Chocolate Drop question, concern

[archie1709]

I have a young one attached probably a year from bloom. Height about 9 inches. Sits in a 4-inch plastic pot. Gets fed once a month. Sits by the window (easterly). Watered once a week. Why is one of the two turning yellow? The roots appear to be fine without rot. Any advice?

[WhiteRabbit]

Hi Archie - I moved your post to make it's own thread so that more people are likely to see it and hopefully be able to help you out!

[PaphMadMan]

It is the oldest pseudobulb. They do die back eventually. It seems premature in this case, but as long as it is just the oldest one it won't affect the future health of the plant too much. Watch for any sign of rot.

Does your fertilizer have micronutrients? It could be a nutrient deficiency.

[Picotee]

Is the plastic pot keeping the media too wet? You might try inserting something like a clean, dry wood skewer before watering to see if the media is still damp deep down. Try to avoid hitting the roots. Just my .

[InspirChid1712]

I think its just dropping old leaves... looks like it should be fine to me. I'd slow down on watering and fertilizing-frequency until you see new growth in spring.

[Leafmite]

Do you let it dry completely between waterings? Does the medium dry quickly? Is this a Catt that needs a dryer period during dormacy? I don't see much loss of older growths on my catts unless they are new and the roots have rotted. Then they always suffer a bit before re-establishing. Too much fertilizer, salt build-up, and repotting can also damage roots. The last considerations are temps, light, iron, nitrogen, magnesium, and humidity.

[james mickelso]

Older pbulb. That's all. It is losing it's ability to photosynthesize due to age and is becoming a storage vessel. When you water it throroughly, feel how heavy it is. Now let it dry thoroughly and feel how heavy it isn't. That's when you need to water it. Kodama CD like to be kept on the dry side until it starts pushing new buds. Not completely dry. Just on the dry side. Good light levels and when you feed it, feed it weakly weekly. Cut your normal fertilizer in half. My KCD is doing quite nicely with temps during day in low 60's and night temps in the 40's. Not much water at all. Once a week or even less. Cold temps and water don't go together especially with this orchid. Keep it warm if possible with good light.