It is blooming size. Looks nice and healthy. If it were mine I'd increase the light. My plant gets as much or more sunshine as the cattleyas are getting. Increase the light gradually and I'll bet it will bloom. This is also a water hog, but with your nice fat bulbs, I think you've got that taken care of.

This is one of my favorite plants! It's fragrance travels from the sunroom into the kitchen and the master bedroom. Just wonderful. Good luck!

Funny, I was visiting my niece today in Tampa. She has a huge one hanging in her screened lanai over her pool. Full sun (but inside the screen enclosure.) I remarked on the size of it, she has it mounted on multiple boards as it keeps outgrowing the mounts. It was huge!

I remarked how healthy it looked, how large it grew (I gave it to her 3 years ago as a gift in full bloom). She said it keeps growing bigger and bigger but has never bloomed since I gave it to her.

I looked at the exposure, full south sun. Why hasn't it bloomed? Very healthy, beautiful and healthy?

Sheila, maybe the screen is cutting off too much sun? Wondering if that's the case but sort of doubt it. But maybe it should be outside.Wonder how much light a screen cuts down?

Jane

Hi

I grow mine outdoors but in a hanging pot with crushed lava rock Hanging in a roxburghii tree so is in constant shade Always flowers in the spring all at once flowers on short stems directly from the bulbs. Has never failed to flower.

Maybe because of the winter cool down?? gary

I also have one that won't flower, I keep telling myself it's because it's too small.

I think if you were going to change the light levels it should be more light in winter/fall and less in summer/ spring. Being close to the equator the summer and winter sun is about the same unless they are in a deciduous forest. Looking up forests in Nicaragua I see that there are deciduous forests on the Pacific Ocean side that have a dry season in the fall.

I know they are found on Nicaragua, anyone know what, area? Looks like the other side is wetter and evergreen

Hi

I just googled Maxillaria and found that there are over 570 species ranging from central Mexico to Bolivia with several endemic to the West Indies !! I thought I'd seen M tenuifolia growing in Costa Rica but it lists it as possible south of Nicaragua so i must have seen another type lol Thought it odd at the time as it was located in a high mist forest very different than florida climate for sure .

Mine that I grow as in the previous post is starting to spike right now in spite of the incredibly weird winter this year . The plant has never given me any problem so I've tended to ignore it but if memory serves it usually flowers during spring.

Noticed on cultural notes that "Easy to grow but appreciates a winter cool down with a drier period but not so dry as to cause the bulbs to shrivel Any window but north in the US." That would certainly describe my conditions except for this year . Good luck with it!!! gary

Hi

Looked through my pix and I was right it usually flowers in spring!!

Could it be too much light??

I have had a M. tenuifolia for years inside (some years on a west but one year also on a north facing window) and it bloomed reliably every spring. This year it has been outside in the shade house with a lot more sun exposure, no signs of budding jet.