How do I care for a Grammatophyllum?

[AWade]

I was recently given a beautiful grammatophyllum, but I have no idea how to care for it. It’s got TONS of roots and when I unpotted it, it was like a brick. There was no way I would be able to break the roots apart with doing major damage so I decided to just place it in a slightly larger pot and hope for the best. It’s got three new growths popping up and seems to be rather healthy. I’m unsure as to what species or hybrid it is because it is not in bloom, however there were two spent flowers in the root mass that appeared to be a dark red color with yellow outlines. Anyways, I’m super excited for this plant and any care tips would be amazing!

[DirtyCoconuts]

Awesome.

I’m my environment, hot and wet, I grow them on the ground in the bright shade covered in shredded cypress mulch.

[estación seca]

Don't let them go dry. Old pseudobulbs die by turning brown and mushy. This is normal. Leave them alone until they dry out.

[AWade]

Awesome thanks for the tips! As far as roots/ reporting go, is it okay to leave all of the aerial roots? I know that they grow specialized roots above the potting mix as well as regular roots. I’m not sure how to tel if the aerial roots are dead or not, so should I just let them be? And since the root mass in the pot is so solid will it be okay to just place it in a larger pot as is with new media along the sides?

[DirtyCoconuts]

Do not mess with the roots. It looks good

I would do that if it is time to repot. Slide the whole thing into a new basket and gently fill in around it. Those tiny top roots are actually there to help catch leaves and debris even more than water. Definitely leave them

[estación seca]

I don't cut any roots off any orchids. I can't tell which roots are dead. If they're truly dead they're usually slimy and black or dark brown. They fall off on their own.

[AWade]

Okay sounds good. No root cutting! As far as being able to tell when it needs water... due to all the roots I have no idea how to tell if the media is dry or not, so should I just aim for a good soak maybe once every 4-5 days? It’s inside my house where the temp stays at around 73°-77° and it’s next to my humidifier. I’ve also got a fan going so it gets some airflow.

[estación seca]

It won't hurt to water daily. I've had seedlings I didn't water enough dry out. Plants I soak daily have never rotted.

[Jeff214]

I'd add that these things (Gramm. elegans and scriptum at least) dislike cold temps. I've found them easy to grow indoors next to a sunny window.

These can quickly become very large and I had to move them outside. When it got down below 60 oF, I had defoliation and rot.