What's Wrong with my Zygonisia Cynosure?

[FourN6]

Hello everyone!

I have a small Zygonisia Cynosure Blue Birds that I thought was dying until she grew a spike and bloomed 3 lovely flowers. I've had her about a year. Can anyone tell by these pictures what might be wrong with the leaves? Ever since I bought the plant a year ago, the leaves have grown, yellowed and died. Meanwhile a new p-build has started and flowered. This plant is my only Zygonisia so I'm not sure if this behavior is normal or not. To me, she looks a little confused: dying on one side and beautiful on the other...Is this plant semi-deciduous?

[estación seca]

Hi FourN6, I don't grow this plant, but nobody else has answered. I'm basing my answer on my memory of what other OB members have posted here.

During the summer, it doesn't like hot days, and it likes cooling down at night. Typical home indoor temperatures seem to suit it.

In the winter it can take fairly cool nights - not freezing, but certainly into the 40s F / 5C.

Yours is blooming, so you've been giving it proper lighting. It likes fairly bright light, but not so much the leaves get sunburn spots. I don't think that's what happened to your plant.

It doesn't like to be completely dry for very long. I wonder whether this might be your issue. Many orchids need to dry out between waterings, but not this one. As far as I can see, you have it potted in very large chunks of bark. This is fine, but you will need to be sure it does not dry out completely. A lot of people use a much finer and slower-drying mix for this orchid. Many people find the large chunks of bark are great for Cattleyas and Phalaenopsis.

You can use the Search function in the maroon bar at the top of the page to look up this plant. If you put the name in the search box, you can pull up all the threads mentioning it.

Good luck! Let us know how it does.

[bethmarie]

How often are you watering? I suspect estacion is onto something there.

[FourN6]

Thank you, estaction and bethmarie. The plant sits in a west facing, tinted window with several other bright light orchids and all the others seem happy. The east has seen a few warm spring days but the last few weeks have been very rainy, overcast and mild to cool. Once the summer temps arrive, I will be moving some of these west window plants to a shadier area.

The plant is in the same pot size (3 inch) as I bought it but I have changed the media to medium sized fir bark, charcoal and perlite mix. Its very possible I let this one dry out too much earlier in the season and now I'm paying the price. I've increased watering in the last few weeks, ever since the flower spike started so I'll keep up the frequent waterings. Hopefully the new growth will mature and be healthier.

Any other tips/advice is much appreciated.