Maxillaria tenuifolia (Project 11 - Summer 2010)

[Duane McDowell]

Sounds like your "silly hubby" and I are on the same wavelength. I'm thinking I can move out two Masdevallia hybrids and replace them with fifteen Lepanthes!

[Duane McDowell]

Originally Posted by stefpix

Max tenuifolia from Lowes. Closeout at $ 2.50. PB a bit shriveled and i removed 3 or 4 that were dried / dead. Hope it was a deal.

So the order from Oakhill came orphaned of the Maxillaria.'
including:
Gongora tricolor,
Galeottia grandiflora
Lycaste macrophylla.

any advice how to grow these? should I make a separate post? if anyone is growing any of these, please send some advice.
How many years for blooms? should I keep these seedlings that i grow under [very close] T12s more moist than adult plants?
thanks

Got also what looks like a healthy seedling of Laelia tenebrosa, larger than expected

I've grown all of those at one point or another.

Gongoras LOVE WATER. Keep it potted on the small side, but don't ever let it dry out. Once it hits blooming size, you'll want to get it into a basket lined with moss so you don't miss any spikes. Similar light to a Phalaenopsis works, although they can certainly take the same light that a cattleya needs.

The Lycaste also should be kept potted on the small size. It takes a lot of water when the growth is forming. That said, this group of Lycastes likes a fast wet/dry cycle - I wouldn't pot it wet - just water it frequently. (This isn't true of Lycaste skinneri and its hybrids - I really like a superfine moisture-retentive mix for them). Once the growths are mature (round, plump pseudobulbs), you'll notice that it's taking longer to dry out. It should never be allowed to get completely dry, but it should get close. Again, somewhere between phal and catt light will work.

The Galeottia likes water, too. Again, keep it potted on the small side and never let it dry out completely. Brighter than a phal, ideally - cattleya light will work great. I love these. If you grow Zygopetalums well, use that protocol. They're closely related.

The Laelia tenebrosa should be kept in coarser mix than the others, and should really be allowed to get almost dry in between waterings. It takes more light than the others, too. Cattleya conditions.

All of these resent broken-down mix. I repot any plants I buy as soon as I get them. This way, they're in a mix that I know how to water, and I know what condition the roots are in when I get started. If it were me, I'd pot the Galeottia and the Gongora in a very fine grade mix, and the Laelia and Lycaste in a coarser mix.

[tcrane]

Einmir - great looking plants! Is your maxilaria planted in bark or in moss?

-Tristan

[Erinmir]

Originally Posted by tcrane

Einmir - great looking plants! Is your maxilaria planted in bark or in moss?

-Tristan

Thanks Tristan!

From what I can tell it is in moss. It is definitely not in bark, but what it is in is finer than most moss I've ever seen... I"m not sure exactly what it is to be honest, but it seems ok. I'm of the mindset of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it", as I've killed things with intended kindness before, so while it isn't immediately clear to me, I"m going to leave it as is. I think it is moss, but that it just has some algae and lichen on it.

[stefpix]

Originally Posted by Duane McDowell

Gongoras LOVE WATER. Keep it potted on the small side, but don't ever let it dry out. Once it hits blooming size, you'll want to get it into a basket lined with moss so you don't miss any spikes. Similar light to a Phalaenopsis works, although they can certainly take the same light that a cattleya needs.

The Lycaste also should be kept potted on the small size. It takes a lot of water when the growth is forming. That said, this group of Lycastes likes a fast wet/dry cycle - I wouldn't pot it wet - just water it frequently. (This isn't true of Lycaste skinneri and its hybrids - I really like a superfine moisture-retentive mix for them). Once the growths are mature (round, plump pseudobulbs), you'll notice that it's taking longer to dry out. It should never be allowed to get completely dry, but it should get close. Again, somewhere between phal and catt light will work.

The Galeottia likes water, too. Again, keep it potted on the small side and never let it dry out completely. Brighter than a phal, ideally - cattleya light will work great. I love these. If you grow Zygopetalums well, use that protocol. They're closely related.


All of these resent broken-down mix. I repot any plants I buy as soon as I get them. This way, they're in a mix that I know how to water, and I know what condition the roots are in when I get started. If it were me, I'd pot the Galeottia and the Gongora in a very fine grade mix, and the Laelia and Lycaste in a coarser mix.

Duane
thanks so much for your input. I do not mean to hijack the thread.
I think I have to repot the cheap Maxillaria as a few PB looked brown and dry. was sitting at Lowes for a month or so. It appears that it could be divided in 2 clumps but not sure.

