Brassavola with spots on leaves

[pjddjp]

Hello,
Here is a picture of a Brassavola nodosa. (I am only 90% sure that is the correct identification.)
Rather suddenly, I noticed the discoloration that is visible on the leaves in the foreground of the picture.
This is a bummer because, as you can see in the center, there is a flower spike. This plant is about 1 1/2 years old, and has never spiked before.
It is in a bark medium in a basket, so I doubt overwatering. Other nearby orchids do not have discoloration. It is in a very sunny south-facing window. The temps over the last few months have been 50-ish at night and maybe 10 degrees warmer in the daytime.
Possibly of interest, the day after I last watered, I noticed a drop of liquid at the top of the flower spike...this makes me wonder about overwatering, although as mentioned above, drainage is very good.
Any advice?
Thank you!
Danny

[Roberta]

PHoto is pretty small, but I don't see anything worrisome. It just looks like a response to the high light... different orchids have a different "threshold" for showing color with high light. Also, it's a little cool for B. nodosa, though the high light may be warming it up enough...spike is good!

The drop at the tip of the leaf is probably "honeydew" rather than water... if you taste it, it's sweet. Completely normal.

[pjddjp]

Thanks so much for your reply. I looked this up, and learned more... Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. It seems that the purplish discoloration is because the sun is getting brighter as spring approaches. Very excited about the coming bloom!

I also noticed a cool thing--the discoloration has a linear border. That confirms it's from the sun.

Is it okay to leave it in the same amount of light as spring progresses, or does the purplish response indicate too much?

[Roberta]

The purple pigmentation indicates that you are near the upper limit of what the plant wants. (Think of it as a sun tan) With spring, the sun is not only at a higher angle (so brighter) but it also shifts... so if the plants are getting blasted, you might want to add a sheer curtain to the window. The plants will adjust to a gradual increase in light, but a sudden change can burn leaves. I have found that to particularly be an issue as we approach the equinox - if the sun suddenly clears an obstacle (like the house or a shading tree) the leaves may get a blast. (I speak from experience... I have toasted more leaves in March than any other time of the year... the plants survive fine but end up with an ugly burned spot that one has to look at for the life of the leaf which could be a few years) If a leaf is hot to the touch, move the plant right away.

[Orchidtinkerer]

hi pj,
the pot it is potted in is far too big for the size of the plant. I've only got a B. little stars but my understanding is that nodosa is not smaller and my B. Little Stars was roughly 3 times taller than yours. Your's looks 1.5 years old from flasking.
So a minimum of 3 years away from flowering but that is just from my estimate looking at a picture that is hard to judge for size.
It could be something other then B. nodosa if it is producing a flower spike at such a small size. Not sure if any of that helps, I can't actually see any flower spike so it's hard for me to judge what the plant is doing.

I'd lower the light as a precaution (lower the level, or raise the actual light). High light means they will grow more and need more energy so if something is causing them stress in their care they will show this more under high light.
What might be ailing it is hard to say. I struggle with my B. Little stars so I know it has been frustrating for me and hope you can get it to turn around.

[Roberta]

The bark is large, so the big pot may be OK (actually, looks like a basket, even better), but I agree that you do have to be sure to not over-water it. If it drains really well (so it's growing more like a mounted plant) then pot/basket size is less of an issue, but you don't want a wet spot in the middle of it, for sure.

[pjddjp]

Thank you!