The orchid turned yellow at the base. Why the leaves of the phalaenopsis orchid turn yellow what to do

  • 12.06.2019

Even such an unpretentious orchid in care, like phalaenopsis, can get sick at home. This flower is rarely exposed to fungal and bacterial diseases. In most cases, phalaenopsis leaves turn yellow and wither. This is the result of improper care. Why does this happen and what to do when the leaves of the phalaenopsis orchid turn yellow and wither? Explain the cause of the disease and offer them effective treatment only experienced flower growers. Their experience in dealing with orchid ailments is offered below.

Why do phalaenopsis leaves turn yellow and wither? Causes, treatment

If, upon closer inspection, no pests are found on the plant, but its leaves turn yellow and wither, experts point to improper care. Phalaenopsis suffers from it the most. So, why and what to do if the leaves of the Phalaenopsis orchid turn yellow and wither - explanations of experts with a photo.

Why do the leaves of the Phalaenopsis orchid wither:

  • frostbite;
  • periodic hit on the plant of cold air flows;
  • problems with the root system - improper transplantation, overdrying or waterlogging, root rot;
  • defeat by a fungal infection, which leads to blockage of the sap-bearing vessels of the leaf.

Why do phalaenopsis leaves turn yellow:

  • natural aging process of a flower. Norm, if 1 sheet turns yellow once a year. It is not normal if 2 or more leaf plates turn yellow in a short period of time;
  • an excess of sunlight;
  • excess fertilizer;
  • various rot and diseases;
  • lack of moisture.

The signs of each ailment and how to eliminate them with a photo are given below.

Phalaenopsis wilted leaves talking about their frostbite. At the same time, the leaf plate loses turgor without any visible mechanical damage and painful spots. For an orchid, transportation without protection through cold air in winter or keeping near a window is fatal, where the air temperature often drops below + 15 degrees. Frostbite leaves lose elasticity, become dark green and watery. Treatment: the affected parts of the plant must be removed to healthy tissue. Dead tissues are a favorable environment for the propagation of a variety of rot. Make cuts with a sharp blade. Places of cuts are sprinkled with crushed, activated carbon.

In addition, you need to carefully examine the flower, whether there are black spots on its stem or other parts. A frozen plant is not transplanted. This is an additional injury that can lead to death.

In phalaenopsis, sluggish leaves may indicate an incorrect transplant, which resulted in a violation of the root system.. Many beginners are in a hurry to transplant the purchased plant, forgetting about its adaptation. Transplantation is additional stress. The plant can react to it with wilting of the leaves. If, after transplanting, the leaves of the flower fade, you need to do the following: remove it from the ground and carefully examine the roots. Next, the roots are immersed in water. Healthy roots, regardless of their original color (green, whitish) and condition (sluggish, shriveled), will definitely “get drunk” on water and become elastic. If the roots remain dry and shriveled even in water, they must be removed.

Trim the roots with a sharp blade to healthy tissue. In some cases, dead phalaenopsis roots are affected by rot. These may be black or gray spots. They don't have to be wet and slippery. Phanelopsis often suffers from dry, gray rot. If there are such spots on the roots, they must be removed. The stem affected by the fungus is also cut back to healthy tissue. In some cases, the entire lower part of the flower is cut off. Only leaves remain. It's not a problem. With proper, further care, the plant will release roots between healthy leaves.

After dead and diseased roots, sluggish leaves, and affected areas of the stem (if any) have been removed from the phalaenopsis, the phalaenopsis is placed in a greenhouse. In this case, the roots of the plant descend into a transparent vessel without water. The roots no longer need to be immersed in the liquid. The flower is covered with foil. This is how they make a greenhouse. She is supported inside high level humidity. The greenhouse is ventilated once a day for 15 minutes. Places of cuts on the stem are treated with activated charcoal. On day 2, the plant is sprinkled with dry cyclone. They are waiting for the appearance of new roots and carefully monitor the condition of the flower. Is there black and gray spots of rot on it.

As soon as the phalaenopsis releases aerial roots, it is planted in a transparent vessel with a large bark. The resulting roots are sprinkled with bark. The layer should not be more than 2 cm thick.

What to do if the leaves of a healthy Phalaenopsis orchid wither? In this case, the transplant was not carried out. The plant is kept at a temperature within +18 ... +22 degrees, there are no cold air flows. Possible reasons: waterlogging of the substrate, which causes rotting of the root system. As a result, the plant can be affected by black rot. Signs of its appearance: black spots on the roots and base of the stem, sluggish leaves of the Phalaenopsis orchid. Black dots may appear on the leaves.

