Coelogyne Jannine Banks 'Snow White' (coel. Mooreana x coel. Flaccida)

[greyblackfish]

Help justify my purchase of Coelogyne Jannine Banks 'Snow White' by keeping it alive. I just wanted it so badly. I just imagine how pretty it would be and I become a sucker.

I have gotten the culture sheets for both mooreana and flaccida. For now I have kept it inside. The reason is that it is 96-99 F highs outside and I have a magnificent oak tree that is bombarding us with acorns this season. But when it gets colder, I think it will be great conditions for this one. I plan on hanging this one up under a lattice covered awning. Our temp doesn't get lower than 40 F. Average humidity is 70% year round. However there isn't a lot of air movement in the hill country of Texas.

Currently I'm getting the hang of watering in a way that'll keep it happy. At first it seemed like the media stayed wet for too long. But now I am wondering if I'm not watering enough. It arrived with in about 2 inches level of fine bark, the same kind that some of my cattleyas came in. The pot has drainage on the bottom but no slits. I keep under the same lights that keep my cattleyas happy. And they get some hours of afternoon sun on good days. I keep a table fan constantly blowing on my orchid shelf.

So I watered it by running water through the pot before I left the house for three days. I guess it's just been hot, all my pots were dry. And I came home to the older bulbs of my coelogyne more shriveled than ever and the oldest has some black specs. A leaf that has been getting some browning on the tips is more yellow.

My problem with orchids has always been too much water. I have never lost an orchid from under watering. Coelogynes are said to require frequent watering during this season but they also cannot be water-logged. I think my best bet is to water more and trust that the seller potted the thing just fine.

Another suspicion I have is that maybe it's not getting enough light. The mooreana and flaccida require something between 1500-3000 fc between them. maybe I'm just not providing enough light for this one to photosynthesize.

Any tips will do. Thank you!