How to Grow Maxillaria Tenuifolia

Combine equal measures coir, shredded pine bark and peat moss in a large bowl. Pour water over the components while mixing them until they become moderately moist throughout.

Pack the growing medium into the bottom half of a 4-inch plastic pot. Fill the rest of the pot with loosely packed growing medium.

Nestle a Maxillaria tenuifolia pseudobulb into the loosened growing medium. Cover it with a 1-inch-thick layer of growing medium. Enclose the pot in a plastic bag to hasten rooting.

Set the potted Maxillaria tenuifolia pseudobulb on a west- or east-facing windowsill with bright, filtered light. Maintain temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 55 F at night.

Mist the growing medium with a spray bottle whenever the top inch dries out. Apply just enough moisture to keep the surface of the growing medium slightly damp but not waterlogged.

Watch for sprouting in three weeks. Open the plastic bag once the pseudobulb sprouts. Remove the bag entirely once the foliage grows to 1 inch in height.

Dilute 1/4 tsp. of 20-10-10 fertilizer in 4 cups of filtered water. Feed the Maxillaria tenuifolia plant monthly with 1/2 cup of the diluted fertilizer.

Set a 1-inch-deep basin lined with pebbles beneath the Maxillaria tenuifolia. Pour water over the pebbles. Add water whenever the basin dries out. Maintain the water level in the basin faithfully since it provides vital humidity around the plant.

Transplant the Maxillaria tenuifolia when it outgrows its original pot. Choose a new planter offering a 2-inch increase in size. Pot it in a fresh batch of the growing medium created in Step 1.