If the phalaenopsis is waterlogged, black spots appear on its trunk, proceed as follows: the plant is removed from the pot, the roots are examined. Patients (who do not absorb moisture when immersed in water and with black dots) should be removed as described above. The leaves are also removed. The plant is placed in a greenhouse.

In extreme cases, waterlogging and, as a result, black rot, lead to rotting of the flower stem. If this happens, the orchid can no longer be saved. She is thrown away.

Phalaenopsis intensively turn yellow lower leaves although the plant blooms profusely. Most of the roots are healthy and green, although there are aerial roots. They are wrinkled. Some of them had black spots and constrictions. Over time, the stem of the plant turns yellow. Possible disease flower: black, dry rot, which is caused by a fungus. Reason: waterlogging of the soil, lack of light. If the plant is intensively in color, this is not yet an indicator of its good health. Phalaenopsis throws out a peduncle after experienced stress, sometimes, in case of illness, as the last hope for reproduction.

Massive yellowing of the leaves of an orchid is not normal. This state of affairs should be alarming. In especially severe cases, the lower leaves turn yellow if the phalaenopsis infects the rot. It looks like dry black spots. There will be no wet spots on the stem and leaves that are characteristic of rots on other types of plants. Orchids do not get sick with wet rot. They are characterized by dry rot. It affects the tissues, prevents the movement of the juice, from which the leaves begin to turn yellow.

To verify the presence of the disease, the leaf is carefully cut with a sharp blade. It separates from the stem. Next, the stem is inspected. If there are black spots, it is black rot. In this case, the bottom of the plant is cut off to healthy tissue. To completely remove the disease from the flower, the cut is made to healthy tissue. How to know if the tissue is healthy or not? Very simple. The cut must be clean, without any inclusions. Very often, after surgery, the flower remains without roots. It's not scary. The main thing is that the growth point or upper kidney remains unaffected and green.

Next, the flower is placed in a greenhouse. It can be a transparent container or a cocoon constructed from polyethylene film. Inside the greenhouses maintain a high level of humidity. But the flower is by no means placed in water. Phalaenopsis rots from this. It is necessary to continue monitoring the flower. If black spots continue to appear on it, they are cut out with a sharp blade. The places of cuts are cauterized with brilliant green or sprinkled with crushed, activated charcoal. The greenhouse is ventilated once every 1-2 days. The plant is removed from the greenhouse when healthy roots appear on its stem between healthy leaves.

You can discuss Phalaenopsis orchid diseases and get advice from a specialist in their treatment.


Why do the leaves of the phalaenopsis orchid turn yellow if there are no diseases and black dots on it, like clear sign dry, black rot?
Reason: improper watering. In some cases, excess moisture accumulates in the soil as a result of its heterogeneity. So, phalaenopsis grows in a large bark of the same fraction. The presence of peat, moss, or even peat of different sizes in the bark leads to the fact that the mixture in the pot dries out unevenly. The next watering leads to waterlogging of peat. As a result, the roots or stem of the flower begin to rot.

The second case is when the plant is watered not by immersing the pot in water after the bark has completely dried for 15 minutes, but by top watering. Thus, inexperienced flower growers are trying to compensate for the dryness of the air in the room where the flower is located. Top watering is not suitable for phalaenopsis, dip method only. Otherwise, the stem begins to rot. As a result, the leaves of the Phalaenopsis orchid turn yellow.

To understand whether the leaves of the flower turn yellow due to rotting of the stem and roots, the plant is taken out of the pot, its roots are completely cleaned of the bark and inspected. A rotten stem will have a flabby appearance with possible mold (as shown in the photo). Even if such a stem has healthy-looking roots and the beginnings of new roots, they are still subject to complete removal. The stem is removed to healthy tissue. A healthy stem should be elastic and white on the cut without any inclusions.

After the cuts are treated with activated charcoal and dried. After that, the phalaenopsis with healthy leaves is either placed on the wet bark, while the bottom of the stem cannot be covered with bark, or placed in a transparent container with water so that the bottom of the stem does not touch the liquid. All this is covered with polyethylene to make a greenhouse. The plant is sprayed, the greenhouse is ventilated. You can process the bottom of the stem with dry zircon once a week. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the stem, if it continues to rot, cut it again. Healthy roots of the flower should appear between the leaves.

