Mexipedium xerophyticum

[xiphius]

Got this little guy a couple years ago as a single growth. Tiny little bit of a plant that never really got terribly much bigger; but quickly started putting out new growths. It is now four growths and this is it's first flowering. Took me a bit by surprise as I wouldn't have thought this was large enough to flower yet.

Flower is a bit wonky, but I am honestly just glad that it decided to flower at all. First bud blasted, and then it looked like it was considering whether or not to continue. It finally moved on and the second bud opened OK.

Mexipedium xerophyticum 'Moonlight and Star' × self

 

[mrhappyrotter]

Very cute

 

[Justin]

Awesome!

 

[abax]

Congratulations! This is no "small" accomplishment.
It's a beautiful little flower.

 

[Tosca]

It is a very nice plant.

 

[musa]

Realy cute, I love it!
Could you please tell us a bit about yout growing conditions?
It looks extremley healthy.

 

[BrucherT]

Impressively grown plant! Please share everything about your methods? How often are you watering? What’s the medium? Has that Moss always been there? Really a perfectly grown plant...I’ve always kept mine on the dry side and this makes me want to rethink. They are notorious for climbing stolons out of their medium and yours looks so perfect. The flower is sweet and I bet it improves.

 

[Paph Paradise]

Cute little plant! We have the 'Moonlight and Star' clone and the best thing about it is the shorter stolons compared to most other clones. Looks like the selfing enhanced that trait. Hopefully that will also be passed along to the outcross we made, but I will just be happy if we get good yield!

 

[NYEric]

Nice. Looks like you grow it wet and bright. Thanks for sharing.

 

[xiphius]

Thanks!

Looks like you grow it wet and bright.

I do.

Could you please tell us a bit about your growing conditions?

Gladly. I grow this little guy in the same mix I use for my paphs, which is currently still Hausermann's seedling orchid mix (small fir bark, charcoal, perlite, and chopped sphagnum). For this one, and other plants that like some lime, I also add a top dressing of crushed oyster shell. It is in my grow tent along with my paphs with two 100W, full spectrum LED lights (about 3 ft above the plants). So the light level is pretty high (maybe this is why it stayed small(er)?). I have seen in situ photos though, and it seems like in the wild they grow in pretty high light conditions. I have an automated misting system rigged up for the tent such that they all get a heavy misting with RO water every morning and then periodic bursts every few hours throughout the day (to keep the humidity up). I fertilize weekly with ~125 ppm N MSU RO fertilizer. I had been doing a few times a week at 30 ppm N, but I got busier and am now only able to fertilize about once a week or so, so I upped the dosage. The medium is always pretty damp though. It never dries out. I cultivate the moss on the surface of pretty much all of my pots, the roots seem to really love it. I periodically rip it off and restart it from a small chunk if it is getting too tall and overgrowing the plant (only really an issue for small plants and seedlings). The moss is also a good early indicator if there are any problems in the pot. If the moss is happy, the orchid roots are happy, if the moss is in trouble, better take a look before roots start dying .

This one has always been a pretty robust grower for me. Very compact. It has never shown a tendency to grow long stolons or creep out of the pot. Quite the opposite in fact. If anything, it seems to have a tendency to want to burrow.

 

[xiphius]

They are notorious for climbing stolons out of their medium and yours looks so perfect.

Unfortunately, I think the tendency (or lack thereof) to climb has as much to do with genetics as it does with growing conditions. I keep looking with envy at other people's pictures of Phrag besseae and wondering why mine can't just settle down and behave like theirs. The one I happen to have seems to have an extreme desire to grow perfectly vertical. It literally doesn't even bother moving horizontally at all - new growths just shoot straight up about 4-6 inches. It can be a bit frustrating.

 

[musa]

Thanks a lot, Xiphius!
That's a great description of your conditions.
The moss seems to be a good idea, you falsify all oppinions that Paphs and moss don't go together. Btw it looks great, too!
Would you mind a last word on temperature and necessity of limestone?
Thanks

 

[xiphius]

Would you mind a last word on temperature and necessity of limestone?

Good question. Forgot about the lime! There is a good amount of crushed oyster shell under the moss as a top dressing. So, yes, I do use it. Edited the above response accordingly.

Temp-wise, I don't rigorously track, but the grow tent is in a basement. I would guesstimate the temps never really get much above 80 F, even in the summer time (at least not that I have seen). In the winter, it is probably in the 60's F most of the time, occasionally dropping into the 50's F. There is a wood stove on the other side of the basement that runs most of the time during the winter and keeps things fairly moderate.

 

[BrucherT]

Thanks!



I do.



Gladly. I grow this little guy in the same mix I use for my paphs, which is currently still Hausermann's seedling orchid mix (small fir bark, charcoal, perlite, and chopped sphagnum). For this one, and other plants that like some lime, I also add a top dressing of crushed oyster shell. It is in my grow tent along with my paphs with two 100W, full spectrum LED lights (about 3 ft above the plants). So the light level is pretty high (maybe this is why it stayed small(er)?). I have seen in situ photos though, and it seems like in the wild they grow in pretty high light conditions. I have an automated misting system rigged up for the tent such that they all get a heavy misting with RO water every morning and then periodic bursts every few hours throughout the day (to keep the humidity up). I fertilize weekly with ~125 ppm N MSU RO fertilizer. I had been doing a few times a week at 30 ppm N, but I got busier and am now only able to fertilize about once a week or so, so I upped the dosage. The medium is always pretty damp though. It never dries out. I cultivate the moss on the surface of pretty much all of my pots, the roots seem to really love it. I periodically rip it off and restart it from a small chunk if it is getting too tall and overgrowing the plant (only really an issue for small plants and seedlings). The moss is also a good early indicator if there are any problems in the pot. If the moss is happy, the orchid roots are happy, if the moss is in trouble, better take a look before roots start dying .

This one has always been a pretty robust grower for me. Very compact. It has never shown a tendency to grow long stolons or creep out of the pot. Quite the opposite in fact. If anything, it seems to have a tendency to want to burrow.

So helpful, thank you! I guess I will up my watering...I keep it pretty dry I guess. Wonder where I could get a starter chunk of that magic moss?

 

[musa]

Thanks again!
My only problem might be temperatures, I never drop under 70 F and it may go up occasionally to a max. of 110 F in summer.

 

[xiphius]

My only problem might be temperatures, I never drop under 70 F and it may go up occasionally to a max. of 110 F in summer.

Yeah, 110 F as a high is a bit extreme... I would suggest you try it indoors . I wouldn't be surprised if my outdoor greenhouse hit those kinds of highs in the mid-summer (no climate control), there is definitely a reason I situated all of my slippers in the basement. Being mostly underground really helps.

 

[xiphius]

Wonder where I could get a starter chunk of that magic moss?

I don't know what kind of moss it is. I collected as a small chunk of it on a hiking trip in Indiana years ago. Grew it out in a plastic tub until I was sure it was free of pests and then started trying it on my orchids on a small scale. When they responded favorably, I slowly expanded my use and it now covers pretty much everything I grow.

 

[musa]

Unfortunately I have no basement available, I'm growing my Paphs in a 4th floor flat facing south...

 

[Ray]

Anyone know a reasonable source of plants?

 

[BrucherT]

Anyone know a reasonable source of plants?

Hey Ray I got mine from Terry Partin. Last time I was in his area he had a fair number of them. He does flasks too. Mine took some adjusting to settle in its pot but now it’s putting out stolons left and right and if I weight the stolon carefully with a smooth heavy river stone, it forms roots and digs in.