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- Grammatophyllum 'Leopard Spot'
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- Grammatophyllum 'Leopard Spot'
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- Grammatophyllum 'Leopard Spot'
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- Grammatophyllum 'Leopard Spot'
It is nice to see some new orchids coming to the local plant dealers. Orchid Obsession was at the Mercer Summer Sale, you can find him at most local plant sales now. As always Bruce had some really cool plants I didn’t yet own. [* You can find Orchid Obsession at the Bayou City Farmer's Market Saturday mornings]
This is the first Grammatophyllum I’ve had or seen. It can grow outside in Houston, it’ll need light shade and lots of water. But like all orchids, you can not let it sit in water or a boggy area. Running water might work, still water will not.
Temperatures can be as hot as 105′F, but it’d really be much happier if you kept the temperature under 85′F. Nights should be around 55′F, but it can tolerate an occasional light frost.
Watering should be frequent, water frequently but do not let it sit in water. Orchids are very prone to root rot.
As you can see in the photo these are large orchid plants, I’m going to find a spot for this among my bamboo after it’s done blooming. They have found individual plants weighing over a ton. Probably our summer and winter extreme temperatures will keep it in check here.
Watch for rust, give it more sun if you see the rust fungus on the plant and better air circulation.
Fertilize regularly, most orchid growers are now using the time release pellets when they repot their orchids. I still prefer my liquid fertilizers.
Often the first couple of flowers at the base of the flower stem may be malformed, that is not uncommon for this species. Flowers tend to be very long lasting.
Grammatophyllums are from the rainforests of Asia,so they love our humidity. They include the worlds largest epiphytic orchid plants. They grow on trees in Asia and the roots have been described as ‘thorn like’ but not sharp enough to hurt.