Is this normal Lycaste behavior?
 

Hello all, this is my only Lycaste and I’m not too familiar with them. They remind me of Zygopetalums a lot.

This one seems to have a behavior where it will grow leaves and keep them for a few months, then start a new growth while the older more leaves get this awful yellow and spotted look to them then fall off. Is this how they are supposed to grow?

I don’t think I’ve ever seen it with more than two leaf bearing growths at once. As you can see, there is a new clean growth starting while this older ones goes yellow and spotted and is about to fall of at the base.

Completely normal. Sometimes they drop old leaves before the new growth starts, sometimes keep the old ones a little longer. Depending on the parentage, some will bloom from bare pseudobulbs before the new growth starts, but even that's variable.

Look up Lycaste here on Orchid Board and the Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia (IOSPE.) Some species come from areas with a long, completely dry fall-winter season. They drop their leaves during this time. If you water them at the wrong time they might rot.

Hybrids are typically more forgiving if they have species with different seasonal rainfall in their ancestry. But if you have a hybrid with only winter-deciduous species in its ancestry, it will be winter-deciduous.

It is good to know that this is normal. To be more specific, this is a hybrid called Lysudamuloa Red Jewel.

Looked it up... has quite a bit of this and that in it (several different sections of Lycaste with a soupçon of Anguloa and Sudamerlycste or Ada) So with that mixed parentage, it may go through this pattern more than once a year. From the photos, it will be really lovely when it blooms.

I really do like this genera, I kind of like the giant leaves that might be off-putting to some.

My local orchid vendor has Lycaste aromatica in bloom for sale. Maybe I will pick one up this week.

What always has looked especially beautiful to me is Lycaste Powellii but I can’t find it anywhere.

Lycaste aromatica is a great species... actually that whole section (including Lyc. consobrina, Lyc. cochleata, and a few others) is great - the flowers often appear before the new growth even starts. Which makes for a great display because it doesn't get marred by ratty leaves.

For Lyc. powellii, have you checked Andy's Orchids? If it's not on the website ask anyway, the website shows only a small fraction of what he has. If you can't find that one, consider Lyc. dowiana, or Lyc. deppei ssp. praestans (the latter I have from Andy)

Look them up before you buy them. Some are definite cool growers; others tolerate quite a bit of heat.

Lyc powellii does appear to be a warm-grower. The ones I mentioned should be fine intermediate or cool-intermediate (like, tolerate cool but don't require it)

If a smaller plant is in your future,see Lyc. candida. Mine did well in NJ.