrie dishes? I'm having trouble picturing what you mean. Thanks!

[rcb]

yes'm. I just snapped this real quick.

The little spots on the side of the pot is sand. Neverending sand down here. lol

I like the petrie dishes as opposed to regular saucers because the lip is shallow, controls it from sitting in too much water. Also, the diameter of them fits these net pots better, so they don't take up as much bench space. Remember mine get exposed to rain, so I didn't want them drowning in the saucers.

Will have to see if this works out in the long run, probably still too soon to tell, but like I mentioned, they are growing leaves and roots right now. In fact, they are probably the happiest I've ever seen them. (These were the ones that didn't take to S/H)



And please, I'm not recommending people set their Masdies in water. Just here, mine were drying out so quickly, I was trying to find a way for them to hold a little more water, without severly overpotting them. Even with the extra water, they are still needing water at least twice a week.

[katrina]

Originally Posted by rcb

Another thing I have tried, and it seems to work so far. The ones i have in spag and net pots, I placed in one side of a plastic petrie dish.

Funny that you mention this Renee...I started letting many of mine sit in saucers (not full but a little bit of water in the bottom) last year because they were drying so quickly and I found most responded very well. I had a few that didn't seem to like it but most even grew roots into the water zone.

I started in the Spring (sometime after reading the bulbo book which is what gave me the idea) because the grow space was heating up and the small ones were drying in less than 24hrs. [I don't want to water more than once a day if I don't have to.]

[sunshine]

This has been a great thread

I see a lot of masdies done in sphag and net pots. 2 of mine are in bark and the other 2 are in some type of stone when I got them at the greenhouse. Mine are doing alright. Show no signs of stress. Do masdies prefer one medium more than another. I do like to experiment. I did notice that last summer when we had the hazy,hot and humid weather as long as I kept them moist,including leaving extra water in the humidity tray they were happy and never pitched a hissy

So what are the pros and cons of potting in a net pot w/sphag say to a plastic pot and a bark or coco chip bark

[koshki]

As mentioned above, with the exception of the coccinea I recently put in s/h, all are in sphag, primarily in net pots. I chose sphag after seeing Bolero's post showing his masdie roots in sphag.

That said, I bought several in bloom plants from Hawaii that were in bark. I didn't repot them until after they finished blooming, and I think they did fine in the bark. I don't like bark because I have a harder time judging when they need water...and it seemed that they needed water a lot more in bark. So, it might really be a choice that's better for me, and not necessarily for the plants.

YMMV!

[psyc1210]

Originally Posted by katrina

Funny that you mention this Renee...I started letting many of mine sit in saucers (not full but a little bit of water in the bottom) last year because they were drying so quickly and I found most responded very well. I had a few that didn't seem to like it but most even grew roots into the water zone.

I started in the Spring (sometime after reading the bulbo book which is what gave me the idea) because the grow space was heating up and the small ones were drying in less than 24hrs. [I don't want to water more than once a day if I don't have to.]

I read that book that you are talking about Katrina. I loved that book. I have two Bulbos now sitting in a saucer with about 1/4 inch or less of water. Once they suck it up, I let it be for a couple days, and then refill with a small amount of water again. They are growing and seem happy Maybe I will try that with a Masdie one day as well

[katrina]

Yep...loved the book too! (Thanks again to Renee for mentioning it last year!)

The saucers have made a huge difference in my bulbos (especially those under the drying T5s). Along w/the masdies, I've set a couple others up on saucers at various times.

I'm not using the saucers w/my masdies right now because most arent' drying for a good 2 days but I anticipate I'll do it again this Spring.

Sunshine -- I agree w/Katherine...I don't believe there is any one "best" choice when it comes to mediums. I think whatever works for you is what you should use. I've seen vendors/growers successfully use a wide variety of mediums. Same w/the pots.

[orchids4me]

HIJack.....Ok, ok, lol you gals are killing me lol what's the name of this magic Bulbo book would love to get a good Bulbo book . end of HIJack...........
Thanks
Emmaye
Ps sorry for the hijack its just killin' me lol

[katrina]

It's the same one I always talk about.

Bulbophyllums
The Incomplete Guide; From A to Why?
By Bill Thoms.

To contact Bill for purchase - dukesthoms@verizon.net (it's ok to post his email in an open forum - he has it listed in his book)

It's a great read! Filled w/a lot of useful info as well as a healthy dose of humor. I highly, highly, highly recommend it.

[koshki]

Also, I got my copy through Amazon. It's probably the one thing that got me to realize how important it is to fertilize my plants on a regular basis!

