Maxillaria tenuifolia (Project 11 - Summer 2010)

[RosieC]

Over on another thread here someone is talking about the need to reduce water on these over the winter.

I've not noticed that discussed here (though I could easily have missed it).

Anyway, mine is mounted, do you think I should do something like water every other day instead of every day, I'm not sure what to do

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by RosieC

Over on another thread here someone is talking about the need to reduce water on these over the winter.

I've not noticed that discussed here (though I could easily have missed it).

Anyway, mine is mounted, do you think I should do something like water every other day instead of every day, I'm not sure what to do

I have not heard of this either, but I think it's just the normal 'reduce watering' advice that applies to any orchid in the cooler winter temps.

According to Orchidwiz there is little rainfall in the natural habitat in the winter, but there's plenty of dew and mist. So the watering recommendations are to reduce water in winter, but they "should not be allowed to dry out completely or remain even relatively dry for long periods."

So I would think that if your mounted plant is bone dry by the next morning, you should continue with daily watering. Being mounted, you run limited risk of overwatering!

[RosieC]

Thanks Camille,

Yeah I'll go by how dry it is, actually I think it's not drying by next morning at the momment, I've not watered yet today and it's still somewhat damp feeling, so I'll check it every day but let it dry.

On the other thread the suggestion was that the bulbs should be alowed to wrinkle fractionally but not so much that they don't plump up again when it's watered.

I think I've actually got a small amount of movement after it's seemed to have been doing nothing for a long time. There were three new growths on it and they seem to be fattening at the base recently

[camille1585]

I go by the bulbs anyways for watering, even in the warmer months. I do the same with my Oncs. When wrinkles appear (or they deepen on the Max, since that one has permanent wrinkles!) then I water. In the summer that's every 5-7 days, and in the winter it's more like every 10-15 days. Until a Max expert says otherwise, I'll stick to that.

[RosieC]

That's probably a good way of measuring when potted, with mine mounted the dryness of the roots may be a sufficient indicator.

When I bought it the bulbs were very wrinkled but with daily watering and a couple of long soaks it plumped back up so most of them were smooth and they then stayed that way all summer.

The last couple of weeks I've actually been forgetting to water it every day and small wrinkles have appeared. I gave it a 1/2 hour soak in a bucket yesterday to try and plump it up again.

So, it's really a question of do I carry on with the lower watering which I've acidentily been doing anyway, or do I still keep trying to aim for every day. I think the answer is that I'll not worry to much if I forget it sometimes and if the wrinkles deepen it will get a long soak.

Thanks again Camille

[camille1585]

Didn't think very wrinkled bulbs could fully plump back up again! Maybe I haven't been watering mine enough then.

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Didn't think very wrinkled bulbs could fully plump back up again! Maybe I haven't been watering mine enough then.

oh yeah.. They can do... Have seen it in my Maxillaria, but also in Catasetinae, Coelogyne cristata and some Catts!

as per watering maxillaria, I think I must agree with Camille... reducing in winter just as normally done with other plants... (actually I do this with most of my orchids which do not strictly undergo dormancy)

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Didn't think very wrinkled bulbs could fully plump back up again! Maybe I haven't been watering mine enough then.

All but the one oldest looking plumped back up on mine, and most of them all the way to fully plump.

Thanks Ramon as well, I'll go with judging watering on the roots and and bulbs and so basically water it as much as it seems to need.

[Call_Me_Bob]

mine havent really plumeped up, but ive stopped worrying. this guys is growin like mad!! go steve...steve's wrinkles are like grey hair, they give him character...:P

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Didn't think very wrinkled bulbs could fully plump back up again! Maybe I haven't been watering mine enough then.

The only time I have seen bulbs not re-plump, is with oncidiums. Once shriveled, always shriveled. I've had most success with re-plumping on my L. anceps, dens, and a little on my catts- those being only slight improvement, if they're severely shriveled.

Makes me want to research how the pseudobulbs physiology differs between those alliances, and see what "mechanism" the oncs lack that keeps them from re-plumping.