Maxillaria tenuifolia

[rich63]

Picked up this 4" pot today. Only one little bloom currently. This guy is growing in sphagnum moss. I will be putting him outside to enjoy the warm humid days. Any help with this one would be appreciated. Thanks, Rich

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Rich, you will love this orchid. He will grow right alongside your cattleyas. I would pot into a mix you normally grow your orchids in so his care will be easier. Love the coconut fragrance - even on one bloom.

Cheers,
BD

[Janet]

I've found that these small maxillarias just starting to bloom have often been extracted from a larger plant and have few if any roots. I just picked one up last week on a visit to NC and removed the sphagnum in order to pack it in my duffle to take home. There was one healthy root--no unhealthy ones. So when I got home I repotted it in sphagnum rather than small semi-hydro pellets. Had I known it had practically no roots I would have packed it up in the original sphagnum to avoid disrupting any new roots.

[rich63]

I did take a peek to look at these roots. No shortage of roots on this guy.I'm still not sure if I want to repot into a bark mix that I normally would use for my cattleyas. The vendor I purchased this from said that these like to stay damp and that I should leave it moss.I did stumble onto a different Florida growers website. They also grow in sphagnum moss. I'm just concerned that the bark mix might dry out to quickly in this Florida heat. I did include a couple of photos of the roots. Thanks, Rich

[Janet]

WOW!!! That is nothing like the one I just bought with 4 blooms on it and about the same size!! That is something else!

[ManilaByNight]

Good for you guys .... mine just keeps growing but not flowered again ever since I first got it.

Mine used to be planted in moss but because my grow area tends to get really wet because of watering, I decided to repot it in some hydrocorn (LECA) pellets. It's growing but not flowering.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

Rich, grow it for your growing conditions. For me, spag would stay too wet and I would rot the roots. Good luck!!

Cheers,
BD