Quote:
Originally Posted by greenbean
Wow!!! That is spectacular! I just bought a Max. tenuifolia about a year ago and love it. I hope mine looks like that someday! It's growing fast, so maybe it will! Yours has better spotting than mine. Did it develop as the plant matured, or does it vary from bloom to bloom?
I would also like to know how long you've had it and how you are taking care of it. Teach me, oh master!
|
I have no secret to grow this, Greenbean. I used to keep it hanging low in the shade house, a foot and a half, or so, from the floor. Then last year I decided to grow it outside, also hanging low in the shade of a Macadamia tree. I have a piece of it that I grow in opposite conditions, high in the shade house, warmer and with bright light and I can say that it grows less than the mother which is in a shadier, fresher position. For the rest, I give it the same cultural treatment I give to my Cattleyas with the possible difference that I feed it with chemical fertilizer once this plant has the major part of its roots aerial and hidden inside the bracts and benefits little from organic fertilizer on the media. That’s it. Hope this can be of help. If you need anything else, just let me know.
Oh, yes, the plant is 8-9 years old. The spotting is unique for each clone. The spots will vary a little from year to year and from bloom to bloom, but always respecting the general pattern for that clone.