I got a Max "coconut"
 

Waldor Orchids was at the farmers market, so I packed up my family and went. I didn't tell my husband why...but I talked him into $20 for a close-to-bloom Max. I dont have the tag in front of me but hopefully you know what I'm talking about lol

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Maxillaria tenuifolia, (aka Coconut Orchid).

Yes, thats it :) i got one that was ready to bloom instead of in bloom, i hope i made the right choice! http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/05/19/upe6uva4.jpg

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Bright indirect light. Grow along with many of the Cattleyas and Vandas.

Temperature tolerant, but it really favors intermediate to warm temperatures (55 F - 95 F).

Moderate to high humidity (60% - 80% is adequate).

Wet growing season (spring/summer). Severely reduce watering during late fall/winter.

Grows fast.

Difficult to bloom

Easy to grow.

---------- Post added at 11:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 AM ----------

From the Vera Cruz, Mexico area.

It is an epiphyte.

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Very fragrant. Smells like coconut oil, hence the common name, Coconut Orchid.

The woman at the Waldor tent said I could grow them alongside my phals and treat them similarly, and that it's a hearty plant. Does that sound correct? I have all of my plants on my shaded porch (as pictured in another recent thread) right now anyways.

Forgot...

The roots don't look like Phal roots. Some of these roots look brown and dead, but they're really very much alive. Don't remove any of the roots even if you think they're dead.

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No. She's very, very wrong. Please read my posts again.

I wouldn't dream of it...I specifically asked about the pot it was in and she said I shouldn't repot since it was just repot last year. I'm not going to touch it... :) It has new growth and at least 2 blooms about to open.

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*sigh* noted :) If I have time today I will do some more specific research and figure out the best locations around my house (until I move in a month and have to rethink it all over again! :))

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The photo on facebook is the reason I ventured to the farmer's market today, such a great display :)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...51764794_n.jpg

I wish the farmers markets around here had stuff like that! What a great display...

If you head down to the projects forum you'll find there's a massive thread with people growing this orchid. There seems to be some debate about what it takes to get them to flower!

I read somewhere that in the wild they grow in ravines, which might mean they cope with some extremes: floods sometimes, dry others, sometimes vegetation growing over them, sometimes it gets stripped away... Don't know that, but could be. I met someone recently claimed to have killed one. I was quite impressed.

Don't strip away the brown leaf husks under the pseudobulbs: in this plant the roots grow down underneath them so they are using that covering.

thanks! this will be my project too, in the sense that i am just going to be hands off, but submit it to different conditions than my others (within my abilities). At least it's almost in bloom so i can enjoy it before it becomes difficult :-D

Research Vera Cruz, Mexico's annual rainfall, relative humidity, and annual temperatures.

Then try and find in-situ pics of Max. tenuifolia. Don't just look at the Max. tenuifolia, look at what's growing near or around it as well. You'll often find plants you recognize that will help you understand the environment the orchids grow in.

These should help.

I myself don't really know what triggers blooms with this particular species of Maxillaria. Many other Maxillarias are ridiculously easy to bloom, and they put on a real show when they do. Although, some point to the trigger being a warmer winter that doesn't drop below 60 F at night.

It's probably not "ready to bloom" so much as "near blooming size" or "blooming size" - to me, ready to bloom means it has an obvious spike; it's very common to sell "blooming size" or "near blooming size" orchids which will, if given the right care, flower within the next year.

No it actually has buds that are literally ready to open :) There were flowering plants available to purchase but I chose one that hadn't actually opened yet.

oh yay that is good. You will be pleased with the scent when they open, and I find the flowers quite attractive too. :)

I wish there were orchids at our farmer's market!
Your plant looks healthy.

Lucky you!

I grow this one. Very forgiving plant. If you grow I next to phal it won't flower well. It needs Dendrobium light level. East facing window sun till a out 11. If your plant was in a low light area, gradually acclimate it to higher light level.

I left this plant out to die a few years back and despite it not dying it even flowered. If left above 55 in winter it flowers better than temps lower than that.
Not too soggy condition also helps.

Andrew

I grow mine in an East window where it gets direct sun until around 2pm and it loves it. It likes lots of water.

I've been gone 5 days and returned after dark, but I have a bloom! I will add a picture tomorrow :)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q...529_090502.jpg

Beautiful!

I have a love/hate relationship with Max (that's what my tenuifolia is called).

I love the flower and the scent (enough to probably buy more of them) and otherwise I find them a bit...frustrating.

I used to have two, but I killed the other one (over-watering causing root rot). I'm usually careful with my orchids, but Max has been torn apart and reshuffled, literally. I didn't like the long, lanky appearance and all the wrinkled pseudobulbs so I made several divisions of one plant and tucked them all into a community pot thinking he'll either make it or (more likely) not.

Turns out, Max must like pain and suffering because finally, FINALLY, he's becoming a plump, bright green and happy guy.

*Relieved sigh*

Maybe I can even hope for flowers in a year or two.

This was a Lowes "Bag orchid". Took 2 years to bloom...bloomed after I put in in full sun under my pool cage

I don't have any filtered sun so it's in indirect bright under the porch and i just mist it every day (the medium seems moist so i don't add to it)

morning sun works well for these. They can take quite a bit of light.

Congrats on your flower :cheer:

I have two, one the standard red, one a yellow variety. However neither have flowered. The red grows really really well but no sign of flowers :(

I recently read they flower better if you give them a bit of a dry-ish winter rest; trying it out with mine this winter.

No kidding!
Mine gets direct baking sun longer than my cymbidiums. It's in full sun by my roses now.
At first I was cautiously upping the light level, but after a while I just upped it drastically.

Now it gets 1 hour of morning sun, 5 hours of direct afternoon sun, and strong dappled light the rest of the day.
I thought it would burn but it's been months since I put it there.





I heard that too. I naturally (through neglect) have mine a dryish winter rest and I'm hoping for a bloom.

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I had mine in direct afternoon light last year. Not put it back out yet as we have had a cool spring but will likely put it back in the same spot soon.

the second bud isn't looking too great...drats!

I thought about trying one mounted. There is always one at our show that is huge, beautiful, and is mounted. Or maybe a basket....

Mine are both mounted. The first was growing so well that way that I mounted the second and that seems to be doing better than it was.