Orchids are imported from tropical and subtropical regions of the world. These are hardy plants, they are able to overcome prolonged droughts, starvation, lack of attention, and at the same time they can wither from excessive care. For several months, the plant can endure the expansion of the human "stupid" attitude towards itself.

But when he begins to show signs of ill health, get ready for a long rehabilitation period.

Phalaenopsis orchids are very popular with flower growers. They are very beautiful, among orchids they are considered the most unpretentious, their cultivation is possible even for inexperienced flower growers. But with gross mistakes in care, they begin to wither, and amateur beginners have a question about why the leaves of the phalaenopsis orchid turn yellow and how to prevent it.

Yellowing of leaves in orchids can happen very quickly, so inspect the plants at least once every three to four days.

It is very important to correctly establish the cause of the painful condition of the orchid, otherwise you will not have time to save the exotic beauty.

One of the symptoms of a diseased condition of an orchid is considered to be yellowing of the leaves. However, this is not always a sign of illness. Each plant begins to age over time. Often, yellowing of the lower leaves is just a sign of the natural aging of the orchid. Leaf renewal, although rare, is quite normal for this plant species. In some orchids, this happens once a year, in others - once in five years.

Natural non-dangerous causes

Naturally, the gradual loss of vitality in old leaves before they fall is manifested in the form of yellowing. If the orchid leaves turn yellow at the base, do not remove them. They dry up and separate on their own.

Stressful situations, such as transplanting, rearranging, moving, which led to changes in the conditions of detention, can also affect the condition and appearance of plants.

There is another non-dangerous reason for yellowing leaves in phalaenopsis orchids. Perhaps the pot has become too small for the plant, and it needs a transplant. A new flowerpot is chosen 2 cm wider, but no more. Otherwise, the substrate may dry out worse, and excessive moisture leads to decay of the root system.

In the case when not only the leaf, but also the stem turns yellow in an orchid, this indicates trouble. By the way, novice flower growers sometimes confuse the stem and the peduncle and ask why the stem of the flower turns yellow from top to bottom. If the leaves and roots of the orchid are healthy, the death of the peduncle does not mean the death of the whole plant. The peduncle must be cut to green tissue, and after a certain time a new one will begin to grow from the hemp. If this does not happen, the peduncle dries out completely and is removed. New flowering can be expected in a few months.

Over watering

This is the most common cause of yellowing leaves in orchids. The leaves become limp and lethargic, acquiring a yellow-brown color. Beginners take care of the plant too diligently, flooding it. A waterlogged substrate prevents air from entering the roots, causing them to rot. In addition, a waterlogged environment contributes to the infection of orchids with bacterial and fungal diseases.

Inexperienced flower growers judge the need for watering by the dried upper pieces of bark on the substrate. But the bark can dry out in a day, while the soil inside the pot will be wet for another week. The following signs indicate yellowing of the leaves due to excessive watering:

  • Most of the leaves and shoots begin to turn yellow, and not just the lower ones.
  • The leaves become moist and soft to the touch.
  • Black spots form on the leaves, and sometimes on the trunk.
  • Spots also appear on the roots, they darken and are almost invisible through the walls of a transparent pot.
  • The buds turn yellow, dry, then fall off.
  • The orchid scrolls in the pot and is easily removed from it.

If the orchid leaves turn yellow due to excess moisture, remove the orchid from the pot and inspect the root system. Atremove the affected areas of the roots and transplant the plant into a new substrate.

Overdrying the plant

If the lower leaves of the orchid have turned yellow, although the plant looks healthy, there are no weeping dark spots on the leaves, and there are signs of decay on the roots, then the likely cause of the loss of the aesthetic appearance of the plant is a lack of moisture.

Perhaps the overdrying of the orchid is due to improper watering from a watering can. Drainage removes water very quickly, and the roots do not have time to absorb it.

The plant is deficient in nutrients, and new leaves grow, taking them away from the old ones.

Correcting the situation is easy. It is enough to switch to watering by immersing the orchid pot for half an hour in water. In a week or two, the plant will return to normal. It is very convenient to control the degree of moisture content of the substrate in transparent pots.

Irrigation with hard water

If you water the flowers with hard water, then salinization of the soil occurs over time, which can be the cause of the appearance of yellow leaves in the orchid. In this case, replacing the soil will help. In the future, water the plant with tap water, half mixed with distilled water.

