Bl. Yellow Bird sunburn or something else

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Hi all got a bag baby from Lowe’s. Lots of sunken in and discoloration. Too much sun or something more sinister? Any help greatly appreciated. Very concerned. Had it for a few weeks now and even new leaves are getting this.

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What are your growing conditions? Light? Temperature day/night? Humidity? How are you watering this, and how often?

[EnchantedRealm]

[QUOTE=estación seca;889975]What are your growing conditions? Light? Temperature day/night? Humidity? How are you watering this, and how often?[/QUOTE


Hi there. Thanks for your reply. It is growing in a south facing window so it gets plenty of light. Temps during the day can be somewhere between 70-80 and never below 67 at night. Humidity is usually between 50 and 80 depending on the crazy FL winter weather. One day it is in the high 70's to low 80's and the next day it struggles to get out of the 50's. If the humidity drops too low I run a humidifier in the house. Hope this helps. If I can provide more information please let me know and I will be glad to.

I also water weakly weekly with a flush every 2 weeks.

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Small orchids, like your seedling, mounted on pieces of wood, usually need to be watered heavily at least once a day, especially if they get direct sun - even through a window. This plant can tolerate sun through a window if well-watered, but if underwatered it will sunburn. I think this is the problem with your plant.

The black spots will not go away. I would suggest dipping the plant in water, or taking it to the sink and getting it wet, as soon as the moss pad becomes almost dry. Move it back a little from the direct sun for a few days, until it begins taking up more water and any wrinkles smooth out.

Once the plant is much larger, it will tolerate watering every less often during times of high humidity. But orchids on mounts need very frequent watering.

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The mount is new. Only about 4 days old. Previous to this it was planted in orchid bark mix in a clear pot. I read they do better mounted and figured if it was on a mount I could hang it in my bathroom which also has south facing windows but the glass is not clear. Now that you know it was in a pot until very recently, do you still think it's a sunburn issue? I don't want to unintentionally spread anything to my other orchids. This is my first orchid of this type.

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A south-facing window with frosted glass is probably a good spot for this.

It has been very underwatered for some time. Mature Cattleya growths should not develop leaf wrinkling, and it takes more than a few days without water for leaves to wrinkle.

Cattleyas develop black spots exactly like this when sunburned. New Cattleya growths also turn black like this when underwatered, and growers mistakenly believe its due to fungus - so they water still less, and make the problem worse.

The plant will not look great until it grows new roots and new growths. Older Cattleya roots don't function nearly as well as new roots. But Yellow Bird is in near-constant growth if it's warm enough, and I think your home is warm enough for that. It should soon begin healthy new growth and new roots.

By the way, I am using the term "Cattleyas" because Brassvola and Laelia are in the Cattleya alliance. Most Cattleya cultivation information applies to most Cattleyas, though there are differences in an alliance with member from South America to the Carolinas. Yellow Bird tolerates more sun, heat and drought than many of its relatives due to its Brassavola nodosa ancestry.

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Thank you so very much for your time and help. It is very much appreciated. I will do exactly as you suggest and hopefully have a healthier plant soon. Thank you again!