Maxillaria tenuifolia care

[Mistlebee15]

Hi
I have been keeping orchids for 10 years, and today I have just bought a coconut. It is beautiful but I cant find any details on care a d what ilis should be potted in. The pot is solid and I think it is planted in moss in a black pot.

Thank you

[aliceinwl]

I’ve read that these don’t like root disturbance and that repotting can set them back so a long lasting bark substrate like orchiata is recommended. But, I don’t see why sphagnum won’t work in the short (maybe even long) term.

I’ve got 3: two I bought established in pots and one as a bare root division. I try to never let them dry out without letting them be water logged. Mine are all in bark in dark plastic pots with bottom drainage. I have them in locations that get morning sun but are shaded by midday. They are temperature tolerant and the two I have growing outside have weathered brief overnight temperatures in the upper 30s degrees Fahrenheit fine.

The brown sheaths on the plants cover aerial roots so I’ve heard they appreciate having overhead water which I give to my out door plants. The indoor plant just gets soaked. I’ve also heard that removing these sheaths will kill the roots/plant.

So far mine have been pretty hardy (partially why I got two more). I’ve had my first one for over a year now and I’m really hoping for a rebloom soon. I got the bare root division in July and that one has taken quite awhile to establish but I’m finally seeing new growth from it too.

Good luck, the smell is divine!

[camille1585]

I've had one for close to 10 years now, and it's become an absolute monster of a plant, so I guess I'm doing something right.

Specifics of culture will depend on your environment but here are a few generalities based on my experience with it:
* Loves water in the growing season. I water by filling its saucer with water about twice a week, watering when damp but not soggy.
*In the cooler months it prefers to be slightly on the dry side (I water enough to avoid wrinkling p-bulbs, partially because I tend to forget about it when it's in the guest bedroom for the winter).
*Needs high light to flower. At my latitude (Netherlands), it stays outside in full sun all afternoon from June to late September, and is behind a south facing window the rest of the year. Tolerates high (35-40°C) and low (5-10°C at night) temperatures outside.

Don't remove the brown sheaths on the bits of stem between the stacked bulbs. There are roots running under those, an removing sheaths can damage them.

Sphagnum can work as a medium, but like aliceinwl mentions, something lost lasting like orchiata bark is also my preference. Because of it's high watering needs in the summer, orchiata won't break down as fast. I've also used standard, good quality bark. I generally don't use spganum for my orchids so can't say much about it with this species.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'll throw in something that wasn't mentioned yet that might be of some information to you.

They originated from Veracruz, Mexico. You can look up climate info on the web.

[Mistlebee15]

Thank you all for you help, should I wait to repot, until the flowers have died?

She is planted in a black pot, and I have tried to lift her out to have a look at the roots but it is stuck and will not move, I dont want to break the roots, so I have left well alone.

When I do repot, I am not sure of the best way to go about it, do I soak the pot, then replant the whole root ball into bark.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Mistlebee15

Thank you all for you help, should I wait to repot, until the flowers have died?

She is planted in a black pot, and I have tried to lift her out to have a look at the roots but it is stuck and will not move, I dont want to break the roots, so I have left well alone.

When I do repot, I am not sure of the best way to go about it, do I soak the pot, then replant the whole root ball into bark.

Last time I repotted the plant it was so rootbound that the pot was bulging and it took 2 people, with lots of pulling and swearing to get it out. It desperately needs a repot this year after blooming, and I think I'm going to cut the pot off of it this time.

From experience, remove whatever old medium that comes away somewhat easily, and don't worry too much about what's left if the rootball is too tight to dig into. Soaking the plant beforehand does help a lot with sphag! Then chuck it in a slightly larger pot and fill with new medium. Max ten is such a weed at this time of year that new roots fill the void in no time, compensating for whatever roots may die in the center of the root ball.

[Mistlebee15]

Thank you.

I am really pleased now I took the gamble and bought her. Later in the year I will re pot into a bigger pot.

I dont usually do that until I have researched the care needed for each orchid. I have been keeping a close eye on her this week, and she is producing some new shoots and so far she is happy in her new home.

[camille1585]

Now (or after blooming if it currently has flowers) would be a good time to repot since the plant will enter active growth after flowering and be producing lots of new roots.

[Roberta]

Take a look at this Max tenuifolia, grown by a friend. It's a little overgrown, maybe... how do you argue with success? (scroll up from the text to see the plant)
MaxTenuifolia