Excessive lighting

Phalaenopsis orchids prefer moderate light. They do not like the bright sun and can grow on a nightstand or table in the back of the room.

Direct sunlight adversely affects the condition of the plant. The stem and leaves turn yellow, dark spots and rough roughness appear, and the sun-burned areas of the leaves dry out.

It is not necessary to remove them, the healthy part of the leaf is quite viable and will continue to perform the functions of plant nutrition. Rearrange the orchid in partial shade or shade it.

Wrong top dressing

For orchids, both an excess of fertilizers and their lack are dangerous. Under natural conditions, they grow on trees, holding onto cracks in the bark with their roots. Plant debris accumulates in these cracks.

They turn over time into compost, from which plants obtain nutrients. Inexperienced flower growers fall into two extremes. Some feed their wards a couple of times a year, believing that under natural conditions, plants are content with the same small amount of nutrients.

Others, in overprotection of their pets, fertilize them weekly. In both cases, the result will be the same - the orchids will turn yellow leaves.

What needs to be done if the phalaenopsis leaves turn yellow due to improper feeding:

  • With an excess of fertilizer, the plants are urgently transplanted into a new substrate. If it is not possible to do this immediately, then the root system will have to be washed with running water. This must be done within 15 minutes under a slight pressure of water.
  • With a nutrient deficiency, plants are fed with special fertilizers for orchids. The initial doses of fertilizers should be half the recommended.

Fertilize once every two weeks, gradually increase the portion of fertilizer, bringing it to normal after three months.

Pests and fungal diseases

Damage to plants by pests and diseases leads to yellowing of buds, stems, leaves and their premature fall. It can be:

If you follow all the subtleties of caring for a phalaenopsis orchid, it will not be difficult for you to grow a healthy and beautifully flowering plant.

Orchid leaves turn yellow: reasons for their elimination

natural causes

If your phalaenopsis, paphiopedilum or cattleya has turned yellow and the bottom leaf has begun to dry, then there is no reason to worry: this is the natural process of dying off old leaves so that the plant can form new ones. Sometimes two sheets may turn yellow and dry at the same time. In a dendrobium nobile orchid, the upper leaves of an already faded bulb may turn yellow. In addition, this orchid sometimes sheds all the leaves not only from the faded, but also from the flowering bulb.

If you understand that the leaves turn yellow with old age, no action is needed: let the leaves dry completely, and they themselves will easily separate from the plant.

Most often, the leaves of the phalaenopsis orchid and other representatives of this exotic family turn yellow due to excessive watering: moisture blocks the access of air to the root system, which stops absorbing food and begins to rot, and as a result, the leaves turn yellow. Besides, pathogenic fungal infections develop more actively in a wet environment, and this leads to the death of the terrestrial and underground organs of the orchid.

Excessive watering occurs due to the fact that novice flower growers mistakenly focus on the state of the top layer of the substrate, which usually dries out within a day after wetting, while the substrate remains wet in the depth of the pot for about a week. If you water the flower as soon as it dries upper layer substrate, rotting roots and yellow leaves on the orchid you can not avoid.

Often, due to lack of awareness, orchid owners keep the plant literally in a vase of water. The hardy exotic beauty can endure both drought and flood for quite some time, but will eventually fall ill and take a lot of time and effort to recover. To determine that your orchid is suffering from excess moisture, the following signs will help you:

  • yellowness covers not only the lower, but also the upper leaves of the plant;
  • leaves become lethargic and soft, black spots may appear on them;
  • black spots also form on the trunk;
  • the roots of the orchid darken and are almost not visible through the transparent walls of the pot;
  • the orchid loses its stability, scrolls in the substrate, and it seems that it can be easily pulled out of it.

If you found at least a few of the above symptoms you need to take the orchid out of the pot, assess the condition of the root system, treat it, transplant the flower into a fresh substrate and change your attitude to watering.

Insufficient watering can also cause yellow leaves in an orchid, which, due to lack of water, first lose turgor, then wrinkle, turn yellow and dry out. To make sure that the cause of the phenomenon is precisely the lack of moisture, carefully slide a wooden stick along the inner wall of the pot into the depth of the substrate and leave it there for a while. If the stick becomes dry after half an hour, then this means that there is no moisture in the substrate, and if it remains wet, then the reason for the yellowness of the leaves is most likely something else.

