Zygopetalum with weird black margins on leaves and black spots

[Syngonia]

Hi everyone :-)
I am a newbie here (and not very good with english) and my zygopetalum brought me here! Recently, I bought this one in my local hobby market (I know that’s the bigfesr mistake but I sometime buy orchids there when I am in a “playing flower doctor” mood and give them a chance, heal them and send to the world as a nice personal gift) and I literally don’t know anything about this kind of orchids (Phalaenopsis lover here) but I liked this one and it turns out that something is wrong with it. When I bought it, it already had some brown-ish leaves but I gave it a shot ‘cause you know, Samaritan saving ill orchids and stuff... but I only have experience with Phalaenopsis diseases and how should it look like and how not. I would be very grateful if you could please help me and put me in the right direction.

The leaves have brown/black “margins” and sometimes a brown/black spot here and there and in the middle of the leaf. Also the pseudobulb does not seem very healthy to me and there are also brown spots in the flower stem and the flowers are turning yellow and falling down...

I asume there already was a problem in the hobby market because they do not give a very good care to the flowers... especially orchids. This one was the healthiest looking of the pour zygos there.... But I am not helping her majesty either. A problem I know about is that our water is too hard. Any ideas how to make it better for this plant? I let the water stand on the window for at least a day, but I don’t know if it’s enough. My other orchids are okay with than but this one is

And the second problem is that I don’t know which spot is the best for the plant. High/medium/low light...?

But my main concern is - could it be contagious? I fear of the mosaic virus because I have many other very sensitive plants (and many phalaenopsis orchids I saved from death) and don’t want to lose them. :/

Thank you so much for you help. ❤️

Have a very nice day!

Sending some orchid love
Daniela

[Dollythehun]

Syngonia, zygo's typically have awful looking foliage. I just tossed my huge zygo in the trash because of the horrible foliage. It had three bloom spikes recently and two new pbulbs coming but I couldn't stand to look at it. Yours looks pretty good.

I think the brown margins might be from lack of water. They like to be constantly moist. Good air circulation helps (some.)

Oddly, (to me) some of the other zygo hybrids do much better for me. It's what parentage is bred in. Roberta will fill you in on that.

I think you'll do well to give it bright, not hot light. Brighter than a phal, less than a catt. Keep it moist and supply good air flow. You'll get more answers shortly.

[Roberta]

I totally agree with DollyTheHun, that this looks like a healthy plant that just suffered some abuse (like getting too dry). I don't see anything that would be concerning. Personally, I don't care about ugly leaves... most of my orchids (the majority of which I grow outdoors) receive various insults from Mother Nature... if they bloom, I'm happy. Sorry I can contribute any information based on parentage... without a name, no way of knowing. But in general, these like to be moist (but hate stale media... so if it is broken down, consider repotting, especially when you see new growth (The best time) As for water... they are not particularly fussy. Whatever works on your Phals will be fine for the Zygo. (letting the water stand will not do anything to improve its quality if it high in minerals except maybe make it works by evaporating water which would concentrate the minerals by the amount of water lost)
For light, brighter than the Phal. Indirect light is fine - you don't want direct sunlight to burn leaves.

[Syngonia]

Thank you guys! I have bought this one, sadly there was no other info about it. Just “zygopetalum orchidee 1-risper”. Looks pretty common to me but I loved the “wild” look.

I don’t mind ugly leaves. As long as the plant is healthy and growing. You should see my dracaena I am trying to save. Looking like old crooked broom

Happy to hear my zygo looks ok! I let the water stand on window because of chlorine (they add now way too much due to the corona crisis), have some chlorine-sensitive plants and read that too much chlorine is also bad for the phalae orchids... but does not help much with minerals, that’s true. :/

[Roberta]

If the chlorine is THAT bad (like smelly) letting it sit for a while will at least let it evaporate... more time probably isn't necessary, but it sounds like you have it under control

[Keysguy]

(and not very good with english)

Seriously? It's significantly better than most English spoken on American TV, if you've ever seen that!

I agree with everyone above.....your Zygo looks fine.

[Syngonia]

Thank you. But I use google translator (like A LOT) and binge watch many series on Netflix...! Does it count? But otherwise no, didn’t get a chance to watch American TV. I guess it’s a problem in every country that some people can’t even speak their “mother tongue” very well. Anyway, thanks for calming me down with the zygo.

Originally Posted by Keysguy

Seriously? It's significantly better than most English spoken on American TV, if you've ever seen that!

I agree with everyone above.....your Zygo looks fine.

---------- Post added at 11:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:43 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Roberta

If the chlorine is THAT bad (like smelly) letting it sit for a while will at least let it evaporate... more time probably isn't necessary, but it sounds like you have it under control

Thank you so much!

[estación seca]

Welcome!

These do not like warm temperatures. It is best to keep them under 23-24C. A little lower is better.

[Dollythehun]

That might be my problem.

[Maryanne]

Hello Syngonia:
For black spotting, such as on your Zygo, I've had good luck using neem oil, following directions on the bottle. Spray every 3 or days if using neem for insect pests. You can cut back to once a week, every 2 weeks, or once per month depending on your level of concern. It will not cure the black spotting already present on leaves, but new leaves will keep a much cleaner appearance.

I've used neem for years. It's derived from the Neem tree and is supposed to be no-toxic to animals, humans and beneficial insects, while targeting damaging insects such as mealy bugs, aphids, etc.

Best of luck, and happy growing.
Maryanne