# Mexipedium Culture



## Kyle (Dec 2, 2007)

I got a mexipedium last weekend. Paid through the nose for it (I traded to much for it, but thats another story...). It has one mature growth, one semi mature growth and a start about an inch long.

I would like to know how others are successfully growing it. I've looked through all the old threads and have picked up a few really good tips. I don't have a bonsai pot, but will get one when i'm somewhere that sells them. For now I wsa going to put the plant into a 4 inch pot, maybe with an inch of leca on the bottom. Its in CHC right now, but i'm going to repot it into a 50/50 mix of small bark and perlite. I have oyster shell, should I apply it when I repot, how much do I give it?

Any thoughts on the above?

What about watering? I usually water my plants on Sundays and Wednesdays. Will that be to often? (I guess I'm asking how wet they like to be.) 

Light? Catt light? I can put it under my HPS light. Will that be to hot? It will dry out the surface of the media, will that be a problem?

Thanks in advance for the advice. Also, if there are any good culture sheets on the internet, please post the links.

Kyle


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## Heather (Dec 2, 2007)

Kyle said:


> I got a mexipedium last weekend. Paid through the nose for it (I traded to much for it, but thats another story...). It has one mature growth, one semi mature growth and a start about an inch long.



Congratulations! 



Kyle said:


> I would like to know how others are successfully growing it. I've looked through all the old threads and have picked up a few really good tips. I don't have a bonsai pot, but will get one when i'm somewhere that sells them. For now I wsa going to put the plant into a 4 inch pot, maybe with an inch of leca on the bottom. Its in CHC right now, but i'm going to repot it into a 50/50 mix of small bark and perlite. I have oyster shell, should I apply it when I repot, how much do I give it?
> 
> Any thoughts on the above?



I think your plan sounds good. I'd put it in small bark over CHC (though I grow other plants in CHC, I pretty much follow Marilyn Ledoux's culture on the Mexi and she grows it in bark.) The leca on the bottom sounds good since a 4" pot will be a bit deep but you want to have room for the stolons to ramble if they wish to. 

I usually sprinkle oyster shell over the surface, sort of dusting the whole surface, once every 3 months or so. There may be thicker or thinner pockets as, with my plant it's hard to find the surface because the leaves are all over the place. Eventually, it will settle down below the surface (and some will wash out) as you water.



Kyle said:


> What about watering? I usually water my plants on Sundays and Wednesdays. Will that be to often? (I guess I'm asking how wet they like to be.)



I tend to water 2x a week in the summer (and often mist the leaves daily) and once a week in the winter and mist daily. In my experience, they like a bit less in the winter but their natural habitat is fairly rainy at this time of year. Here are my culture notes from Stephen's site, no monthly rainfall totals though.

"Light: 2,000-4,000 footcandles, in situ light-shade to partial sun.
Temperature: Summer days 82-84°, nights 68-70°, winter days 75-80°, nights 60-65°
Humidity: 80-90% year round (Per M. LeDoux)
Water: Seasonal: Copius in the summer, slightly dryer in winter."



Kyle said:


> Light? Catt light? I can put it under my HPS light. Will that be to hot? It will dry out the surface of the media, will that be a problem?



I've grown mine on a sunny south windowsill, under MH lights, and under (currently) a close compact fluorescent. It's been blooming on three spikes since last April so I'm guessing any bright light will work for you.  I would say your HPS would be fine, but if you can, mist the leaves daily. Marilyn says that they get a lot of their daily moisture in the dryer season from dew in the morning (as you know they have very succulent leaves.)



Kyle said:


> Thanks in advance for the advice. Also, if there are any good culture sheets on the internet, please post the links.



If you like, I have Marilyn's article on them from Orchid Digest a number of years back in pdf form and would be happy to try to email it to you. 

Good luck! I just love this species.


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## Kyle (Dec 2, 2007)

Thanks Heather, 
Lots of valuable information in your post. Please email me the article ([email protected]). But a couple of questions.



Heather said:


> Congratulations!
> 
> I usually sprinkle oyster shell over the surface, sort of dusting the whole surface, once every 3 months or so. There may be thicker or thinner pockets as, with my plant it's hard to find the surface because the leaves are all over the place. Eventually, it will settle down below the surface (and some will wash out) as you water.



So, does the oyster shell disolve? or run out the bottom? Do you use any charcoal in hte mix (I found a bag I didn't know I had and would like to use it).



