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[Ederer Thomas <thomas.ederer@siemens.com>]

Title: Masdevallia potting media

Hi

I have one little problem with my Masdevallias when I´m not at home (holidays, business trips, ...). All my small growing Masdevallias (strobelii, glandulosa, minuta and an unidentified seedling) are potted in pure sphagnum moss. Because of our hot and dry summers I have to use clay pots for evaporative cooling. In winter I spray them once a day (late afternoon) and water them as soon as the moss becomes dry (normally 1-2 times per week). In summer I spray them twice a day (morning and late afternoon) and water them as soon as the moss becomes dry (normally 2-3 times per week). Additionally in summer, I pour daily about 5mm rainwater into each coaster for evaporative cooling. The clay pots soak up the water and evaporate it very fast. Because of the evaporation the clay becomes very cool and that´s what my little Masdevallias enjoy in hot summer. When I use evaporative cooling it´s very important to give the plants as much fresh air as possible to aviod fungi problems (sudden leaf drop). In winter when it is freezing outside I do not use evaporative cooling because the risk of fungi problems is to high (not enough fresh air, very short days, ...).

My problem: What´s the best method to make shure that my plants do not die when I´m not at home for longer than 1 week ?

In the past a friend had a look at our plants 2 or 3 times a week. It is better than no care but I always lose a few plants because of to much or no water.

Cheers

Thomas

www.orchideenvermehrung.at