Hey everyone!!
I always thought these were interesting plants, but I never really thought, "Oh I must have one!"
However, today when I was buying belated Mother's Day orchids from TJ's, I saw it: a maxillaria tenuifolia! What luck!
How often do you find one of
these in TJ's, and for $8 no less!!?? I quickly grabbed it so no one else would snatch it from me (honestly, though, what average shopper is going to try to steal a 1-flower chives-looking plant from me???) and bought it along with the other orchids - a sherry baby and a giant gorgeous phal.
It didn't matter that I was essentially clueless about this orchid- for $8, it stole my heart and begged me to take it home.
But here are my questions:
1- What is an ideal potting mix for it? I seem to see it in a wooden slat basket often, and the potting mixes look finer than what I usually pot my oncidiums, phals, and cattleyas in.
2- I have read it has particular weather patterns where it lives. Is this a winter-resting orchid? I have read to reduce water from October to February, and give almost nothing for the month of December. Does this sound right?
3- Should I just forego potting it and mount it? If I mount it, how much sphagnum moss should I use? Should I pile it high and thick like I do for my oncidiums, or give s sparing, thin layer like I do for bulbos?
4- This is a low-light orchid, correct? Would it like bulbophyllum light or oncidium light better?
I hope these aren't too many questions- I just want to give this plant the best possible start it can have so I can enjoy more blooms sooner. Let me know what you think!
Attached are some pictures- the flower is broken, but I am hopeful that it might produce one more?
Trader Joe's find - Maxillaria Tenuifolia
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