Max. tenuifolia cultural question

[Paula Frayne]

Hi everyone,

I acquired one of these plants back in June. The plant is in a 4'' plastic pot with fine bark and some perlite. It has six pbulbs and is currently forming another one. It spent the summer outside in bright shade and was watered everyday (lots and lots of new root growth). It is now in my southwest facing kitchen. I have read that these plants like to be watered every 2-3 weeks during the winter (kept on the dry side) and to resume regular watering around March. But since it is forming a pbulb, should it receive water more like once or even twice a week?

Thanks for your help,
Paula

[mspatt]

I have a pretty large maxillaria (say thirty-ish pbulbs) and I grow it outside during the summer. When it is outside I water almost every day, like you. During the time it spends indoors, it gets watered WELL once a week. The pbulbs are ever so slightly wrinkled, but I have another max. (species) that is just barely holding on and is struggling because I gave it too much water, I think. I would not water more than once a week--A new pseudobulb should be able to plump up on a good watering once a week and IMHO I'd rather underwater than overwater. This is what I do in my conditions--yours may be different, but I'd still err on the side of caution.

[ardera]

You had great timing on this question! I just received one of these (along with 2 other chids) from a co-worker, that was giving up her collection. I was just looking up info on the care of these. Mine will stay indoors for the summer though, so I probably won't need to water as much, during that time.

[RosieC]

Hmm, well I got one as part of the summer orchid board project and I had not heard about reducing the watering for the winter before.

Mine is mounted so I'm not sure what I should do, maybe I should water every other day rather than every day

[Paula Frayne]

Thank you for all your input. I think that I am going to stick to the once a week good soaking (it seems to keep the pbulbs plump) and water it a second time during the week if the pbulbs start to shrivel. Thanks again.

[RosieC]

I asked the question over on the Max tenuifolia project thread and the opinion so far (from Camille and Ramon) is that watering should be reduced just as it should with all orchids because they are using less water over the winter, but that it is not really given a winter rest as such.

They suggest still watering based on the plants needs, judging from p-bulb wrinkling (trying to avoid it deepening) and media/root dryness and that this is the way to go all year round... it's just that it will need more on that basis than it will in the summer on the same basis.

That's what I plan to do with mine which will mean not watering the mount every day, but leaving it some days if it does not seem dry yet.

[Paula Frayne]

Thanks for the additional information Rosie. I'll have to take a look at that thread when I get the chance. Good luck with your plant.