Mexi on tree fern

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I’ve had this mexipedium for maybe a year, maybe purchased at sepos show but can’t remember exactly. It’s an Oaxaca x self. The last one I had did okay in a big Tupperware cake cover but eventually with moving and not having good spot (plus inattention) it died.

This one was one growth and the next the new roots didn’t prosper how I had it. It has a new 1.5 “ shoot and I’d seen a massive one on tree fern at a vendors in Virginia. He had fern block in something that kept the block damp and moss covered, in a greenhouse.

The setup is a standard seedling tray that holds water. Inside are floral foam blocks cut in half filling the tray. In the middle there was a small gap where pieces didn’t meet, and there is some seedling media and the orchid. The new shoot is resting on fern, and there is spanish moss all around. Water poured over until blocks filled and some water in bottom.

I’m going to put a dome over the plant area, as I saw during past attempts that in an upstate ny apt under lights it was much happier when a plastic dome surrounded things

I don’t know if it was solid or soft fern he was growing his on before, I’ve had this fern for awhile and wanted to put it to use and see if I could replicate what his results were. The vendor is in leesburg, it was al’s orchid exchange. I had to look at the map to refresh the town and vendor :D

I have no idea why the pictures are sideways, they are upright on my phone??
 

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Pics without resizing by iOS’s new photo resizing function, stayed upright, hmmm
 

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Interesting way to grow this one! Good luck and keep us posted on how it does. Mine really seemed to struggle when it dried out (but I have heard others only do well when keeping it drier). I would imagine you will need the dome to keep it happy unless you want to be watering it multiple times a day.
 
Very interesting Charles. I wonder if Oasis from
florist shops might be a good medium for retaining
moisture underneath the whole shebang to keep
humidity up to desired levels.
 
Thanks! Actually the floral foam is oasis, and with the soft tree fern pressed down against it and then all watered it stays moist awhile. I may put a dome over it anyhow just to make it really humid. I need better under-warmth though to do this I think during cooler time
 
FWIW - I have grown Mexipedium for ~20 years and have always done well with a chunky peat-bark mix for 4"-5" pots. My biggest plant is in an 8" pot of mostly Stalite gray rock. I'm in the 'hot south' and grow the plants in Cattleya/Dendrobium light; the only problems I have are when the potting mix stays swampy wet.
 
I would think the moss Al's are on would be a more moisture retaining type than that. Good luck, though.
The spanish moss is hopefully temporary, to give more humidity around the growing point so it will stop extending and put out roots. The previous growth started roots but they dried up. Much too many things going on back then to pay attention or change anything :)
I’ve had two other setups where things seemed to be going well, but each time I had to relocate I didn’t have place for things. My apt now is tiny and I have things on three radiators that have lots of styrofoam or other in between plants and heat in winter. i think with the bottom moisture and the tree fern staying moist, some moss will grow of its own. The fern stays pretty moist for a week easily right now so not concerned about it being too ‘dry’. actually memory of a few days ago showed it looked like the growing point was fattening and greening up, so think it’s about to set up shop. Right now the tray is on the kitchen floor near the oven and other lit plants, waiting for an inspired new ‘home’ spot

rockbend, thanks for the info! I think mexi likes hot and very humid, very much. I think some of the problems we North American growers have is we don’t have it hot enough, and usually not humid enough. So the plants are stalled and not ‘active and healthy’ and just hanging on a lot of the time.
 
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Mexipedium up should be grown more like a Paph in terms of dryer feet, but one thing that many miss is that they really hate air movement. i have a nice clump that has moved to the opposite side of the pot from where the air movement is coming from.
 
Mexipedium up should be grown more like a Paph in terms of dryer feet, but one thing that many miss is that they really hate air movement. i have a nice clump that has moved to the opposite side of the pot from where the air movement is coming from.
FWIW, YMMV, but that is not my experience. My Mexi's like a wetter mix and they grow within 6' of a 48" exhaust fan.

Further proof that what works for one does not always work for another. Cheers!
 
Mexipedium up should be grown more like a Paph in terms of dryer feet, but one thing that many miss is that they really hate air movement. i have a nice clump that has moved to the opposite side of the pot from where the air movement is coming from.
Have you looked for another variable to account for the movement, such as light levels or temperature?
 

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