Maxillaria tenuifolia

[heathersky]

I've had a this maxillaria tenuifolia for about 6 years and it was doing so well, blooming, new growth, great root health, etc. Then a few months ago I moved to Seattle with some of my orchids. My rental has terrible insulation! It's been getting pretty cold in the house (I'm a poor grad student and can't pay to crank the heat) and I've been watching my beautiful plant die. Roots are doing nothing, it's loosing leaves, psudobulbs and new growth turning brown.
Ive moved it to my office where it should get more light and stay warmer, but do you have any advice on how to stabilize it before I loose this plant?
I've attached some photos of it looking miserable in my office.
Note that it has also been repotted which it's also not happy about.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by heathersky

do you have any advice on how to stabilize it before I loose this plant?

Apart from good temperature and good lighting, the other important factor is good air circulation to the whole plant - including roots and media. Water is certainly important - and enough of it must get into the plant. If the media becomes too wet and the water just hangs in there without movement (where movement of water also means movement of oxygen which the water can carry for roots to take in), then the roots can die, and then water won't be able to get into the plant. Rotting can also occur, which isn't good. Naturally, if we water too little, then the plant will have issues too.

If the office or home has a still-air environment, then that may be no good for the orchid. Just check the media to see if it's very soggy. If it is, then give the roots a good cleanup and wash with clean water, and pot into maybe bark or bark/perlite or scoria.

Also - if the pot is sitting directly in the pot dish, then maybe have a bigger dish, but prop up the bottom of the pot with something (eg. spacer or spacers or grate etc), so that the bottom of the pot doesn't sit in drained water.

If the lighting level and temperature aren't great for sustaining this plant, then it will definitely need to go to a place where adequate growing requirements are met.

[Roberta]

Where did you live before? I grow Max. tenuifolia outside, where it definitely gets cold, I am sure a lot colder than your apartment (like close to freezing for a few hours on winter nights, gets rained on and watered) and it's fine. HOWEVER, it has been growing there for quite a few years, so is acclimated. If yours experienced a drastic temperature change, it may sulk for awhile, but will eventually adapt. Repotting just as it was being shocked might have caused some problems (in general, these really don't like their roots disturbed anyhow and could that could have set it back.) Again, I think "tincture of time" will be the cure. If you're keeping it a bit warmer now, that should help. Let the sphagnum get close to dry (not bone dry, but just barely damp) before watering again if it is cold. Just pamper it a bit (even if the light in your office isn't great, go for temperature) until you get past winter. Once things start to warm up a bit (I know in Seattle that's relative) it should start to be better able to make the adjustment.