Yellow Leaves on Tsubotaara Melinda Marie

[deerfern]

I just got this plant maybe 2 weeks ago. Tthe leaves were fine and it is in bud as you can see.

One of the leaves turned yellow and then fell off, now another one is doing the same. Is this normal for this plant, or is it something I am doing wrong? Too much water, too much light, too cold, anything??

Thanks for any help!

[neophyte]

Plants in the Zygopetalum alliance are generally a bit more prone to fungal infections/rotting. Can you tell us a bit more about how you're treating it (especially your watering regimen)? It's hard to make a guess as to what's wrong with a single picture, and some clues will make it much easier to (hopefully) diagnose your issue. Can you also post another picture of the plant and of the medium?

[DirtyCoconuts]

+1

Tell us about the medium, your watering and the area

Also, if you got it two weeks ago, where from and was it a vastly different environment than yours?

[SouthPark]

If the leaves are all yellowing at a significant rate like that, especially leaves that aren't expected to be yellow (ie. not old ones), then definitely immediately check the roots - even if a spike is there with buds.

It's better to do all we can to save the plant if the roots are drowning due to the oxygen level of the water in or around the root running out ..... or running low.

You'll also be able to see if the media is too dry. For this case, it could well be media too wet. But only a check will tell for sure.

[deerfern]

This is my first attempt with a Zygopetalum type plant. I am re-visiting my previous hobby, a love of orchids, gesneriads, and others. I grew many more when I was young but not in over 20 years now. So I am trying to get several plants that might grow OK in my environment and still have a little bit of a challenge. This is one of them.

I got it 4/6. I do not know the environment it was in before then, this was an Ebay find, so who knows, I could ask them if it's very important. Let me know.

It was quite wet when received so I let it dry out a bit, but as it then lost a leaf in a week, I thought perhaps it needed a little more water, (it was a little moist still). I watered it several days ago now. I used Dyna Gro Bloom. Dummy me I did not look at any culture sheet, I guess I was tired that evening, or maybe I'm just lazy in my old age.

The temperature in my air conditioned home is around 70% or more days, maybe 68% nights. I keep it out of direct sunlight but near my east window, with my other orchids. The only circulation the plants get is from the floor register when the heat comes on, but they are not directly over it. I'm in Schaumburg IL near Chicago, and since it was snowing this week, the heat has been on.

To take a pic of the medium, I saw and touched the black area near the base. It was kinda gooey and a little black slime came off in my fingers. I couldn't get any more off so I became concerned I harmed the roots by watering too soon. I took it out of the pot. The roots look pretty good to me, but I certainly don't have a clue right now to what I am doing.

I also just bought some LED lights and will be slowly getting some of the orchids under there.

Thank you all for replying and helping. Everyone is so nice here, I'm so happy to have found a great board to visit for my new found old hobby.

[SouthPark]

Excellent work deerfern. I like your style in reacting immediately in that way - in checking the roots.

That'll be it. The issue will most likely be too much water in the sphagnum moss. I encountered the same thing with catasetum in sphagnum when I first started growing catasetum. The moss become too wet ----- and the water in and around the roots probably didn't move at some adequate rate .... and the roots used up all the oxygen in the water (both in and around the roots) ...... leading to dying roots, and yellowing of leaves. It is probably the same thing happening with your plant.

I think the good news is ----- your roots still look ok. So they probably haven't started to rot yet. I think you saved this orchid by watching it like a hawk (ie. noticed the yellowing quickly). So looks like you saved your plant here.

Spread the media out a little bit (by gently prying roots) out a bit. Allow air to get in and dry things out a bit ---- with roots and media out of the pot. Then, once dry enough, put it all back in the pot.

And then avoid making the media and the roots soggy / very wet for relatively long periods of time. That is - only add enough water to keep the sphagnum moss a little damp only. Just a little damp.

Also - make sure to provide regular orchid growing temperature ranges for the orchid. Super cold and not enough sunlight can cause issues too.

[Dollythehun]

Ok, I'm going at this from a different angle: I have that plant. [I]Compared to regular xygos[I], it's difficult.

Zygos typically have crappy foliage in our climate, at least. You'll lose that leaf, and that's typical. They like to be very moist. Very moist. Letting it dry out is not good.

I read they'll grow w phals light wise. Not this one. Give it higher light than your phals. Mine is under lights.

This is what I've observed (and again, we are in a very different climate than SP or DC.) Mine grows a pbulb, blooms, loses a leaf and repeats. It will likely continue on like that.

On the other hand, I have several other zygo hybrids that do well for me, except for cruddy foliage. This isn't a beginners plant. Your roots look great.

FWIW mine is in an areated ceramic pot in a moss mix, under fairly bright light, above 50% humidity, intermediate temps, and watered at least three x a week. Hope this helps. Don't expect too much from this plant except breathtaking blooms.

[SouthPark]

Dolly could be right there. Although, if 1 leaf yellows, and then a second leaf yellows...... then .... before a third and more leaf begin to yellow, it would be a good idea to just check the roots and media.

My catasetum roots still looked good when I had too much water in the media. The leaves began to yellow. So after checking the roots, I spread the roots and media apart a bit to provide some airing and drying. Then, after everything looked drier again - not as wet ----- popped roots and all back into the pot. The yellow leaves reverted back to green very quickly, and the orchid resumed normal services there-after.

Not absolutely sure it's the same case here. But checking the roots was necessary I reckon.

It's also important to take a peek in the regions toward the middle of the root mass - not just on the sides of the pot.

[Dollythehun]

There likely won't be lots of leaves SP. It grows a set and loses a set. Deerfern, use the search bar and see the problems others have had. I don't think you're doing anything wrong, although I would repot it in a slighty bigger pot, just for roots space sake.

BTW, So and DC. Here is deerfern's and my weather today.

[SouthPark]

Thanks Dolly. I was just assuming the orchid had leaves like this : Click Here.

And the other assumption was a second leaf was yellowing - soon after the first. So if more leaves would yellow after that one, then could be problems. They were assumptions only.