My Mexipedium Forest

[dmcmkl]

This is Mexipedium xerophyticum 'Windy Hill' HCC/AOS. I've had it for several years. Up until a couple of years ago it was growing in a 10 inch plastic azalea pot. I decided to move it to a shallow tray to see if I could build a large colony. The effort has been slow going but it is starting to take shape. The tray has inside dimensions that are 20" long by 16" wide by 4" deep.

There were 10 spikes but one of the spikes near the right edge aborted. I don't think it was getting enough water through the stolon from the growth it came from and it hadn't put down it's own roots yet.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Fantastic! I could never get mine to take off. Tried all the tricks, but it just wasn't happy.

 

[paphfreak]

That looks fantastic. The seedlings I received from Windy Hill are growing well, but not that well!

 

[Justin]

Great growing!

 

[dmcmkl]

All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up!

 

[tnyr5]

Fantastic! I could never get mine to take off. Tried all the tricks, but it just wasn't happy.

Heat, heat, & more heat, and light out the yin yang.

 

[Duck Slipper]

That is great...Good job!

 

[samarak]

Congratulations! It looks great. My understanding is that 'Windy Hill' is one of the two surviving original clones of Mexipedium brought back to MoBot from habitat (the other being 'Oaxaca'). That history makes it a little extra special to me.

Steve

 

[Ray]

Don - dose it with some Kelpak. Those roots will take off and the branching will likely do so, as well.

I had a small vanda (formerly ascda) that was rootless after being plucked off a rotting piece of driftwood and suffering through a dry winter. I immersed the bare- (OK, no-) root plant in a 1 oz/gallon solution for 2 hours then mounted it on a rope-wrapped hanger. In about 2 weeks, it sprouted two fat new roots and now, some 6 weeks later, is spiking.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Heat, heat, & more heat, and light out the yin yang.

If this place were any hotter, I'd cook
I think the winters are too much for them - cool, damp, and too dark. Works great for Parvi paphs, but anything that likes heat suffers.

 

[tnyr5]

They need a parvi winter, but it does need to be bright.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

They need a parvi winter, but it does need to be bright.

Yeah, I should give it another try. I think my particular plant just lost vigor, and I never could revive it. It seems like everyone else is growing them like weeds!

 

[dmcmkl]

I'm growing these in my basement along with all my other plants. Since it is in the basement of my house it stays on the cool side. Winter days are around 70 degrees with nights in the middle to lower 60's. Summer days are warmer around 76-78 degrees. summer nights might get to around 72 degrees due to the fact that I run the house air conditioner down to 72 so it is cooler for me to sleep. I try to keep the humidity above 40% all year. Sometimes it gets around 50% during our humid summers here in Minnesota but generally runs around 45%.

Lighting is provided by Mars Hydro a TSL2000 LED Grow Light. PAR as measured with my Apogee MQ-500 Quantum Flux meter ranges from 125-130 µmol m-2 s-1.

Water is RO water with a rotation with a couple of different fertilizers. Primarily K-Lite and Orchid Ltd's Green Jungle. Since I am using RO water I also regularly add Cal/Mag. Kelpak and Quantum-Total Plant Probiotic are also applied once a month at different waterings.

They seem to like what I am doing as I they are giving me quite a challenge keeping their growth contained to even such a large container!

​

 

[tnyr5]

Just accept that they will outgrow whatever container you put them into within 18 months, lol.

 

[Heather]

Don - dose it with some Kelpak. Those roots will take off and the branching will likely do so, as well.

I had a small vanda (formerly ascda) that was rootless after being plucked off a rotting piece of driftwood and suffering through a dry winter. I immersed the bare- (OK, no-) root plant in a 1 oz/gallon solution for 2 hours then mounted it on a rope-wrapped hanger. In about 2 weeks, it sprouted two fat new roots and now, some 6 weeks later, is spiking.

Thanks for the tip, Ray, just ordered.
I got a couple plants from Orchid Inn lately that could use some extra care, though one growth I noticed spiking today.

 

[Heather]

Yeah, I should give it another try. I think my particular plant just lost vigor, and I never could revive it. It seems like everyone else is growing them like weeds!

My last one held on for a very long time but I had the same issue, and also I was neglecting plants then…back at it again now!

 

[Heather]

Hi…I’m interested to know more about that tray you’re using…almost looks like the cafeteria trays I’m using as humidity trays. I’ve been looking for a larger reciprocal for my Mexi but haven’t landed on one yet…can you elaborate on yours?
How’s the growing going?

I decided to move it to a shallow tray to see if I could build a large colony. The effort has been slow going but it is starting to take shape. The tray has inside dimensions that are 20" long by 16" wide by 4" deep.