Mexipedium rescue project

[Marc]

A few days ago I managed to get a single growth Mexipedium that isn't in the best condition. But as the plant is hard to get I'm going to do my best to rescue it.

After some reading on this forum and on various sites I came across this topic on our own forum:

http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16834&page=1

Various people mentioned getting good results with potting the mexipedium in a river sand mix with charcoal. So I decided that this was the way forward for me.

First of all let me show you the poor little plant:

As I read that Mexipedium is a shallow rooting plant I decided that I need a bit wider pot that isn't to deep. I came across the following pot and it was the best that I could find.

Because it's still a bit deep, but not as deep as a regular terracotta pot I decided to add some lava stones for drainage.

Because the lava is quite coarse I decided to add some perlite which should still provide drainage while preventing to much of the substrate from running out.

Now it's substrate mixing time, I decided to use river sand, charcoal, coarse river sand and a bit of perlite.

While mixing it I found out that I had to much charcoal so i mixed in more river sand end I ended up with this mix.

Plant was potted and it ended up looking like this.

I placed the plant on a eastern facing windowsill, it get plenty of light there without getting direct expose to strong afternoon sun. I will keep you guys updated.

 

[Kavanaru]

Be carefull with the watering! Fine river sand tends to hold a lot of water and get somehow compact... Your Mexi has no roots, so it will not easy to cope with all tha water...

If I were you, I would give it a bath in a rooting hormones mix (e.g. KLN or Superthrive), and use the sphag method to let it stablish some strong roots, before moving it to the sand mix!

Good luvk with your plant! It is indeed worth to try to save it (rare and expensive - overprized IMO - in Europe!)

 

[Marc]

Thanks for your input Ramon, I'm still contemplating on what to do. This morning I potted it this way so that it would be in some form of substrate. I was expecting to get some more input here from the experts.

After watering I was allready a bit worried about how compact this mixture became after watering. And I allready started think about repotting into something else.

Unfortunately I don't have any rooting hormones available and putting it in spagnum sounds like a good idea. Looking forward to more people giving some input.

 

[Marc]

Ramon do you mean this product?

http://www.degroenetulp-webshop.nl/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65_48_49&products_id=356

How would I apply it? Make a solution and then dip the bottom part of the plant in it? Advice please?

 

[Kavanaru]

Yeap, that's it... Use it very diluted and deep your plant in it for a while (I normally use KLN for new plants and give them a bath of +/- 30 minutes... But I know that some of the southamerican nurseries that regularly bring plants to europe, give tneir plants an overnight bath in SuperThrive before packaging them - I have had better result re-starting plants from these nursies than from those not using superthrive!)

 

[Ray]

Be carefull with the watering? Fine river sand tends to hold a lot of water and get somehow compact...

Because the particles are so small, the spaces between the particles are, as well. That allows surface tension to completely fill the voids with water, blocking off all air flow, which eventually suffocates the roots (assuming the plant has some).

Coarser media have voids that are just too big, thereby exceeding surface tension's ability to hold water in the entire void volume.

 

[keithrs]

I have may own Mexi recover projection going too.... I got a "2 growth" division from Andy's it was not a "2 growth" division in the traditional since. They where two separate growths tied together with fishing line. Needlees to say Andy told me that it was an established division..... Noop.... Instead I got two rootless leads....


Anyway, I have got mine to start with new leads. I mixed Power #5 Orchaita with moss, 50/50, in 2 1/2" plastic pots separate. I have them in a enclosed "bakers rack" under 2 T-12 light. Temps are 60-85, humidity 60-80%, High air circulation. Misted daily and watered twice a week. Root zone is just barely in the mix. I only foliar feed it with K-lite "When needed".

Mexi's don't like to be fooled with....

 

[Kavanaru]

Because the particles are so small, the spaces between the particles are, as well. That allows surface tension to completely fill the voids with water, blocking off all air flow, which eventually suffocates the roots (assuming the plant has some).

Coarser media have voids that are just too big, thereby exceeding surface tension's ability to hold water in the entire void volume.

Thanks Ray, actually it was not a question... Stupid mobile phone had ! and ? too close to each other...

 

[SlipperKing]

Marc,
You may want to course up the mix a bit as suggusted. I had problems until I started growing this species wet. see PIC.

New start at arrow.

Closeup of the mix- moss growth

 

[Marc]

Thanks for the input so far, as I was allready worried about the compactness of the mix after watering. And of course the input i decided to repot.

For the coming days I'll keep it potted "fuukiran" style. I potted it as my neo's on a mount of spagnum with a cavity on the inside. That should prevent the condition of the plant degrading.

 

[cnycharles]

I think that high humidity, damp and airy media and usually bright light would help this plant. normally I think they like bright light, but until you get some roots I don't think keeping it shady will bother it at all. I think any combination of damp but airy media will keep it happy, as i've seen a few different combinations that people have had, with nice plants in it. The wet part I think really helps, if water can be 'fresh'. Actually before mine flowered quite a few times on a long spike last year, I had kept the plant in a wide container that had a clear dome over the top of the whole plant, and I didn't really water it very much. it was over the winter so I was letting it be a bit dormant. I believe the humidity helped it the most as my conditions in winter are often not very humid

... and from comparing different pics i've seen where people had dry or wet media, and the plants either had wide or tight rhizome spacing, I think the plants that had the best humidity/moisture had the smallest internodes between growths, suggesting that a plant with wide nodes is stretching to try and find a little better growing spot

 

[SlipperKing]

... and from comparing different pics i've seen where people had dry or wet media, and the plants either had wide or tight rhizome spacing, I think the plants that had the best humidity/moisture had the smallest internodes between growths, suggesting that a plant with wide nodes is stretching to try and find a little better growing spot
I think this is most likely the case Charles.

 

[eggshells]

Good luck with your Neo.. oops sorry Mexi...

 

[Stone]

I've never had a Mexi. but I've always had best results reviving any rootless orchid by planting it in the smallest pot possible. Its the wet and rapidly drying (and it should totally dry before watering again) that seems to stimulate new roots in my experience. Sometimes they will just sit for months without rooting if they are kept moist.

 

[keithrs]

Mexi's are shy root producers, It will take some time before they send new roots out.

 

[keithrs]

I wonder if these should be treated more like rupicolous Laelia's only a wetter summer?

 

[W. Beetus]

Good luck! The sphagnum potting looks nice.

 

[NYEric]

WOW!!! Good luck. I don't know if I would try to save something that beat and I try to save almost everything.

 

[Dido]

wish you a lot of luck with it.
Keep fingers crossed for you

 

[Marc]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.

Good luck with your Neo.. oops sorry Mexi...

:rollhappy: for now I thought giving it the same treatment as my Neo's would be a good idea.

WOW!!! Good luck. I don't know if I would try to save something that beat and I try to save almost everything.

I understand your sentiment but in Europe Mexipediums are expensive. I'll do my best to get this one to grow prior to spending 100,- euros on a small plant.