Ianklarkara Cheyenne Marie Green Gecko with Yellow Mottled Leaves
 

Hi everyone! I was wondering if you could give me some advice about my Ianklarkara zygopetalum named above. I bought it a few months ago and it had light green leaves with a few tiny brown spots. Now the leaves are big and long but they suddenly became mostly yellow mottled with green on both sides of the leaves. Otherwise the leaves are firm and healthy and the pseudobulbs are fat and firm.

What's wrong with the leaves and how do I fix it?

Thanks

I'm not familiar with this orchid, but those leaves look like they are aging in preparation for dropping off. Is this a deciduous orchid? If so, then the yellowing is not a concern. The pseudobulbs look great, and new growths will appear in time.

It's in the Zygo group, complex intergeneric. (Photos in Orchidwiz are really nice!) I agree with fishmom, probably just getting ready to shed some leaves, which Zygos do. Also, I have found that Zygos (and relatives) tend to develop ratty-looking leaves just on general principles... especially those grown outside. (Is that where this one lives?) Likely not a problem, especially if you see new growth starting as spring approaches.

What a relief! My other zygos are not yellowing and are a beautiful light green. Why only this one and not the others?

All my zygos are indoors and in the same room.

Thanks so much!

I would check for spider mites.

I grow this plant. It will grow a new pbulb, flower, and then lose those leaves while growing another pbulb. It never gets to be a huge plant, just grows one and loses one, grows one and loses one. I don't think you're doing anything wrong. There are some zygo hybrids that are really robust, and there are some that aren't. For me this is one that isn't.

Thanks for your input. Does yours have tiny brown spots too? What do you do about them? Grow one then lose a pseudobulb?

I tend to agree with the advice given above but I also disagree.
I have 3 zygopetalums and they are decidious to a degree but well looked after ones keep their leaves for 3 years.

Yours is dropping leaves as fishmom says but why... A healthy zygo would not be doing this, only one that is trying to conserve energy. As you can see the new growth is getting all the energy and is looking great.

So that is the good news and as long as the roots aren't rotting then it might just be a natural progression from a weak plant to now wanting to "wake up" in your care. It only has 2 bulbs which is very little for a zygopetalum and too little for a novice to work with imo but the new growth is looking great so as long as you can keep the roots happy it will grow out of this (after dropping the leaves)

If the roots are in a bad shape the plant won't be able to get any more energy and will probably decline further though

Some time ago Roberta pointed out to me that many of these zygo hybrids have lots of different parentage. And from what she said it appears to me that the parentage greatly contributes to how vigorous the plant is. I have some that just grow like crazy, like weeds. And then I have two that do this, they grow a bulb and lose a bulb. Yes, before the leaves fall they do get spots on them and those spots are not bad. I just tossed a zygo that had completely black leaves. If you're concerned about it spray it at regular intervals with neem oil. That's a fungicide as well as an insecticide and all natural. Unless you grow this particular plant, I think you would expect different things from it. I don't see that you're doing anything wrong, from my experience it's the nature of that particular plant. ES tells me that they like to grow on the cool side, you might try reducing the temperature.

This one is a particularly complex intergeneric - like 4 different genera are involved, only about 25% various Zygopetalums, also 1/4 each of Aganisia, Pabstia, and Zygosepalum. So behavior of straight Zygo or less complex hybrids not necessarily the same as for this one. In fact, this is the only registered hybrid in this nothogenus... so it is very possible that it is not particularly vigorous, and therefore not a path that a lot of hybridizers are pursuing.