Murasaki with brown, yellow, orange leaves - HELP!

[crnaylor03]

The situation doesnt seem to have been remedied! I wiped down all the leaves, and have been spraying the back of the leaves with water&dish soap every other day. Yesterday i noticed one of the leaves had brown spots, and today the leaf had started to turn yellow. There are a few other leaves with some brown, and Im worried theyll turn yellow next. Ive already had to cut 4 leaves! Please help!!

[Dollythehun]

You can spray too often and break down the cuticle of the leaf (from experience). Also, they need to be constantly moist. I don't have the exact plant but, I have a similar plant whose leaves are well...rough...a few spots and I have to watch it closely. No offense intended but this may not be a good fit for your conditions. Maybe someone else has a solution for you.

[estación seca]

I suspect your home air is so warm and dry that it is damaging the leaves. Zygonisias don't do well in warm, dry air. Many people without a greenhouse have trouble growing them in the house. There are much easier orchids to grow inside your house.

What is the temperature where you have the plant? Do you know the humidity? Is it a typical centrally-heated room? Are you keeping it moist? You mentioned you moved it to a sunny spot. Where do you live? A sunny window here in Phoenix is one thing, and a sunny window in Bangor is another. This plant doesn't want strong sunlight, but winter sunlight in the north should not be a problem.

Don't keep treating for bugs that aren't there. Carole is correct in that the soap can damage the leaves if applied too often.

All the old leaves that were happy in the greenhouse where it was raised will suffer in your warmer and lower-humidity environment. Your job as the gardener is to try to give the plant conditions good enough for it to survive to make new growth that will be better adapted to your growing environment.

[crnaylor03]

You're such wonderful people, thank you so much! I put it in a room that stays around 63*, right next to a humidifier in an east facing window in Washington, DC. I'm watering every 3-4 days but can increase.
Will it possibly be happier outdoors once it gets a bit warmer?
Should I continue to cut the leaves when they turn yellow?
I cannot thank you all enough!!!

[Dollythehun]

I think ES mentioned that people often grow this in moss standing in a saucer of water. If your plant survives, I'd switch it over.

[estación seca]

Your current growing area sounds near ideal for these plants. I would not cut any more leaves; I would let them turn brown and fall off on their own.

You can't water by the clock. Stick your finger into the medium to test how moist it is. It should stay quite moist and not dry out. Some people stand these orchids in dishes of water. Sometimes they need watering every day during warm temperatures.

I expect your plant will begin making new growth soon. You will see green shoots forming at the base.

I don't know whether summer night temperatures in DC drop much. The plant will tolerate your hot summer days much better if it drops quite a bit at night. If it doesn't, it might be better to keep the plant indoors if you keep it cool and humid.

[crnaylor03]

A million, million thank yous!!!!