[koshki]

Well, there seem to be no limits to what I can learn about orchids!

I was just checking out the masdie buds I've been misting, and discovered that several of my dried up infracta buds are starting new growth! I'm getting some sequential blooms!

This is very exciting...last year I cut off all the spikes after the first blooms. Now I have another chance to get some blooms out of this dog gone plant!

[katrina]

Yep...infracta is a sequential. Mine is working on a couple of buds. Fingers crossed they stick this time or this one could very well be looking for a new home.

Good luck w/yours!!

[koshki]

This is an update on my masd. coccinea that I put in s/h last January.

I took it out today, and I honestly don't know how it is still alive. It was one mass of rotting stinking dead roots. Everything in the LECA was dead, and as new roots grew into it they seemed to rot. I know this system works for some people, but I just am not one of them.

It took me over an hour to clean it all up, and when I was done it fell into two pieces. I had been trying to decide if I wanted to put it in a clay pot or back into one of the net pots, so I did both. They are both in sphag now.

This poor plant has been through so much. It was the third masdie I bought, and has managed to stay alive despite my neglect and abuse. I've been a bad orchid momma to it.

Hopefully it will be happier now.

[katrina]

Amazing isn't it?! I've had a few masdies do the same thing and I could not understand how there was even one single green leaf. I even had one that no matter what I did...the roots always died...it continued to push out leaves and even bloom. Of course, it would lose leaves as fast as it would make them and I once had a spike from a leaf bract that no longer even had a leaf. I couldn't believe it didn't just keel over. I ended up pitching it anyway because I never could figure out how to make it happy...and a few leaves and an occasional bloom isn't enough to earn a coveted spot on my already crowded shelves.

Good luck bringing this one back. My infracta was intro'd to Mr Trash awhile back. It definitely wasn't earning one of those coveted spots on my shelves.

[cable]

I think the bud blast is almost certainly a humidity issue; I used to have that problem a lot.

I think people overrate the importance of cool temperatures to masdies. As long as the humidity is good, you can make up for warmer temperatures by reducing the lighting, which can be surprisingly dim.

As for the roots, masdies like it slightly dry so long as there's plenty of humidity (70%+). If the humidity is low, provide a lot of water to compensate, but it's easy to rot a lot of roots.

A relatively straightforward (though spendy) way to increase humidity for masdies is to set up a terrarium: go to a pet shop, get an aquarium or terrarium, and find an ultrasonic mister in the reptile section. Get some eggcrate (the mesh of plastic squares you sometimes see over fluorescent lights; I find it at Home Depot). Prop the eggcrate a few inches off the bottom of the aquarium or terrarium, with water below it and the ultrasonic fogger in the water. Put the plants on top of the eggcrate.

Keeping the mister on a timer works well, you can even have it "water" the plants at the same time every day by misting for an hour or so. ("Dew" will form.) It helps to have the top of the tank mostly covered to keep the humidity in, and to have a computer fan set up in there to keep the air moving.

It's probably feasible to humidify in the same way outside a terrarium, but I haven't tried it.

[koshki]

I just read through this thread and realized that I never reported on my technique to prevent bud blast. Well, help prevent it...it still happens a bit.

Anyway, I started misting the buds...not a spray bottle, but one of those gadgets that makes a fine mist. Several times a day, and viola! I had some make it all the way.

Also, I added lights over my masdies, and got lots of spikes...but also lots of yellow leaves. It's hard to find the happy medium.

Kat, my infracta kept pushing out spikes. I counted over 40 of them when I took the darn plant to our OS auction last June. I decided that when it did bloom, I didn't really like the bloom. Most of those spikes bloomed poorly, if at all. Someone will probably get an award with that plant, but it won't be me!

Cable, I like your suggestions regarding the terrarium, but I don't know if I have the space to do it. I've started to get more into phrags and catts. These seem more tolerant to my conditions. I've been downsizing my masdie collection.

Life's too short to stick with orchids that don't do well for you!

[rcb]

Originally Posted by koshki

Life's too short to stick with orchids that don't do well for you!

Absolutely!

[cable]

Yeah, if they don't do well for you, there are plenty of other orchids to enjoy! And misting a lot is simpler than setting up a terrarium...

[lmartiny]

I've sworn off Masdies. Too hot. I managed to keep one going for over a year but never got a rebloom. This summer it went kaput. It was a nice little plant. I should have packed it up and shipped it north to a geek as soon as I saw it declining.