grammatophyllum scriptum as a terrestrial?????

[DirtyCoconuts]

All the sites I have seen call it an epiphyte and I have always grown it in hanging baskets.

Yesterday I made a new friend and found his grammatophyllum scriptum patch. In the ground. In cypress mulch. HUGE

Has anyone else come across this method of raising this plant?

I’ll add pics when I can to my computer.

[Roberta]

Clearly it's getting what it needs. Cymbidiums (to which Gram. scriptum is related) can grow terrestrially if well-drained. A lot of other orchids that are mostly epiphytes can grow more or less terrestrially in a "mulchy" sort of environment, they're still getting air around the roots (no matter how it's done, they need that) Mulch holds a lot more air than dirt does, that's the secret. So go for it! (Given that this species can become a monster, growing it that way may well be the best approach!)

[DirtyCoconuts]

this is the division he gave me...I put it into a big basket but i might just pour a bag of mulch on the ground and make a mound for her to grow in

Some stuff by J Solo, on Flickr

[AnonYMouse]

Link to Facebook post.

This is what Michael Ooi is working on at Gunung Jerai Botanical Park in Malaysia. He is the founder of OLSO.

Edit: Ooops, this is speciosum but I'm leaving it up because, well, look at it!

[Roberta]

You live in a climate where it should do fine. If you grow it the way your friend does, you won't have to deal with wrestling with it. Those of us that need to grow it in a greenhouse don't have that luxury... I don't even try, don't have that much GH space.

[DirtyCoconuts]

wow, that picture is INSPIRING!!

thanks Roberta- i might be greedy and do both LOL...im going to try the mulch patch idea and assuming it works, the first large division goes into the basket