I grow a Galeopetalum. Had it for almost a year. quite some new PBs but no blooms. Just notice last week 2 new growths from a new PB.

Not sure if I want to repot what I got from Oakhill as the medium looks new.
The Gongora is in medium / small bark. I heard about sphagnum but maybe i will wait to repot ot. DO the old PB die quickly? Anyway right now is 3 or 4 inches under 2 T12 bulbs. How large for reaching growing size?

I love the blooms of Lycastes, saw some grower showing his collection at the show at Dearborn NJ and his blooms looked amazing. I hope it will not suffer in a heated apartment situation.. But I can always put it against a window or in the bathroom [but it is an easter window, Lycastes may want more light].

Probably of the 3 the Galeottia is the easiest.

Wonder if the current bark is bad for the Gongora Would a coco liner instead of sphag be OK when I repot it in the future?

Thanks again.

[Izzie]

So how long do you guys think these will pout after repotting?

[Duane McDowell]

Originally Posted by stefpix

Duane
thanks so much for your input. I do not mean to hijack the thread.
I think I have to repot the cheap Maxillaria as a few PB looked brown and dry. was sitting at Lowes for a month or so. It appears that it could be divided in 2 clumps but not sure.

I grow a Galeopetalum. Had it for almost a year. quite some new PBs but no blooms. Just notice last week 2 new growths from a new PB.

Not sure if I want to repot what I got from Oakhill as the medium looks new.
The Gongora is in medium / small bark. I heard about sphagnum but maybe i will wait to repot ot. DO the old PB die quickly? Anyway right now is 3 or 4 inches under 2 T12 bulbs. How large for reaching growing size?

I love the blooms of Lycastes, saw some grower showing his collection at the show at Dearborn NJ and his blooms looked amazing. I hope it will not suffer in a heated apartment situation.. But I can always put it against a window or in the bathroom [but it is an easter window, Lycastes may want more light].

Probably of the 3 the Galeottia is the easiest.

Wonder if the current bark is bad for the Gongora Would a coco liner instead of sphag be OK when I repot it in the future?

Thanks again.

I repot regardless of how new the mix is. I want everything potted my way by me. That way I know what the 'chids are in and what condition the roots are in.

Coco liner should be fine for a Gongora basket. It'll be blooming size when the pseudobulbs are 3-4" tall (the whole growth would be 12-16" tall).

Even if the Maxillaria breaks in two when repotting, I would leave it in a single pot. It seems like they do better "in company" (More plant, less pot).

I really love Lycastes - especially the massive Lyc. skinneri hybrids. They are so elegant! Lyc. macrophylla is easier for most people to grow - not quite as large, and not quite as demanding of water.

[Izzie]

Thanks for all your input Duane!

[stefpix]

Duane ! thanks for your great input. Will keep teh Max together. maybe wash it in H2O2 as it was sitting at Lowes in a bag for a month before I grabbed it discounted. In general the Better Gro bags are quite good for what I have.

I was wondering my Lycaste is still small. should I give it a winter rest or water normally since it is in small pot and has small PB? Hope it blooms for me in not too many years. Rarely I have been more impressed than when I saw all those Lycastes in bloom.

[Duane McDowell]

Originally Posted by stefpix

Duane ! thanks for your great input. Will keep teh Max together. maybe wash it in H2O2 as it was sitting at Lowes in a bag for a month before I grabbed it discounted. In general the Better Gro bags are quite good for what I have.

I was wondering my Lycaste is still small. should I give it a winter rest or water normally since it is in small pot and has small PB? Hope it blooms for me in not too many years. Rarely I have been more impressed than when I saw all those Lycastes in bloom.

Keep an eye on the moisture level in the mix. You want to water the day before it gets dry. When the plant is growing really actively, you might be watering every day. When the bulbs are complete and the new growth hasn't started up yet, it might be every fourteen days (I guess that would be a winter rest of sorts).
If you're not comfortable guessing moisture level by weight yet, you can insert a clean dry toothpick into one of the bottom drain holes in the pot. Leave it in place for 10 seconds or so. If it comes out discolored, there's still some water in the pot. If it comes out clean, the medium is dry. You want to get a feel for how long it takes for the medium to get dry, then start watering the day before it would have dried out. Eventually, you'll get a really good feel for how much the whole plant, pot and all, weighs when it's wet and when it's dry, and you'll know when to water. It drops a lot of weight that last day before it gets dry.