Cyp Kentucky Maxi in flower

[dounoharm]

I love the native ladyslippers! it reminds me of walking thru the piney woods with my uncle newt when I was a small girl....in north Carolina, in the foothills, he kept a small woody patch on his farm...and one sunday after dinner, we all walked out there to see the native pink ladyslippers all a-blooming...there was an enormous lot of them, and they were so pretty! unfortunately, when he died, the buyer of the property didn't much care for nature, and destroyed the woods that my uncle newt had so cherished....such is 'progress'...

[cabnc]

I too am looking to try a C. Kentucky Maxi and plan on growing it in a pot. From what I have been able to find online, the C roots tend to grow shallow. You mentioned growing in a tub which to my yankee mind would be wide but shallow. Not like a pot which would be deeper than wide. Could you provide the dimensions of the tub you are using ? And is the Cyp mix from your vendor used to fill the entire tub ? Have you tried any of the othe C. Kentucky garden orchids ?

Charlie [cabnc]

[RosieC]

I do actually grow in a pot, large but standard pot dimensions. Your are right the roots stay shallow, but with a medium that drains really well it doesn't matter if the pot is deeper than needed.

I think I mentioned tub meaning a rain water collecting tub/barrel.

[My Green Pets]

Here's a pic of the plant I received, potted up and poking its little heads up. Like I mentioned, it's potted in layers of (from surface to bottom of pot):

Bark/leaf compost
Expanded clay pellets
Bark
Pea gravel

Was wondering if I had potted it deep enough. Does it look all right?

[RosieC]

It's probably deep enough for this year, however it might not be deep enough for overwintering.

I was suprised when I repotted mine, because they had shoots about the same size as yours in November/December. One of them was showing above the medium in November and when I asked the guy from the nursery what I should do (the are best completely hidden over the winter) he said to cover it with more medium, and if I was repotting (which I was) to plant it deeper so it was covered.

The others were all further down and when I repotted them (in December) I put them all so there was about an inch of medium covering the shoots. It was the first time I had repotted though, so I hope I got it right. One of them (this one) is coming up and has grown up through the medium layer I put above it.

[No-Pro-mwa]

These are just so cool.

[My Green Pets]

Here they are today...I added a bit more leaf litter to the top. They got pouring rain the other day and so I brought them in after a while. I think I am coddling them way too much but I want them to bloom so badly!

Must...leave...them...alone....... !

[RosieC]

Mine have been in the rain most of today. However I've just left them because the medium I use so well draining.

They seem to be growing fast just now

[My Green Pets]

Two weeks later...what do you think?

[RosieC]

Looking good