S/O Large Orchids Grammatophyllum Speciosum . . .

[peeweelovesbooks]

Originally Posted by isurus79

Err.... I just realized that this thread was about speciosum and not scriptum. My bad. I dont grow this one, but I have seen several of the growers here that do and the growing conditions are exactly the same. Lots of sun, lots of water during growth and well draining medium (large bark when young and probably lava rock or decorative bark often used on the ground in gardens when larger). I should tell you that the ones I have seen in bloom are not grown in pots. Theyre usually grown in VERY large baskets (probably made specially) that are measured in feet rather than inches!!

Thanks for the information. What is decorative bark, though? I've never heard of that.

[taipan]

Over here they grow Gramm.speciosum in an old tyre with coconut & charcoal. They are given very good light, plenty of water when growing. I have seen some about 3 metres tall & the flower spike will get to nearly the same. I was lucky enough to have seen one growing in Sth'n Thailand on rock with grass & shrubs growing with it. You may want to talk to growers in Florida to see if they grow it outdoors. If they cant you may need to buy another glasshouse just for it LOL ( although you may need a glasshouse as they will fill the old tyre with P/bulbs & the roots become fibrous like other Grammatophyllums & Ansellias )

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by peeweelovesbooks

Thanks for the information. What is decorative bark, though? I've never heard of that.

How to explain this. I wish I knew the actual name for this stuff! Its the large bark chunks (palm size) that you see as ground cover sometimes. People put it in their gardens instead of plants sometimes........I hope I explained that well. If not, let me know and Ill dig around the internet for some examples.

[taipan]

I think "decorative bark" refers to chunks of bark from Radiata pine & is used as a mulch on gardens etc. A lot of growers in Australia ( & probably the Nthn Hemisphere ) use various sizes of Radiata pine for their orchids ranging from seedlings to Vandas etc. Some people may also refer to "decorative" bark as chunks from other species of tree's including Eucalyptus which is put through a "buzzer" or shreder.

[Grandma M]

That is not exactly a windowsill orchid.

Marilyn

[taipan]

Originally Posted by Grandma M

That is not exactly a windowsill orchid.

Marilyn

No it's not, but it is a very spectacular plant when in full flower. People literally use a pick-up truck to move them ( lrge flowering plants ) around.

[orchidnick]

I'm going to take the plunge this spring. Kawamoto has medium sized ones for sale on Ebay but by special arrangement also has larger specimens directly from his nursery. I have my eyes on one in a 5 gallon pot with at least 12 adult canes and 7 new ones forming. It has not bloomed yet but hopefully is close to doing so. I plan to place it in the saddle of a large root stump which when tilted backwards gives a 2 1/2 foot basin for it to sit in. For the next few years it could be taken to shows if in bloom.

Evetually it will outgrow this. It's going to sit on a 1/2' thick bed of 2" gravel, the base of the root stump is about 1' off the ground. The roots can then dig into this gravel base and end up growing as a epiphytic/lithophytic plant. Then it will no longer be movable and stay there for the duration.

I have a green house which I keep at 50F in the winter but that is probably not warm enough for this plant. At first it will winter in there but the final plan is to have it grow on a dedicated gravel patch in a 100% sunlit area without any obstruction to full day sun. It will be much to cumbersome to move it in and out of the greenhouse twice a year. I plan to build a dedicated greenhouse just for it which can be disassembled after the winter. Probably 8' x 8' x 10'.

A plant like that does require special logistics and will over whelm you if you are a windowsill grower. I have a 150 lbs Sulcata tortoise which does the same thing to unwary owners who buy the cute little babies.

Nick

[orchidnick]

At an orchid meeting a retired elderly gentleman brought in 12" of a leaf which came from a plant growing in his backyard, in the soil. He always thought it was a Palm but someone saw the flowers and told him it's an orchid. What he brought was the tip of a leaf of G speciosum.

He bought the house 15 years ago and has no idea how the plant got there. The area he lives in, Palos Verdes Estates, Malaga Cove, is within 5 miles of the ocean but does go down to near freezing (34F) every year but no colder than that. Lots of fog, not nearly as hot in the summer as the inland Southern California.

I was amazed that the plant would grow, flower and thrive unprotected in that climate but it apparently acclimatised. I have a large one, 22 5' adult fronds, 20 new ones coming, which is also unprotected in my backyard in Lakewood SOCAL which is more inland, so it will get both hotter and colder than Palos Verdes. I do protect the plant by throwing a plastic sheet over it with an electric heater underneath set at 40F, during cold nights. It's a pain as I have to remove the sheet every morning to keep the plant from cooking in the sun.

Apparently these guys are tougher than one usually gives them credit for.

Nick