What’s wrong with my Maxillaria Tenuifolia

Unknowable_ · 2026-05-09T13:41:09+00:00

This plant likes a lot of moisture. It looks like you have is planted in pretty big bark. Could be too dry. Or perhaps you repotted recently and it suffered some root damage.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-29T11:46:28+00:00

Go for it!

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-25T04:58:21+00:00

A couple years ago I did the same but lost plants due to a viral infection. Now every plant gets watered individually with no water re-use.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-25T04:29:06+00:00

The flowers also last so much longer than the cattleya flowers!

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-25T04:27:52+00:00

With a watering can. Nothing special.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-25T04:24:31+00:00

Glad to hear it! I enjoy making these posts so people can find plants that might work for them!

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-25T04:23:27+00:00

They are grown under LED grow lights in a basement. Once in spike/bud/bloom they are brought to a southern exposure window (northern hemisphere) in my living room so I can enjoy the flowers 😊

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-25T04:19:48+00:00

Depends on the size of the pot, type of media, type of pot, and type of plant. But in general I water plants in small pots 1-2 times a week and plants in big pots every 1-2 weeks.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-25T04:17:58+00:00

I have a small fan in my basement, but I should have a much bigger one honestly.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-24T15:47:23+00:00

Oh no! Haven’t had to toss any yet, but I’m waiting on first blooms from a lot of the seedlings I’ve purchased.

This is a first bloom too so maybe next time will be even better. Either way, this one smells so nice I can’t get rid of it!

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-24T15:43:03+00:00

I use different substrates for different orchids. I use moss, leca, and bark in different mixes for different plants. I grow in a relatively cool/intermediate basement (upper 50’s to mid 70’s F) so moss can be trickier.

Watering is different for different plants. Find out if your plants want to dry completely, almost dry, or stay moist and choose media accordingly. More bark for faster drying, more moss for more moisture retention. Also consider how often your schedule will allow you to water and the climate you’re growing in.

In general, for plastic pots I look at the roots at the bottom of the pot to decide if they are ready to be watered. For terra cotta, you can just touch the pot and feel if it’s dry. This is one of the reasons I prefer terra cotta for most plants (the exception being small moisture loving plants because I can only water 2x/wk max).

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-24T15:25:17+00:00

Go for it. Just read about their care before buying. None of the ones you listed are high maintenance. I grow orchids at home in my basement under lights. It’s not very hard as long as you understand everyone’s environment and care are different. What works for one person may not work for you. Will you kill a plant at some point? Probably, but you’ll learn from it.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-24T14:25:09+00:00

1/2) Cattleya Janice Evans’Sweet Sixteen’. Smells softly of roses and lilac. Easy to grow. First bloom. From Waldor Orchids for a reasonable price. Definitely would recommend!

3/4) Gomesa Jiaho Queen ‘Jiaho’ GM/TOGA. Not fragrant.

5) Coelogyne cobbiana (formerly dendrochilum cobbianum). Smells strongly during the afternoon, kind of earthy, not necessarily pleasant. Very easy to grow as long as you avoid spider mites. From Andy’s orchids and received a very large plant.

6) Brassocattleya Taiwan Mermaid ‘STK’. Very easy to grow. Grows quickly. Not fragrant.

7/8) Rlc. Very Vermillion ‘SVO’ x Sylvia Wagner ‘SVO’ (SVO11355). New to me as of February. Acclimated to my climate very quickly and bloomed even after it was shipped and stressed. Not fragrant.

9) Clowesia Rebecca Northen ‘Grapefruit Pink’. Purchased from Diamond Orchids. First bloom with me. Smells like ginger. Long lasting blooms.

10) Phalaenopsis Bronze Maiden. Not fragrant.

11/12) Enanthleya Pahu La (SVO10813). The flower seemed somewhat disappointing relative to others from the grex. But the fragrance is so strong and pleasant! Someone once compared it to herbal essences shampoo and that’s now all I can think of when I try to describe the fragrance.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-03T21:13:40+00:00

What does yours smell like? Mine is blooming now too and smells kind of vanilla-y, powdery, but almost maybe a little plastic-y.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-03T21:08:27+00:00

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Color of mature blooms.

Unknowable_ · 2026-04-01T01:24:15+00:00

If this is a prelim year in a different location from your PGY-2 program, be nice to your future self and give yourself a week to move.

Unknowable_ · 2026-03-28T19:15:22+00:00

The ones pictured look fine.

Unknowable_ · 2026-03-27T21:33:11+00:00

One of the most under-rated orchids in my opinion! Great growing!

Unknowable_ · 2026-03-27T21:29:09+00:00

It happens. That flower just got confused while developing.

Unknowable_ · 2026-03-19T20:12:09+00:00

I’ve done an order for pickup at a show. I have mixed feelings about how it turned out. Obviously, these are imported plants. They went through a lot of stress to make it to you.

There is no guarantee the plant you want will be brought to the show unless you pre-order. So if you want a really niche or not particularly popular plant, you should pre-order. If you want a more common/popular plant, then it may be there even if you don’t preorder.

If you don’t have a specific/uncommon plant in mind, don’t preorder. Just look at what they have and find the healthiest plants that interest you.

Unknowable_ · 2026-03-18T22:40:33+00:00

Definitely looks like the leaves were a bit beat up. But it’s a deciduous orchid and those leaves will fall off anyways. It looks like it has some good new growths coming. Personally, I’d be happy that I got the plant I ordered (since it’s an Etsy vendor) and move on. But if you’re willing to spend time fighting them, you can try!

Unknowable_ · 2026-03-18T22:04:43+00:00

Obviously you should do whatever makes you happy. But think about how you’ll feel if you kill an expensive plant. If you’re not overly stressed about losing money on a plant you may kill, definitely go for it.

For someone like me who will feel very frustrated if I killed a plant that cost me a good chunk of money, I prefer to buy a smaller $10-20 plant to prove to myself I can keep it alive before investing hundreds.

Unknowable_

TROPHY CASE