Masdevallia culture, cool growers outdoor culture and Kool logs

[Tindomul]

So sorry to join this conversation so late. Back when I was growing lots of Masdies I grem them inside an aquarium. The masdies were in their own pots and hung from the rim of the tank. The bottom of the tank had a reservoir of water and an ultrasonic fogger. There was a computer fan or two to keep air moving for a while when the plants got reall wet. It also kept the fog from settling far below the plant's reach. I had good success with this setup until I went away for a month and no one took care of them. When I returned, the plants had survived but were infested with scale, roots were dry and I failed at rescuing any but the most robust. From a collection of 30 I lat 24 or so almost immediately.
I find myself restarting my collection now, most plants still in shipping. I got some kool-logs, and also have this crazy idea of drilling side holes in clay pots, plugging the original bottom hole and using the pots for S/H culture. I really want to try out some of these coccineas. Those are gorgeous!

Masdevallia colossus 'Cascade' x Masdevallia goliath ' Seattle' -01 by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia panguiensis by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia tovarensis-05 by César, on Flickr
Pluerothallis palliolata-04 by César, on Flickr
Pluerothallis palliolata-11 by César, on Flickr
César, on Flickr
Masdevallia Sunset Jaguar 'Psychedelic Sunset'-07 by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia Sunset Jaguar 'Psychedelic Sunset'-04 by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia Velveteen Angel by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia Macchu Pichu-09 by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia floribunda by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia floribunda by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia titan-07 by César, on Flickr
Masdevallia titan-02 by César, on Flickr


In this last pic you get a hint of the way the setup looked.
Masdevallia titan-04 by César, on Flickr

[wintergirl]

" have this crazy idea of drilling side holes in clay pots, plugging the original bottom hole and using the pots for S/H culture."

You don't really need to do anything to the clay pot. Just put the s/h beads in there and set the pot in a dish of rain water. I have several plants in this. Some like more water in the dish than others. The clay pot soaks up the water plus the hole in the bottom allows water exchange.

[Tindomul]

What about air exchange? That was my reason for the holes on the side. But I'm glad you think the idea is not far fetched.

[wintergirl]

Originally Posted by Tindomul

What about air exchange? That was my reason for the holes on the side. But I'm glad you think the idea is not far fetched.

Clay pots are breathable you don't need any holes.

[Tindomul]

Thanks, I never realized that the porosity of the clay would be enough.

[wintergirl]

Originally Posted by Tindomul

Thanks, I never realized that the porosity of the clay would be enough.

Here is a video from Dr Mote talking about clay pots at 27:58 until around 40:00. Worth the watch. He also talks about holes in clay pots around 37:00.

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[Tindomul]

Great video by the way, thanks for sharing. I learned a lot.