[PleuroPal]

I'm trying to get a little more prudent about this issue, but I have been known to take a walk on the wild side as it were. Another way of putting it would be to say I've been known to be a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread.

Several years ago I bought my first Masdie (a Masd. Mendozae) based purely on the cool picture of it at Andy's, and proceeded to kill it within several weeks. I hadn't done the proper research and I left it in direct sunlight and let the medium dry out frequently. Needless to say, it didn't take long for this little baby to expire.

Around the same time I got a Dracula houtteana, and although it is still alive, it has not been happy at all. I think it's starting to recover, but for the longest time - even though I knew it needed shade - I still didn't give it enough water, plus the water I was giving it was high in dissolved salts and we all know what draculas think of that.

I've learned a lot since then, but I've still ocassionaly thrown caution to the wind and bought more masdies, pleurothals and bulbos, because they're some of my favorites. So far everybody seems happy although there have been no flowers. My biggest concern is the onset of summer. I have no A/C and usually don't need it. But there are a couple of weeks out of the year when I sorely wish I did have it, and I think some of these babies will be wishing for it even more than I will. But we'll see.