Heather said:


> I tend to water 2x a week in the summer (and often mist the leaves daily) and once a week in the winter and mist daily. In my experience, they like a bit less in the winter but their natural habitat is fairly rainy at this time of year.



I'll send a picture next chance I get. Its making a new growth, does that mean its in its growth cycle and should get more water or should I still cut back cause its winter?



Heather said:


> I've grown mine on a sunny south windowsill, under MH lights, and under (currently) a close compact fluorescent. It's been blooming on three spikes since last April so I'm guessing any bright light will work for you.  I would say your HPS would be fine, but if you can, mist the leaves daily. Marilyn says that they get a lot of their daily moisture in the dryer season from dew in the morning (as you know they have very succulent leaves.)
> 
> If you like, I have Marilyn's article on them from Orchid Digest a number of years back in pdf form and would be happy to try to email it to you.



I can give it a mist when ever I water my mounted phals.

Thanks again!
Kyle


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## Heather (Dec 2, 2007)

Kyle said:


> So, does the oyster shell disolve? or run out the bottom? Do you use any charcoal in hte mix (I found a bag I didn't know I had and would like to use it).



I think it eventually washes out the bottom. I do use charcoal - I use Kelley's Korner paph seedling mix actually, so it has a tiny bit of chopped sphag as well. Mostly bark (70%?) probably 25% perlite and charcoal each, and the rest bits of sphagnum. 



Kyle said:


> I'll send a picture next chance I get. Its making a new growth, does that mean its in its growth cycle and should get more water or should I still cut back cause its winter?



For me they seem to do this year round. More growth in the spring and summer but new growths are always emerging.

Happy to share - I do find that the larger the plant to begin with the better, but you're a fine grower and I'm sure you'll do well with it!


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## Chuck (Dec 5, 2007)

Hello Kyle,

I'm sorry I didn't know you were looking for a Mex. I divided a plant recently. We could have done a trade.

I pot mine in plastic bulb pots. They are about 3 inches deep or so. I fill the bottom half with either foam peanuts or lava rook chunks. I then add the thinnest layer of damp sphag moss so that when I pot the plant with a fine bark mix the large air spaces in the bottom of the pot don't get filled with mix. A screen would probably work also but I'm too lazy to cut one. I then pot the plant using a fine bark mix (bark, charcoal, sponge rock, small clay pellets or small lava rock). The mix ends up being about 1 inch deep only.

I grow them with my catts and water them (with rain water) every four days year round. Fertilizer as for other phrags.

So are you coming to the show in Feb. Don't have a complete list of vendors yet but I know Equagenera is going to be here.

Chuck


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## Kyle (Dec 5, 2007)

Thanks for the tip on the sphagnum moss. I hadn't considered the mix washing into the LECA. 

What do you guys use to hold the new rizomes in place? Mine comes out at a 30 degree angle and I need to rig up something to hold it flat while it roots.

Chuck, Doesn't look like I'll be in Edmonton. Its the first time they have done the Edmonton show and would like to send Ivan.

Kyle


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## Heather (Dec 5, 2007)

I use aluminum floral wire (it's the colored stuff you see in arrangements these days) and cut a piece about an inch or inch and a half long, bend it into a loop, and secure the rhisome down with that. There are some photographs of me doing it somewhere in one of the Mex. threads around here somewhere. 

Just make sure you do it while the rhisome is still young and flexible. They get brittle if you wait to long and I've broken a few by accident.


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## Paphman910 (Dec 10, 2007)

Kyle:
Your plant will develop into a mature plant in about two years. I bought a mexipedilum for over $175 many years ago from Norito Hasegawa at a local orchid show. I grew the plant in a bulb clay pot with the bottom filled with lava rock and crystallized limestone. I added charcoal, perlite and fine bark to cover the roots. Then I top layered the plant in sphagnum moss. It was put underneath the 400 watt Metal Halide about two feet below the bulb. It grew like a weed under my Paph rothschildianum condition but did not flower for a couple of years until one time I moved to a new place and didn't set the lights up for about three week. Then I setup the lights and in a month later the mexipedilum decided to flower. I think the plant needed a cool condition to set it off for flowering. The plants leavespan is about 6 inches across and light green. It you have a cat please don't let the cat chew of the leaves.

Paphman910


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## Kyle (Dec 10, 2007)

Thanks Wayne, I'l keep the cats away.

Kyle


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