300-Pound Orchid Gets a New Basket (Video)

Repotting a normal sized plant is a hassle in its own right. But what if that plant weighs nearly 300 pounds and hangs over a three-foot deep pool? This past June, BBG Aquatic House curator David Horak decided that the tiger orchid (Grammatophyllum speciosum) needed a new basket. The suspended wooden basket had begun to deteriorate and Horak worried that the plant might drop into the pool below. Watch the video that details the unwieldy repotting process that turned out to be a great success:

BBG’s Grammatophyllum speciosum has only blossomed twice since coming to the Garden; blooming requires a tremendous amount of light and heat that isn’t always easy to replicate given Brooklyn’s winters, even in a glasshouse. The short day length and lower light intensity of this latitude makes blooming an uncommon event here; the last time it flowered was in 2008.

To learn more about the tiger orchid, read the photo essay "Repotting the Tiger Orchid."