Maxillaria Tenuifolia growth cycle - Orchid Board

Incidental Orchid · #1 10-31-2021, 11:01 PM

Hello,

I saw a Maxillaria Tenuifolia in the darkest corner of a shop. Most the pseudobulbs looked fine they weren't too shrivelly. It only had 3 very fragrant blooms. During the summer I placed it in a window where it received very bright diffused sunlight most of the day and some direct sunlight for an hour or so as the sun moves across the bay window and plenty of water.

I bought it April 2021. Around early June the blooms had fallen off and new growth appeared. It's been four months and I counted about 23 new growths. At this time most do not yet look like a pseudobulb they are still relatively small and very few are almost as big as the older pseudobulbs.

So, how long should it take for pseudobulbs to fully mature? Should I keep watering until all the new pseudobulbs are mature? When should I slow down on watering? According to research Max Tenuifolia needs a winter rest, but for how long, how many and which months?

Thanks for all the advice. Billy

camille1585 · #2 11-01-2021, 03:59 AM

I have had a Max tenuifolia for many years, and it has gotten so large than it looks like a small shrub now.

Regarding your question about bulb size, I have never really paid attention to it since the plant is so monsterous, so I'll have a look at my plant this evening.

For the winter rest, I wouldn't call it a true winter rest, when comparing to a lot of the typical winter resting Dens for instance. My plants lives in the spare bedroom in the winter, behind a south facing window, and gets standard indoor temps. As to watering, starting about now until march, I reduce watering to about once in 3-4 weeks. The bulbs get shriveled, and I water just enough to prevent extreme shriveling. I don't aim to keep them plump, as the only way to do that is with regular watering. My approach seems to work as I often get over 80 blooms on my plant in the spring.

Note that my climate is rather different than yours, I don't know how others deal with the 'rest' period for this species (what period and watering frequency).