Mexipedium xerophyticum

[Carper]

Just received the delivery of my mexipedium from Orchideen Kopf in Germany. I missed out on one from the same seller at Peterborough, UK, but he was very kind enough to email me last week to offer me another one. As you can see from the photo, yes it was expensive at £125, but with a total of 8 growths and in spike, I still think I got a very good deal. Potted up with plenty of drainage, mixture of fir bark, a bit of husk, charcoal, perlite and a very small amount of sphagnum moss. Top dressed with crushed oyster and dolomite lime, so hoping it settles in well with my other paphs and phrags. Just need to be careful on the humidity as they possibly need slightly drier conditions. Here goes! :rollhappy:

Gary
UK

 

[Bolero]

Good luck, I just received one as well. They do like slightly drier conditions, I would be interested to hear what works for you.

Sounds like they are slightly cheaper in Australia too......;-)

 

[Ross]

Nice plant!

 

[Kavanaru]

nice plant.. and no, not reallly expensive if you consider that he used to offer a plant iwth only one growth for 70€ and very often you find this species at 50€/growth...


very nice one!

 

[biothanasis]

Great plant!!!!

 

[Carper]

Sounds like I could have got a bargain. What would you expect growth wise within the next 12 months assuming feed/conditions were suitable?

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Well regardless of price, it is a healthy, multigrowth plant in flower! I'm hoping mine will finally break out of single growth purgatory this year :rollhappy:

 

[Rick]

I think that's a good deal for a multi growth plant.

Most have been killed by too dry rather than too wet.

I've been treating mine like any other paph and it grows like a weed. It's putting on a lot of new growth right now. Greenhouse temps in the mid/high 80s, humidity >70%, daily misting and weekly fertilizing/heavy watering.

In the winter when I let the temps get down low 60s high 50s is when I tame down the water.

 

[SlipperFan]

I'd say you got a bargain, Gary.

In terms of water, I'm growing mine more like a Paph than a Phrag. And more frequent watering in the Summer than in the Winter months.

 

[NYEric]

IMHO I think that was kind of expensive but you got one in bud so maybe it's worth it. There was a thread here, in spanish maybe, adn theauthor was at the site for mexi and I thought it was rather wet. That's how I'm growing mine.

 

[Kavanaru]

IMHO I think that was kind of expensive but you got one in bud so maybe it's worth it. There was a thread here, in spanish maybe, adn theauthor was at the site for mexi and I thought it was rather wet. That's how I'm growing mine.

Eric, do you remember when we met and I told you that Mexipedium was extremely expensive in Europe? well... based on that reference, this plant was a good deal... of course, it is not a cheap plant, but looking at the market...

 

[NYEric]

Hmmm, once again we're fortunate to have Marilyn and other growers here to provide us with such good plants at great prices.

 

[John M]

I'm hoping mine will finally break out of single growth purgatory this year :rollhappy:

Mine too! I've had it for over 2 years and it's still just one small growth. Although, it does have roots now, which it didn't when I got it.

I'd say the price you paid for your plant was very good for 8 growths; but, I can only see 3 nice ones and one yellow one. If it's only 3 mature, green growths, with one yellow one and 4 starters, then, I'd say you paid market price.....not a deal; but, not expensive either. It looks very nice to me. Hint: Instead of using that heavy, clunky, bamboo stake with those ugly white ties, try a length of 16 guage, green florist wires with a small "u" shaped hook in the top. These pieces of wire are very unobtrusive and do a good job of supporting a slender flower spike. Sorry to nit-pick. I just have a thing about support stakes that are kind of in the way and stand out more visibly than the flowers.

 

[Carper]

Hi John,

The plant has flowered from the yellowing growth and from a present one. There are 2 approaching maturity with one hidden about half the size of these. Then there are 3 smaller growths, one hidden the same as those in the corners. On closer inspection there is also a new shoot emerging from the most mature growth just breaking the surface. To be honest, I have been after one of these for a while with no success, but feel the price I paid was worth it. It has took me a while to get my conditions in my greenhouse right and also my feed etc but the majority of my plants are growing extremely well and so I am very excited about how well I can get this to adapt to my conditions. I am sure I will notice a significant change within the next 12 months, but time will tell. Funnily enough, I have some of the wire you mentioned which I used for the masdevallia's flowers, but was in a bit of a hurry to pot it up and used what I could find. I'll make a point to change it, to benefit the plants flowers, point taken!

Gary

 

[Bolero]

This is the problem, everyone I talk to grows them differently. So I will try and manage somewhere in between.

 

[Rick]

This is the problem, everyone I talk to grows them differently. So I will try and manage somewhere in between.

It's also hard to say if everyone is actually growing different or interpretting the same relative terms differently:evil:

Wet vesus Dry or Hot vs cold are not well quantified.

Also we haven't established what is an optimum growth rate or measure of success.

It sounds like lots of folks experience marginal survival to slow growth (especially in colder areas), but a handful with explosive growth (primarily hotter areas).

I usually try to poke through who has the best growing plants and try to determine the parameters that theirs are growing under.

 

[Bolero]

Good point Rick, I am growing in a temperate climate so we'll see how mine go in those conditions.

 

[Carper]

As you know, the weather in the uk isn't great for orchid growing of certain types. We don't get guaranteed long days of sunshine like other climates and our summers just seem to get shorter and shorter. This means less light, but we have to adapt. I give my paph and phrag multis min 13C up to 21C and the greenhouse extractor fans kick in above 85F, which isn't very often! Foggers are set at about 70% to keep the humidity at levels which also suits the growing medium of husk which I also use. This along with my MSU feed means probably that I do this less often than most of you guys, simply due to the conditions available, which then means I may get slower growth aswell. All said, what we are trying to do is duplicate their environment the best we can and I hope that the growing conditions I provide, most of the plants I keep are going to get something from it, all be it not perfectly.

Gary

 

[NYEric]

I got a good size multi-growth one from Windy Hills and it grow more gowths but they are out of the pot. I think that if I take better care of the plant by putting it in a bigger pot where the 'runners' can dig in, and adding oyster shell, I could get it to bloom; otherwise I find the plant very hardy. I also note that mine is the medium leaf size plant whereas I saw one at the home of "He who shall remain nameless" that had big 3" wide leaves!?

 

[Rick]

I got a good size multi-growth one from Windy Hills and it grow more gowths but they are out of the pot. I think that if I take better care of the plant by putting it in a bigger pot where the 'runners' can dig in, and adding oyster shell, I could get it to bloom; otherwise I find the plant very hardy. I also note that mine is the medium leaf size plant whereas I saw one at the home of "He who shall remain nameless" that had big 3" wide leaves!?

Wow, 3" wide leaves is ginormous for this species. The leaves of mine are V shaped in cross sectio, but if I flattened them out they would probably not be much bigger than an inch wide.

I once saw a humongous plant at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It was in flower and the flowers were normal sized although the growths were at least twice the size of mine. The flower stems were also very long.

I think this plant was still another division of Oaxaca, so growth is highly variable based on growing parameters.