Flowers on Masdie zahlbruckneri

[sterling]

I bought this orchid in April, and it has been putting out flower spikes, but the flowers always seem to dry up, even though I keep the plant moist.

Anyone have experience with this plant?

[Ki_in_NoVa]

hey, shouldn't this be in the cultivation talk? I almost missed it.

I have zah.... mounted on cork with a ton of sphag. (I dread when I rot out the cork.) It's hanging of a shelf in an area where humidity is currently fluctuating between 45 and 70, and I sometimes forget to soak so it dries out from time to time. It seems happy and the flowers are opening... though I wish they would stay open longer.

My issue with this thing is that most of the flowers are upside down, and all the new growth as well. It may be the way I added more sphag on top - initially intended to be a temporary fix. I also keep breaking off buds when I dunk.

[Forrest]

bummer. There are a few diferent things that cause bud blast. One possibility is if you have the plant somewhere drafty, that draft will may times blast the bud. Another is too low of humidity. Some Masdevalia are very sensitive to humidity levels. Try to see if you can up the humidity a bit. There are a few other reasons such as uncombusted gas but those two reasons are the most popular.

Hope this helps.

[Ki_in_NoVa]

Btw, the person who suggested this one to me knows my growing conditions. So among the masdies, it should be relatively tolerant of warmth and low(er) humidity.... I would definitely check for drafts.