Orchid Newb, just purchased M. tenuifolia, now what?

[Chlorophile]

I'm newish to orchids- I've had a few phals that never I could never get to bloom again and I have a L. discolor which is doing great. I have lots of other houseplants that are doing great.

Recently I ordered an M. tenuifolia from Logee's, due to weather I had them hold it until next month. Reading the Logees description it sounds like the plant is super easy to grow and not really picky. IME, Logees tends to make many plants sound much easier to grow than they are. Reading up on M. tenuifolia I am getting some conflicting information and now am worried I may not be set up for it.

Some places say sphagnum moss is the way to go, others say no it will be to wet. Some say they love to be kept moist, others say let them dry out. As far as lighting goes I see some recommending bright, direct sun and others light that a phal would like.

In my apartment I have two SW facing windows, a small NE window and that's it. I also have a humidifier. The apt is usually around 70-80 degrees F. I was planning on putting it on a shelf about 12 feet from the SW window.

At my office, I have a SW and an E facing window that are up high. The office is generally very dry and experiences huge variations in temperature-freezing in winter and can get quite hot in summer.

I suppose my main question is basically, how do I care for this orchid? Where would be the best location for it, what kind of potting mixture does it need (it comes just wrapped in moss), what pot type is best, how do I water it, etc. I need some hand holding

[Roberta]

I have had better luck growing this in small bark than in sphagnum for the long haul. It does tend to want to stay on the moist - but not soggy - side. It is not particularly sensitive to humidity (the pseudobulbs give it a reserve, unlike such plants as Phalaenopsis that don't have them) It can be a rambler. If you can get a tree-fern "pole", and put it in the pot along with the plant, as it grows you can "train" it up the tree fern piece. It may develop roots from the pseudo-bulbs that grow from the ends of the growths. Like Maxillarias in general it really doesn't like its roots disturbed, so potting it in good-quality bark (such as Orchiata) will mean that you don't have to repot it for quite awhile. One very important note... as it grows, there will be brown sheaths between the nodes (individual pseudobulbs). DO NOT remove those sheaths... the root system goes all the way up the plant, and the sheaths protect those roots. It is tempting to "clean up" those sheaths in the name of aesthetics... that will kill it for sure!
From your description, I think it will be happier in your apartment than in the office. Your chosen location sounds good.

[Dollythehun]

Well, let me start, others will follow. I grew mine in an east and south window combo. But, in the summer, I have trees to contend with, so the light is less. That was not enough light, it wouldn't bloom under Phal level light. I had it in bark and probably didn't water enough. It loved summer outdoors with bright, filtered light and got huge...nary a bloom. I re-homed it last year. Too much space, no flowers.

So, from my experience it needs bright light, intermediate temps and spagh might be best. 12' might be too far away.

[fishmom]

Like Roberta, I grow mine in a small bark mix. I try to keep it moist all the time, and during the hot dry summer when the plant is outside I leave a saucer under it so it has a bit of extra water to soak up. You will know you are giving enough water when the pseudobulbs stay nice and plump. I drizzle water over the top so it can run down those brown sheaths for the hidden roots.

It can take quite a bit of sun, so 12 feet from the window may be too much distance. Mine is in a S facing window during the winter, but I have a translucent cloth panel for protection when the late afternoon sun beats in. It gets direct morning sun during the summer when it is outside.

Good luck, this is a wonderful orchid!

[SaraJean]

I’m just going to echo what others said, these like a lot of light and 12 feet away from a window is most likely not enough. It’s one of my few orchids that I have never had to worry about burning. I am much further south than you and I have grown mine in direct, unfiltered, afternoon sun outdoors in 90-100 degree, swampy, heat. It grows beautifully for me and blooms it’s pants off every year. I do make sure it has plenty of air movement and lots of water available since it does get so hot and my high humidity helps, but again, I’ve never had an issue with this one getting too much light.

There is a whole thread on these here when is was project plant that has a lot of good info to browse through Maxillaria tenuifolia (Project 11 - Summer 2010) Good luck!

[Paphluvr]

I think you will find that the hobby is much more rewarding (i.e., losing fewer plants, flowering more plants) if you research the cultural requirements of a potential new acquisition before purchase. I know that it's hard when you're walking through a greenhouse full of beautiful flowers to not go "Wow, I really like this!" and spotaneously buy it. But if you grow Phaleanopsis and try to grow (as an example) Cymbidium next to it, one of them is going to fail.

Said from experience.

[Roberta]

For species, I have a bookmarked link to Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia on my phone so I can do a bit of quick research when I'm at a show. Hybrids are a little more difficult, of course.

[Chlorophile]

I absolutely agree- I should not have purchased on a whim. I was buying other plants and saw it was on sale and just went for, not something I usually do.

In my defense, I did read the care requirements on the website and it seemed very doable. Only after when I looked deeper did I find that the requirements differed from what was stated.

Thankfully I had them delay shipment so I could do more research so I have a few more weeks to get everything right.

[aliceinwl]

I went kind of nuts at an orchid show last weekend and ended up coming home with one of these too. For plants I don’t have experience with I talked to the vendors and bought small and cheap. I’ve been doing more research since I got them all home but no two set ups are exactly alike so I’m going with some trial and error. Impulse buys can be fun as they force you to keep learning and trying new things.

So far most of my orchids have been pretty forgiving as long as I keep a close eye on them and act quickly when something isn’t working. I went with a larger, cheaper, non-blooming M. tenuifolia potted in bark that had been grown in California. I’m not sure how it’ll work long term but I set it up hanging from an eastern exposure chain link fence and have been bringing it in when lows go below 45. If I’m successful with it, I’d love to try one indoors for the fragrance.

[Roberta]

Zero-calorie coconut creme pie... worth going to some trouble for.