Do you know anything about Masd. caudata? That one seems like a good sized flower and looks interesting. I am thinking of getting one, but am curious if it is a touchy one or not.[/QUOTE]
Masd. caudata can be very touchy!
---------- Post added at 09:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:39 AM ----------
Without trying to sound like I know everything (I'm still learning), perhaps I can add the following.
Some of the advice given here was very good, IMO, especially:
1) the information about hybrids rather than species, i.e., that they are generally more tolerant - that is usually true across the board, and you might be better trying some hybrids before you get into species too much.
2) the recommendation re clay pots - they do, I think, help keep the plants a little cooler especially under your conditions - even in my wardian case there are a few that I grow in clay pots for that reason.
3) Masd. decumana can be a bit temperamental - mine will occasionally drop some leaves when it is not happy and while it blooms better on a mount, the plant seems to be happier in a pot.
In addition, I'm going to make a few suggestions but don't want anyone to take them as law. I've grown orchids on windowsills, under lights, in a greenhouse, outdoors, and in my experience, getting things right is a matter of trial and error and experience. What works for one person doesn't always work for someone else and what works in one environment doesn't always work in another.
1) Temperature: someone mentioned the 78 was too high for M. decumana. It isn't necessarily. It gets that temperature here sometimes for weeks, but I think it is more a matter of some cooling at night when the temps are high (which we get). Also there's the fact that even to us, 78 can "feel" very different, muggy and oppressive or very comfortable and Masdevallias seem to like what we like. In connection with that I think that those who suggested temperature as the reason for leaf drop are probably correct. Temperature recommendations are very vague, but helpful in this regard, that "cool" growing orchids probably will not tolerate temperatures of 78 at all or only when everything else is ideal, while "warmth-tolerant" probably means that they will given the fact that everything else is right. In my experience most orchids are tolerant of a wide range of conditions if the environment is right, and many, especially species and smaller orchids are very intolerant of anything if the environment is not right. My wardian case is on the cool side of intermediate (I think), but I grow everything in there from warm-growing to cold growing plants and most do well. There are a few on the hot end of things that just will nhot tolerate the low temperatures, but the exceptions are few.
2) Humidity: even with a humidifier the humidity in an open room is really not very high and to get it higher the walls would probably be dripping. I do not really trust the readings one gets regarding humidity in a windowsill environment.
3) Air movement: Masdevallias like good air movement, but a fan blowing on them on a windowsill usually has somewhat of a desiccating effect.
4) When I stick my head into my wardian case it smells fresh and with the air movement and humidity the whole case feels like a very fresh spring morning. That is ideal, I think, and almost impossible to get on a windowsill. Windowsills are very difficult places to grow small or mounted orchids or species that are touchy, because the conditions are so variable. For example, the temperature can vary considerably as a result of the light and even proximately to the glass. We grow some Paphs, Phrags and Phals on a bathroom windowsill and they do very well, but they get more humidity there than in the rest of the house.
Potting: I think this is more critical than people realize and is one of the hardest things to get right in relation to one's conditions. I've already said that mounted orchids do not usually do well in a windowsill and I think that is generally true, but potting can make quite a difference as well. Almost everything in my wardian case is grown in net pots and live sphagnum, but I would not grow the plants that way on a windowsill or in a more open environment. In less than ideal conditions sphagnum tends to dry out, be hard to remoisten or be far too wet and then it quickly becomes sour. I also think it is packed too tightly in most cases, but dries out even more quickly if packed loosely. I use live sphagnum loosely packed in net pots and the sphagnum grows in the pots (sometimes almost overwhelms the plants) and stays just moist without drying out. In your conditions, however, net pots and live sphagnum probably would not work. A mix of tree fern, perlite, bark, etc., might work, but that stays way to wet for me.
I hope that helps and hope I haven't overwhelmed you. I remember when I started with orchids how utterly at sea I was - tried to grow everything and tried every new idea that came along, but gradually came to realize that I had to get it right for me and my growing conditions and that there wasn't any one solution.
Perhaps that's the reason I'm not very scientific about my orchids - I never check the PH of the water, never measure fertilizer - just throw a tiny pinch in the sprayer most times I water - water by feel rather than on a strict schedule and observe. If a plant isn't doing well, I try to understand why and correct what can be corrected (i.e., I've had several Masdevallias that were troubled by leaf spotting and have added two more fans to my case and that seems to be doing the trick, but that comes as a result of thinking right from the start that I probably did not have enough air movement).
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