Dracula sodiroi is native to Ecuador. It grows mainly on clay soil (sometimes epiphytic in low trees and lithophyte on rocks) at an altitude of 2200 to 3600 meters above sea level...
Dracula sodiroi also called as Father Sodiro's Dracula, Masdevallia sodiroi, is a species of the genus Dracula. This species was described by Carlyle A. Luer in 1978.
IDENTIFY DRACULA SODIROI ORCHID PLANT
Dracula sodiroi is native to Ecuador. It grows mainly on clay soil (sometimes epiphytic in low trees and lithophyte on rocks) at an altitude of 2200 to 3600 meters above sea level.
It is a cool to cold growing terrestrial species with slender, erect ramicauls enveloped by 2 to 3, tubular sheaths carrying a single, apical, erect, thinly coriaceous, carinate, very narrowly obovate, acute, gradually narrowing below into an indistinct petiolate base, about 20 cm in length and 1-1.2 cm in width leaf.
Father Sodiro's Dracula blooms in the summer and fall on an erect, slender, 20 cm long, few flowered inflorescence arising from low on the ramicaul with tubular, oblique floral bract. The flowers in form bells, hang down in a direction, color from orange to red, have no smell, about 3.5 cm in diameter. Sepals strongly fused with each other, on the tips have (2 cm in length) "tail", inside fairly densely covered with hairs. Petals on the tips are quadrangular, about 0 in size, 7 cm long and 0.3 cm wide. The lip is oval, has wavy growths, 0.8 cm in length and 0.3 cm in width. The column is short, slightly arched, about 0.6 cm long.
DRACULA SODIROI ORCHID PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Dracula sodiroi is suitable for a partial shade of 6000 to 18000 lux. As the location of the plant, you can choose the northern and eastern windows. It is especially important that during the hot summer season the orchids are not exposed to direct sunlight, since bright light destroys the delicate tissues of the leaves, causing massive blackening and drying out. Orchid grows well in conditions of only artificial lighting.
Temperature:
This type of orchid refers to the cold temperature regime, however, it often adapts well to a more moderate content. It is recommended that plants be grown throughout the year under the following conditions: Summer temperature is 18-25 ° C; Winter temperature is not below 12 ° C. It is necessary that the night temperature of the contents is always 3-4 ° C lower than the daytime temperature.
Humidity:
In natural habitats, almost every day there are short rains, and in the morning hours thick fogs appear, which makes the relative humidity of the air extremely seldom fall below 60%, and is usually at the level of 80-85%. In conditions of high humidity, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the room where the plants are kept, since wet, stale air is an ideal medium for the mass reproduction of various fungal and bacterial diseases.
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Dracula sodiroi can be grow in pots and hanging lattice baskets and placed on blocks. As a substrate, a mixture of finely chopped bark of coniferous trees with moss sphagnum, charcoal and roots of ferns, as well as growing in pure sphagnum (mainly in baskets) is suitable. When using blocks (recommended only if at least 65-70% of air humidity is present), a small layer in the form of dry or live sphagnum should also be placed on top of the roots.
Watering:
The frequency and abundance of watering the orchids of this species directly depends on the overall temperature of the content and intensity of the illumination, the higher they are, the more often and abundant it is necessary to water. Plants growing on blocks, it is desirable to water daily in the morning, so that by evening their roots could dry out relatively well. When watering orchids in pots, it is necessary to remember that excess water during watering should flow freely out of the pot, as the stagnation of water both inside the pot and in its pallet can very quickly lead to rotting of the roots and the lower part of the plant. Water should be used with a soft, filtered or a mixture of distilled and ordinary tap water in a 1: 1 ratio. The substratum between the irrigations should dry relatively well, but do not dry out completely, i.e. always in a slightly moist, but not wet state. Long drying (especially at high temperatures) leads to the withering away of the tender root system of the plant.
Fertilizer:
During the new growth period, this type of orchids is fertilized not more than once in 30-40 days in 1/4 or 1/5 of the concentration of fertilizer indicated on the package. In addition to the usual root top dressing, it is also recommended to produce a foliar dressing, when a very much diluted fertilizer is sprayed on the outer part of the plant. It is best to feed the orchid, alternating both these methods. The best fertilizer is fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal parts, for example, NPK = 3-3-3 or 8-8-8. If you do not have such a fertilizer, then at the beginning of the growing season (the emergence of new shoots), feed the orchid with a fertilizer with a high nitrogen content, and when the sprout reaches 1/2 of its normal growth - fertilizer with a higher content of phosphorus.
Rest period:
Dracula sodiroi does not need any rest period: neither for stimulation of flowering, nor in winter. After flowering, the flower stalks are removed only when they begin to dry up on their own, since the orchid refers to the "revolver" type of flowering, when the flower grows longer after the first flower falls, forming a new bud (up to 5-7 flowers). Also after flowering, if necessary, the orchid is transplanted and kept relatively dry for some time. This is necessary to acclimatize the plant and to prevent rotting of the roots from the transplant.
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