Zygopetalum issue

[krisschmitz]

See picture. Wondering if this Zygo is getting too much light. The discoloring is only on the leaves of the new growth.

[early]

Originally Posted by krisschmitz

See picture. Wondering if this Zygo is getting too much light. The discoloring is only on the leaves of the new growth.

I ordered one two falls ago from a dealer in Northern FL but it died in the spring cold when it arrived. I love the purple/dark blue ones.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

Could be spider mite damage. Zygos are very susceptible to them, especially during periods of lpw humidity and wsrm temperatures.

Check and treat quickly. You might find their extremely fine cobwebs under the leaves. Next, press a piece of tissue under a leaf near the base and run it to the tip. If you see red or brown streaks you have them.

Treat by spraying all surfaces of the plant with water in your shower. You can also spray all surfaces of the plant with 70% alcohol or a solution of 1 tsp liquid dish soap in a quart of water. If one plant has them all the plants probably have them.

You can prevent attacks by spraying the whole plant with water every 1-2 weeks.

[krisschmitz]

No Spider mites.

[estación seca]

I would still treat for spider mites!

I don't think the problem is excessive light.

What kind of water are you using? Tap, reverse osmosis? Are you fertilizing? Zygos can get spots and dead leaf tips from water higher in dissolved minerals.

How long since you repotted this?

[Steve83]

Info like last repot, water/fert schedule, temp, etc would be helpful.

f that's the newest pseudobulb, I'm curious what the roots look like. You may have drowned (under aired, not over watered) roots.

[Kaschmitz]

I use tap water and I do check PH 6.5. I have not repotted in over a year. Was fertilizing pretty high ppm. Now I have purchased new fertilizer from Jack's 2-part system. Just tried for the first time.

Only Zygo I have purchased in Aprik 2021, was afraid to repot. Has not bloomed for me.

[Leafmite]

With most plants, including orchids, brown tips on leaves usually mean one of two things...too little humidity or too much fertilizer. If you haven't repotted in a year and it has been getting fertilized heavily, the medium might need to be flushed well to get rid of the unused components of the fertilizer.
Blooming...most of these bloom on every new growth which can mean they can bloom once a year or three or four times a year, depending on their frequency of putting out new growths. If yours is putting out new growth and not blooming, it might need a little more light/less fertilizer.

Michigan's Ann Arbor's judging center just had a Zoom talk on these and I now have a young seedling and one in spike.

[Kaschmitz]

Thank you for your response.