Since I have one of these that will be on the way if the heat ever lets up, I thought it might be nice to have a thread devoted to the culture of this diminutive little species. We have info sort of scatter throughout the site, so I am going to link in some other threads and other info from online. Please add additional comments and links if you have hints on growing this species.

Antec's culture
http://www.ladyslipper.com/mexipedium.htm

Al and Lien's discussion on rhizomes:
http://www.slipperorchidforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1025


Ed's Photos and size perspective:
http://www.slipperorchidforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1473
Ed and Rick's photos and more culture info:
http://www.slipperorchidforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1167

I'm particularly interested in hearing experiences regarding repotting this species. Looks tricky due to all the stolons. Marilyn and I talked about the fact that mine is going to stay put in the pot it is sent in for a while, but the time will eventually come when I need to deal with repotting it. So, if anyone can help on that question, I'd appreciate it. Also, what type of pots you've seen them growing in.

Very easy to grow, if kept neither wet nor dry. Keep it moist at all time in a fine substrate such as coco peat + bark. Water when it becomes dry, do not overwater, and the plant grows quickly. Despite some claims it is not a plant that likes dry growing conditions at all !

Congrats on your new Mexi, Heather. :clap2: How about posting a pic. I'd love to see what these stolons you are talking about look like.

Congrats on your new Mexi, Heather. :clap2: How about posting a pic. I'd love to see what these stolons you are talking about look like.

Thanks! I don't have it yet. Too hot to ship. :mad: Darn weather! Either too hot or too cold. Bahhh!
Anyway, check out the post of Lien's above for pics of the stolons. That's a really interesting thread.

You people all grow, or are about to grow, all these amazing plants. Maybe one day I will too...

Yahh

These guys really ramble around. Kinda like the parvis except the stolons are often on or above the surface of the media. The bonsai dishes work good for this species.

Yahh

These guys really ramble around. Kinda like the parvis except the stolons are often on or above the surface of the media. The bonsai dishes work good for this species.

When I eventually DO repot - I was thinking a bonsai dish might be very nice for it.

Yes. Please keep this thread going. I've also bitten the bug and ordered a plant. Will have to wait until the grower calls me back but from what I'm reading, it sounds like the mexi may be a good candidate for me existing growing conditions. God, I better not kill this plant....it is the most I've ever spent. :ohmy:

....it is the most I've ever spent. :ohmy:

You are not alone - I too surpassed my "most". Sigh....

I was VERY tempted when I saw the photos on this forum. Hopefully the price will come down some in the future.

Congratulations new owners of this very interesting plant.

Do post pictures.

And enjoy.

I poked at the Antec culture site for this tidbit. Since it is called Xero phyticum as in the term xeric for dry.

This plant recieves almost 100 inches of rain a year. And about 20 inches per month from August thru September.

In comparison Los Angeles gets about 11 inches per year, and in the rainforrests of TN where I live we get 50 inches. So "dry" is relative I quess since Borneo and New Guinea are at a couple hundred inches per year.

I used to keep mine dry during winter (I think that is what I did), and water like mad in summer. I kept farly dry between waterings, but drier in winter. They bloom for me in summer, maybe this time of the year, and are the size of a nickel (at least mine were).

As for repotting, there is no problem in this. They are very rambling rhizomatic plants, and they will walk out of your pots you keep them in. Stig Dalstrom keeps dividing his, which sets them back alot. I kept mine in a larger pot, and if any rambled out of the pot, I would wait until another shoot came to pot it up.

I forgot all the details on this plant, I sold it a while ago. The flowers are detailed and small, like a Pleurothallid, but still, I don't like tiny ladyslippers that need a magnifying glass to see, I would like to see them large even miles away! Mexipedium xerophyticum is very interesting though, and is a hard one to grow. I used granite rock, like I use on my rupiculous Laelias..... I never bought any, I just go to a railroad track and look for good smaller rocks, and wash them off, to avoid there would be any oil or contaminates.....

ttyal,
-PM

They grow wonderfully in Promix or similar peat/coir based mixes... That is actually the best to grow them successfully. If you keep them dry or with coarse medium, they are easy to kill.

I poked at the Antec culture site for this tidbit. Since it is called Xero phyticum as in the term xeric for dry.

This plant recieves almost 100 inches of rain a year. And about 20 inches per month from August thru September.

In comparison Los Angeles gets about 11 inches per year, and in the rainforrests of TN where I live we get 50 inches. So "dry" is relative I quess since Borneo and New Guinea are at a couple hundred inches per year.

That is interesting... I didn't even know TN had a rainforest. For further comparison, Google tells me that my area gets ~31" of rain a year. I can't seem to find out how much so far this year. We've been several inches above normal for the last several months, I think.

I was joking about the TN rainforest. it is nice wet hardwood forest, but not rainforest.

Some of the old growth Smokey Mts (east TN) approaches "rainforest" with 80+ inches per year, and then there is true rainforest in Washington state (Olympia, but don't know the rainfall).

When I visited the giant redwoods in the Sequoia National Park (a few hours north and a few thousand feet higher than Los Angeles) they had a sign that said the rainfall was about 88 inches per year.

31 inches is a little less than the average for OK city. Its only a dustbowl during droughts. When I lived there it was more like a swamp compared to LA.

Hi All,

Does anyone have an idea of root growth on the mexi? Does it put out lots of roots like a phrag or does it typically have only a few roots?

Roots are pretty normal on Mexi's Ray.

Sometimes the new growths on the runners take a bit before they start rooting.

The bad part about crossing the price barrier is that once you do then it dosen't seem out of range for the next price hurddle I have been battleing one for awhile now but the plant I want was to hard to find so it wasn't so hard but I recently found what I was looking for and the price is above my head. lot's of luck Ray

I have mine in fine bark. I have seen larger specimens growing in a bulb pan. Mine isn't active at all in the cool weather. I keep mine much dryer in the cooler weather. I am only on my second growth and I still have it in a 2.5" pot. They seem to get more vigorous with larger specimens, sending out multi growths per year.

Thanks guys. Mine has two mature growths and one runner just putting up some leaves about 2" away. I saw only 3 roots each on mature growths so I was a little worried. Not roots yet on the runner.
Keeping my fingers crossed.