Maxillaria tenuifolia (Project 11 - Summer 2010)

[Zoi2]

Congrats Nenella!!!
Mine just keeps growing but no blooms. I'm going to try more sun next winter as I do like the plant but jeez how long has it been!!
Joann

[nenella]

Thanks Joann,
It's actually got 7 buds! 2 more 'appeared' that I had not seen. The most (for now) time I have had a plant before seeing it flower was/is 7 years...an Onc.Sphacelatum which has 9 spikes each more than a meter long @ the moment.
I also have an Oncidium ornithorhynchum since 2007... Which has never flowered for the moment..... So, it's all a patience game .. And giving the 'chids time to adapt to our growing conditions I think ... As long as you keep them alive. I'm sure it will flower for you.
Ps: I have Never repotted my Max sice I have had it.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Zoi2

Congrats Nenella!!!
Mine just keeps growing but no blooms. I'm going to try more sun next winter as I do like the plant but jeez how long has it been!!
Joann

The only year I got blooms on my plant was the year where we had a very sunny winter. This year I still see nothing on my plant, but we had another typical dark and gray Dutch winter... Next year it's moving under lights for the winter!

[nenella]

Camille has your plant grown a lot? I'm pretty sure if you can give it a bit more light you will get blooms

Here's a photo of how mine looks like now.



PS: Apologies can't seem to post the photo right side up? Am using in iPad anyone know how to sort this problem?

[camille1585]

Oh yes, mine has grown a lot! Just took a photo of it, since it lives on the (south) windowsill next to my desk at work. It's in a 14 cm pot, for size reference....

It gets a ton of light from March to early November, but in the winter it's usually very cloudy and combined with the short days, it get very little sun. The one year it bloomed was the year where we had a sunny winter. I think that next fall I'll stick it under lights for the winter.

[RosieC]

Interesting how yours has those strings of bulbs out the side. I sort of expected that from the growth pattern but mine seems more compact.

[camille1585]

Yes, it's sort of all collapsing out to the sides. But since the center of the plant is more open, there are a ton of new bulbs coming up in the middle now. (Going to take a photo of it!) I need to tie up all the growths going sideways, if they bend too far they end up breaking off.

[camille1585]

And the photo! Lots of new bulbs in the middle.

[nenella]

Wow! That's amazing, have you repotted it at all? My flowers have dried up now and I was thinking of maybe upping it a pot size.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by nenella

Wow! That's amazing, have you repotted it at all? My flowers have dried up now and I was thinking of maybe upping it a pot size.

I didn't get any flowers again last year, as it was another really gray winter, so not much light...

I repotted mine last year to a larger pot (13 or 14cm I think). What I read about this orchid is that the growth habit is in part determined by the pot shape/size. In a smaller/narrow pot the plant will tend to grow mostly vertically, while in a wider pot it may not grow as tall, but will spread out instead. Seems to be the case so far with mine.