Prosthechea cochleata with yellow/brown dropping leaves!
 

Hi
I've had my prosthechea cochleata since about February and it has been doing ok. About 2 weeks ago I had a leaf turn yellow and drop off randomly. I thought that maybe I had overwatered because the tips of the new growth turned brown, so I let it dry out and watered as usual. I also moved the pot from being inside a pot (raised on rocks for drainage) to being in a saucer with rocks to promote air movement.
We went away on a camping trip on Tuesday and when we came back last night I removed 3 leaves and another this morning. They are yellow with brown streaks in the middles. One or two of the remaining leaves have turned yellow on one half (verticle side) of the leaf.
This is my favourite orchid and I'm not sure if I'm overwatering/ have already damaged the roots/ burning it in the sunshine/ etc.
The bulbs themselves are bright green and full and happy.
Here's it's care:
watered once a week from bottom with mineral water and mild orchid fertilizer.
Sits in window with partial sun for most of the day and direct sun from about 2-6.
In a plastic pot with saucer, raised on stones for drainage.
substrate is original to the plant and is bark/coconut/peat (I think).
Thanks for any recommendations

I have had my Green Hornet do some similar things with brwoning tips with yellow that progresses down the leaf unless I trim it off-I would be curious to hear any suggestions as well!

I have found that if I trim of the yellowing bits and then treat with cinnamon, the yellow/brown is halted and seems to stop. It happens on the new growths. Mine is potted in lava rock.

Sara

Have you checked out the roots of your plant? Maybe it does not have any left to fuel the new growth. Just a wild guess though as I am no expert.

Prostechea cochleata (previously Encyclia I guess) and Epi Green Hornet (cochleata x lancifolium) are both soft leaved and generally require less intense light and more water than you seem to be giving.

The seasonal change between winter (when you got the plant), then spring, and now mid summer is quite substantial. You may be slow cooking and dehydrating your plant. However, you should check your roots. If your plant has been overheated and dehydrated for a while, this may have damaged or killed some roots. If this is the case, simply watering often will not resolve the issue, because the roots might not be able to take up the water and the base could rot.
I would, first, place the plant into lower light (out of direct summer sun). Then I would give the roots more moisture ... more frequent waterings while assuring that the base and roots do not become soggy. Then give the plant time to heal and develop new roots.
During the winter, you can give the plant bright light, but during hot summer months, you need to shade your plant more.

Ok, that's what I thought. I moved it into the livingroom where the light is much less and I have not noticed any change overnight. I only water it once a week because the substrate stays moist until then and I do not want to rot the roots.
Should I be looking into getting a rooting compound?

Ok. If your medium stays moist and your roots are ok, then your plant was probably overheating and cooking. Putting it into lesser light should help a lot. That's good.

My roots are good, and each growth is bigger than the last with lots of flowering, but I suspect I have been underwatering a bit, as I have it potted in a lava rock mix. I'm going to up the watering and see how it does. Thanks for the tips!

Sara