Repotting a Maxillaria

[Molly Taco]

I have a Maxillaria that is in bud and bursting out of it's basket. How and when do I repot it?

[janet_a]

i freely admit i haven't a clue what a max is, but i think a rule of thumb is not to repot while the plant is in bud. wait at least until the flowers open.

i'm sure other max growers will weigh in, however....

[jerrymeola]

congradulations Maxillaria usually do not like our heat. I have not been able to grow them well.

Enjoy the flowers and if you must then repot. I sometimes repot in flower if I must but repotting in bud is asking for the buds to drop. This is true for almost every orchid.

The plant is healty so there is no rush. 8-12 weeks from now it will be rainy season and match the growing season for most orchids. As soon as the flowers are gone then repot.

[Molly Taco]

Do you really think that we will get a rainy season this year? We haven't seen 2 inches of rain since the first of the year.
Should I just wait until my Max looks unhappy to repot it? It is so lush and bushy I would hate to make it mad.
C

[jerrymeola]

I am a firm believer of leaving a happy plant alone. I have several specimum plants that are very overgrown.

I believe there are only two reasons to repot. Either the medium is so bad it will not keep the plant healty or it is overgrown to where I do not like the way it looks. Neither reason seems to apply to yours.

I had not noticed you said it was in a basket. Removing a plant from a basket is an exercise in frustration and will shock the plant alot. Most people just put the basket into another larger one. This does not work well if pseudobulbs are growing side ways or down from the basket.

One common way of handling an overgrown basket is to cut off pieces as it gets too big and repot them separate. The main plant hardly notices a piece is gone.

Where in SW florida are you.

[Molly Taco]

Thanks for all of the info. We are in Rotonda West which is in the Englewood area. Where are you?

[jerrymeola]

I am near you in Fort Myers - if you look at the upper right hand corner of my messages it is listed there. I recommend everyone add their location to their profile so advice can be valid for their growing conditions.

If you are willing to travel a little there is a great plant show in St Petersburg April 29-30

20th Green Thumb Festival
Walter Fuller Park
7891 26th Ave N
St Petersburg Fl from 9AM till 4pm each day

There will be 192 vendor booths selling everything that grows, a diagnositic booth doing water and soil testing, tool Sharpening, St Pete Garden Club flower show, 2000 trees for sale at $3 free pine seedlings (it is arbor day) educational programs, and more.

I will be there with orchids as low as $3 for 4 inch dens and $4 for 4 inch cattleyas and I will be doing custom mountings at no extra charge. My booth is 146 at the end of the second row from the street row near the consession stands.

[Molly Taco]

Thanks for the show information we will try to make it. I am going to try to attach the picture of the Max, as you (hopefully) can see it has just started blooming.
C
Isn't my grass pretty???

[Orchid_lady]

It is very pretty Molly. Is that the one orchid that smells like coconut?

[CRorchids]

Hello
It is a nice plant. I grow my max. with all the cattleyas and they grow nicely I also think that if the orchid is happy better to let it grow alone. I had several plants that stressed after transplant.
I you want to transplant to have a specimen size plant it wait for the new growth to start.

[Molly Taco]

Yes Orchid Lady that is the one that smells of coconuts, mostly in the morning.
Thanks for all of the input!!

[Maba]

Jerry

Good luck at the St. Petersburg show. Makes me drool to think about it; boy I wish I could see something like that. $4 for 4" catts? Wow. How often do you haul all those plants around anyway? Sounds like mucho hard work!

Maba

[janet_a]

Originally Posted by Molly Taco

Isn't my grass pretty???

wow, what a happy looking plant.

[Molly Taco]

Originally Posted by janet_a

wow, what a happy looking plant.

Janet, Where are you from in MD?

[janet_a]

outside rockville. where it's raining. a lot.

[Molly Taco]

Originally Posted by janet_a

outside rockville. where it's raining. a lot.

We were originally from the eastern shore but now we are in SW Fl where it never rains.

[janet_a]

i will send you a few buckets full.

[LeticiaGrove]

I have a Maxillaria Tenufolia (Coconut Orchid). It was hanging in the tree outside. One of the psuedobulbs was broken off of the main plant (probably by birds) at the very base of the bulb just before the root system. The psuedobulb had a leaf and four flowers coming off of it. I put the part in moss and watered it with Superthrive. Have I done the right thing? Do any of you have any other suggestions for growing it?

[Molly Taco]

I did the same thing with a piece that broke off, it rooted and is growing thought it is slow. I put it in moss in a basket. It seemed to root quite quickly.

C

[LeticiaGrove]

Thank you Molly...I feel a little bit of hope. It broke my heart when I found that branch broken off of the main plant...especially considering that it had four flowers. The mother plant is only recently recovering from my terrible neglect and novice handling of last year. This particular branch had the most buds, which were a wonderful suprise...at least there is hope that I will have something to show for the birds' mischief.