{{gwi:143230}}Not a special setup exactly, but special consideration. Warmth tolerant means that they won't die as easily in heat. I bloom them in a greenhouse that gets up to 90 in summer for several hours a day.

The secret to that is that I dump cold fog on them constantly at 90 and down to 80 if the humidity is less than 50%. And water every day during most of the year. I think that keeping the roots cool is more important than the air temperature.

I was never able to bloom them indoors. They need pretty good light.

The picture is of one of my favorite hybrids, Masdevallia Golden Tiger 'Augie' HCC/AOS.

If you want to try Masdevallia get a single hybrid. Grow that for a year and if you can bloom it, then get more. My first Masdevallia was Masdevallia Angel Tang and it is a reliable bloomer for me.

Good luck.

PS, I can't grow pansy orchids, too warm for them here. I can't find the balance between watering enough and root rot. I have a couple but I wouldn't call them a real success story.

"warmth tolerance" is a misnomer, really, with Masdevallias (and incidentally, miltoniopsis). The term is very, VERY relative and refers to plants that are not happy in excessive warth but will do no more than tolerate it. The biggest problem you will find with "warmth tolerant" Masd and Mltps in Texas is our high night temps. Warmth tolerant hybrids will be okay with a jump in daytime temps as long as the nights get back under 70F. Unfortunately, in texas, we're lucky if we see under EIGHTY at night, for about nine months of the year. The thing that will stress both Masdevallias and Miltoniopsis, here, is the consistantly high night temperatures. If the temps are too high at night, the plants cannot perform metabolic functions properly (for they normally do so at night).

If you want to try some "warmth tolerant" Masdies and milts, you might look into an artificially cooled wardian case. I built my own. It looks sortof utilitarian, but it works. I keep it in my bathroom which gets very cool, especially when the A/C is running all the time in summer. Also, humidity can be a very large issue, so if you choose to grow a few, a bathroom can be ideal. I have a cool mist humidifier in the wardian case and of course, twice a day the plants enjoy the steam from a shower.

Pics of my case:

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-Cj

Thx for the input! Richard, your bloom (is it Angel Tang?) is gorgeous. I'm taking your advice. I ordered floribunda (a mini, so no problem keeping it indoors), along with other plants that I had already planned on getting. He only offers the floribunda, so my decision was easy ;)

If I can grow/bloom it, then I want the Angel Tang. CJ, I like your set-up. It does look easy enough even for this grannie to build. I've copied your pics.

I think I'll forget about the Miltonia, just concentrate on the masdie.

Sheila :)

Sheila, I'm going through a similar process. Last March I got a Masde Celtic Frost from Komoda. No greenhouse here, but I put it outside in the spring, brought it back in the AC when it got too hot, then put it back outside in early September, when nights got cooler. It stayed out till temps got into the high 40s.

In November, it started getting buds (is that the right term?) and had 13 flowers all about the same time. It's got about 5 more buds now.

Long-term, I may not have the conditions for Masdes, but here's my inside set up for this one: E/SE light, winter night temp 57, winter day temps between mid-60s and mid-70s, depending on whether the sun's out.

Low humidity - 20%-40%. Every 4th watering, I clean the leaves w/ water, but that's the only extra moisture it gets. I had it under 26W CFLs, but some leaves turned yellow - not dying - and Ivan Komoda said to get it away from the supplemental light.

Our conditions are very different, but perhaps something here will help.

J&L Orchids has loads of Masde hybrids they label intermediate growers and some they claim are warmth-tolerant.

I've looked at the floribunda, too, esp. because someone in FL blooms it outside.

Cj, I remember your pix of the case - very inventive. You gotta have some happy plants in there.

Sheila, keep us posted. Whitecat8

Here is a link that might be useful: J&L Orchids

I've been having some indoor success with the warmth tolerant ones by double potting them. In the summer my grow room can get to around 90, so for several years I really struggled with masdies.

I now have the plants potted in a 4" clay pots. I then put the 4" clay pot into a 6" clay pot and stuff the gap between the two pots with spagh. Twice a week a soak the spagh in between and in the mornings I usually mist the outside of the 6" clay pot. I 'think' this helps to keep the roots cool enough that I can sucessfully grow a few of 'em. Currently I grow an Angel Tang (seems to be a constant bloomer, at least 9 out of 12 months in bloom), a Snow Leaopard (constantly blooming for over 1 year) and one I can't remeber the name of while I'm here at work. I'm looking to add a princeps this coming weekend, I had one a few years back but really struggled keeping it going and it finally lost the battle.

Bob

I am much farther north, but I grow inside so my temps are around 70 all the time. I have a few Masdies. 'Angel Tang' bloomed and is putting up two more spikes and 'Copper Angel' is putting up about 6 spikes.

I did give them about 2 weeks of mid to high 50's at night which seemed to encourage their blooming.

As has been said "tolerant" is the key word. I live in zone 9b-10a and even the warmth tolerant has probelms in our summer heat. Zone 9-10 in humid Florida in different than say California zone 9-10. During summer the days get over 90 and the nights will not drop out of the 80's. If you want to try Masd. I would stick with the more heat tolerant ones, Angel tang is a good choice but INO the as warmth tolerant as Maui Gold. What zone are you in and also are you in an arid area? They love the wet humid air but if the nights do not cool enough for them they will wither and die.

Hello, Sheila

I grow masdie floribunda in Central Florida, without any special set up. It is in sphagnum moss, in a clay pot
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I also have Masdevallia infracta - no blooms yet, but it is growing well.
I ordered a few masdies from Komoda Orchids - gorgeous plants. Two died, unfortunately, and two still are around (more than a year and a half later) One is doing OK - do not remember the name as I am at work, and another doing fairly well - I believe, Angel Tang

Worth giving one or two a try :)
Olya

I completely give up on Masdies! Such a huge variety of very unique ones out there, but I feel such tremendous guilt every time one of mine winds up compost, no matter what I try. I'll just have to enjoy these posts...

Sharon

Richard, forgot to say how lovely your Golden Tang is. Ummm.

Ah - Olya, you're the one w/ the infracta. I remember the picture.

Bob, your double potting sounds worth trying. Why am I impatient for re-potting time to get here? Maybe because winter will be over?

Whitecat8

Oh, and Sharon, it's too bad Masdes don't work at your place. 'Course, they may not here, either! WC8

Tab64, I'm in zone 9, S Central Texas. We almost always have high humidity, but also very high temps. I'd definitely have to grow indoors during the summer. I just love Richards pic of the Angel Tang. I'm going to check the other nursery links......here goes my 'try just one'....I have so little resolve.....but I must hold it to just1more ;)

Sheila

Sheila Angel Tang is a good choice for a first Masd. It is warmth tolerant and easy to grow and bloom. They can take the heat in summer but it is the cool of the evenings that we do not get here in my area. Winters are easy and they grow like weeds since our days will be in the 70's and evenings into the 50's. In summer many people I know here do grow indoors with the A/C, some lucky ones have A/C or cool pads in special growing rooms. When you grow indoors in summer place a saucer w/water under pot to keep moist/humidity up A/C dries the air out.

Almost eight years later how is the Masdie growing experiment going for you Sheila? I have also been trying to grow those beauties in Texas, with very limited success unfortunately. I had Masd. Peach Fuzz for over 1 ½ years and I had already divided the plant because it was growing like crazy, when it started to decline. I had several others as well. Now there are just two very little plants left which I mounted onto 'cool logs' a few days ago and hope that will give them a boost.