I suspect you have Gram. scriptum rather than speciosum -- speciosum gets
HUGE fast. [Both are species and so should not be capitalized.] We have
not grown speciosum for ourselves, but did babysit a few for a friend for a
couple of months after last season's hurricanes. Plants with just 5-6
growths were 3' tall or better in 5 gallon pots.

Our scriptum are more manageable in size [6-8 growths fit nicely in an 8"
basket with a little room to grow and are perhaps 16" tall], and doing well
in 50/50 sphagnum/fir bark, with very bright light [near vanda levels], but
we are finding it necessary to give them a little extra water compared to
the Catt-tribe species in the same area such as Enc. cordigera and Rhy.
digbyana. HTH,

Kenni


"dusty" wrote in message
news:1124013534.e40c91125daeb2481d04b711442608bf@t eranews...
Last fall a friend of mine who grows only Cattaleyas gave me 3 of these
and when I asked how to grow them he shrugged saying beats me they where
given to me. Yeah, he knows I can't say no to a free orchid plant. All
three are planted in sphagnum. I've Googled all over the place and found
only one sight that claims to have a culture sheet but you have to be a
paid subscriber to get it. Right, pay for something sight unseen, NOT in
this lifetime.
What I did find indicates they are warm growing so I stuck them in with
the
rest of my orchids and kind of forgot about them. While doing some
repotting last month I found them with new growths looking happy but I
still don't know if I'm giving them what they need.

I figured I'd find someone at the annual orchid society auction that knew
how to grow them. Would you believe no one there grows these. The best
guess answer I got was I think you care for them the same as cymbiduims.

I must have a couple of things right because they are growing. But what
do
I need to know to make them bloom, is sphagnum the right potting mix, how
often and what do you feed them with.