How to get Maxillaria tenuifolia to bloom?

[claypot]

IO have had one of these for a couple of years but it has never flowered. Any ideas. I keep it at min 13c.

[camille1585]

I hope you don't mind that I've moved your post to its own thread, and to a different sub-forum, you're more likely to get responses this way. If you prefer a different title, let me know.

How are you currently growing it (light, temperature, watering, fertilizer)? How large is the plant?

I've had one of these for 9 years now, and also had trouble getting it to flower in the first 4 years or so. After trial and error this is what works for mine: I'm in the Netherlands (somewhat comparable climate to you) and from June to October I put it outside in full sun nearly the whole day, and the rest of the year it lives indoors behind a south facing window. As long as you progressively get it adjusted to full sun, this plant is impossible to burn at our latitudes. During the growing season it needs a lot of water, and I usually leave it sitting in a saucer of water, and water again a couple days after it's all absorbed/evaporated. I fertilize at nearly every watering. In the winter I reduce watering amount and frequency (but give enough to prevent the bulbs from wrinkling).

I don't know if my plant would have eventually flowered anyway or if this method triggered the blooms, this plant was very difficult for me to figure out. Now it's a monster of a plant, and I usually get 40+ flowers on it.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Bright light usually does the trick.