Masdevallia

Light needs are easy to fulfill for Masdevallia. They can receive ambient light in a greenhouse or North window at the least, up to three hours of direct sun at the most. Most will thrive with two to three hours of direct sun a day.

• In a greenhouse, shadecloth is required to reach about 10,750-21,500 lumens (1,000-2,000 foot-candles), depending on the plants.
• In the home, east, north or west windows where they will get about 1-3 hours of direct sun are ideal.
• Masdevallia will grow well under artificial light. Use lightbulbs/LEDs of your choice that are about 1-2 feet above the plant and emit >10,000 lumens per square yard/square meter. The lowest amount of lumens for growth is about 1000 lumens, though flowering may be poor. Some species will flower even with no direct sun exposure, as long as the ambient light is bright enough.

Temperature should be fairly constant and 55F-72F (12.7C-22.2C) is the ideal range for most species, regardless of species-specific temperature preferences. There are warmer growing and cold growing species, but this range should work for all plants. They can tolerate up to 85F (29.4C) days as long as the nights are room temperature or cooler, so the plants can rest. The obligate cold growers should not go above room temperature ever, and the warmer growers should not be cooled much under room temperature.

When thinking about Masdevallia water needs, think about the environments that they come from – mostly high-elevation cloud forests. Coupled with not having pseudobulbs, this means that these plants should not dry out during active growth. If not enough water is given, or there is too much time between waterings, the plants will either generate deformed growth or simply drop dead. Regardless of growing indoors or in a greenhouse, water should be liberally applied. Potting mix should be perpetually moist and dry slightly between waterings. Plants should not dry out completely, or if they do, water needs to be immediately applied when the media hits dryness. Some indoor and greenhouse growers keep these plants in a shallow tray of water to ensure that the plants never dry out. If adding more water, always add to the top of the media. Avoid wetting foliage or allowing water to sit in the center of the growth. Many species are salt-sensitive, so rainwater or distilled water should be used. Black tips on the ends of the leaves are a sign of water that has too many dissolved solids.

Humidity should be maintained at 60% to 90% unless plants are standing in water. Plants can be grown in lower humidities if the pot is in a shallow water tray. Air circulation will help prevent damage to leaves by leafspot fungi.

Fertilize on a regular schedule when the plants are actively growing, which can start at any time of the year. Many plants will perpetually grow, meaning that you should fertilize at all times of the year. Use a ½ - ¼ strength dose of a well-balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10).

Potting should be timed to coincide with the initiation of new growth, usually in the spring, but these equatorial plants tend to grow year-round, so anytime is the right time, as long as they are not in spike. New roots will be produced quickly at the time of new growth, and plants will experience minimal setback.

• In greenhouses, these plants are best grown mounted to cork or treefern branches with some sphagnum. Although, Masdevallia can be grown in plastic pots. If the greenhouse is especially cool and shady, then these can be grown on terracotta that never dries out.
• When growing indoors, it’s best to pot these plants in either tree fern fiber, sphagnum, very fine orchid bark mix, sand, or some combination thereof. Use plastic pots, as terracotta will dry them out too much.

When well-grown, some of these orchids can be divided down to leaf cuttings (Restrepia especially) and propagated that way.

Further information can be found on the Masdevallia genus page.

Best orchid care practices are also provided for watering, repotting, and fertilizer types. There are also detailed discussions of growing orchids indoors, outdoors, or in greenhouses.

For more information on genus name changes, see Taxonomy.