My xerophyticum

[SlipperKing]

Doing its thing.
My records show it was a 1-1-1 in 2003 but I nearly lost due to poor culture. Down to 1 inch plant it has come back to this.

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Rick, you did a lot better than me. After years of growing at a snail's pace, I thought I figured out it's needs, and then it finally gave up the ghost last year. Nice flower count on yours!

 

[abax]

Outstanding SK! Sweet, interesting flowers and quite a lot of them for such tiny
plants. Are they fragrant?

 

[Guldal]

Great rescue action...great flowers!

 

[FlaskandFlora]

What light level do you grow this in?

 

[gego]

Amazing. Good save.

 

[Silverwhisp]

Rick, it looks like it’s in mostly LECA. What other media is in the pot? Are you growing it semi-hydroponically?

 

[SlipperKing]

What light level do you grow this in?

Cattleya/Vanda light for the first 3.5 to 4 hours in the morning. I use no shading on the east wall of the GH. Between 10 and 11 AM the sun moves over a large oak tree which throws shading onto the GH.
Note: the flowers are growing towards the sun.

 

[SlipperKing]

Rick, it looks like it’s in mostly LECA. What other media is in the pot? Are you growing it semi-hydroponically?

No semi. There is approximately 50/50 mix of LECA and promix. The promix is a commercially available concoction made of milled coconut husk and perlite. The original ProMix was made with peat moss out of Canada. See pics.


This combo of LECA and promix is what brought this plant back from Orchid Heaven.

You can pre-wet/ pre-mix the media then pot up or pot in the LECA first then sprinkle the promix on top then water it in.
The second method gives you more control over the amount of promix you add until you feel good about it
I consider myself a heavy waterer, every 2 days in the hot summer months. So much the original clay pot I had this plant in grew algae and moss on the outside of it.
As you could imagine the promix settles to the bottom giving you a gradient of too dry on the top and probably too wet at the bottom. Somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot where the roots hangout.

 

[Silverwhisp]

Thank you, Rick. This is very helpful, especially the photo of the ProMix with perlite.

 

[BrucherT]

Well done. Maybe I should grow mine wetter.

 

[NYEric]

Thanks for the info.

 

[SlipperKing]

I hope my culture technique helps everyone. Once this species is happy it grows like weed.

 

[LadySlipper]

Beautiful, any scent?

 

[SlipperKing]

I have never noticed any scent. I wasn't aware this species could be scented. So when? In the heat of the day? Maybe at sunset like other white scented orchids?

 

[BrucherT]

Beautiful, any scent?

Have you heard of this species being scented?

 

[LadySlipper]

Have you heard of this species being scented?

No actually, very innocent question.

 

[NYEric]

Not too difficult to apply nose to bloom, then inhale.