You can assess the condition of the roots in a transparent pot by eye: green, slightly pearlescent phalaenopsis roots and the absence of condensate indicate that the root system is healthy and you need to look for another reason for the yellowing of the leaves.

The orchid turns yellow and dries if, when kept on a southern or western windowsill in extreme heat, it was not protected from direct sun. With a sunburn, the leaves do not turn yellow completely, but only in the place where the rays fell. It is necessary to move the orchid to the back of the room or curtain the glass so that the flower receives not direct, but diffused light. It is impractical to remove a burnt sheet, disfigured by a stain, as it continues to perform its functions. Wait until the plant itself wants to get rid of it, and when the leaf dries completely, remove it.

If the old pot becomes small for the plant, it can signal this with yellowed leaves. And they turn yellow from the fact that the roots of the orchid are in a squeezed position due to tightness and are deformed. If this is the reason, transplant the plant into a pot as soon as possible, which will be 3 cm larger than the old one in diameter.

The orchid naturally grows in a tropical rainforest, where, after rainstorms, moist evaporation rises from the ground, so at home the plant may suffer from a lack of moisture, especially in winter, in a room with air-drying heaters. First, the tips of the leaves begin to darken, then the entire plate turns yellow, and eventually the leaf falls off. What can be done to increase the humidity in the air? It’s fine if you have a household humidifier, but if you don’t have one, spray or wash the orchid leaves as often as possible and place containers of water around the plant.

By yellowing the leaves, an orchid can respond to any stressful situation for it. For example, to change location, change lighting or temperature regime, on drafts or a sharp cold snap. Treat the plant with care and do not disturb it with rearrangements if it feels good in its usual place.

Imbalance in the nutrition of orchids

The problem with the leaves of an orchid also arises due to a nutritional imbalance: there may be too many substances in the substrate, and too few others. From an excess of fertilizers in the substrate, not only the leaves turn yellow and fall off, but the stem also withers. In such cases, the plant is no longer fed and is not allowed to bloom, and the substrate is washed with running water, allowed to drain and dried. Feeding is resumed only after a month, but at first fertilizers are applied in half the dosage.

If only the tips of the leaves turn yellow and wrinkle in an orchid, most likely it suffers from an excess of calcium. Transplant the flower into a fresh substrate and do not feed it for at least a month.

The leaves also turn yellow from a lack of potassium substrate: the process begins with the upper leaves, on which yellow streaks first appear, and then the yellowness spreads over the entire plate, and the leaf falls off. Potash fertilizers are used to restore orchids.

Orchid leaves can disfigure fungal diseases root or fusarium rot, as well as bacterial spot. root rot first of all, it affects the roots and trunk of the orchid, and then it affects the yellowness on its leaves. It is necessary to remove the plant from the pot, cut out all the rotten places with a sharp sterile tool, capturing part of the healthy tissue, treat the wounds with a fungicidal solution, dry it and transplant the orchid into a new soil. For preventive purposes, spray the plant from time to time with a fungicidal solution.

If the leaves of an orchid not only turn yellow, but also curl around the edges, this may be a symptom. fusarium wilt, from which, after a short period of time, the whole plant will turn gray: the trunk rots in the orchid, and it dies. Most often, Fusarium affects Miltonia and Phalaenopsis. The orchid is freed from rot, as described above, and then for 10 days, three times a day, what is left of the plant is placed in a fungicide solution. This is the only way to try to save a flower that has become ill with Fusarium.

In the infected bacterial spotting plants leaves turn yellow unevenly, then they lose turgor, wrinkle, and wounds appear on them, oozing liquid. You need to move the plant away from other home flowers, cut off diseased areas and lubricate the wounds with medical iodine. If after that spots begin to appear on the new leaves, you will have to resort to special preparations. It will be possible to return the orchid to its usual place only when spots stop appearing on the leaves.

Orchid roots can amaze ticks, due to which the leaves become soft, turn yellow and die. Ticks are destroyed with acaricides, after which the orchid is transplanted into a fresh substrate.

If you find a plaque on the leaves that resembles powdered sugar, and when you turn the pot around the axis, small white moths soar into the air, then the plant is inhabited whiteflies

The Phalaenopsis orchid is very popular with flower growers involved in indoor cultivation of these incredibly beautiful and unpretentious plants. It is the photo of "Phalaenopsis" that is most often found on the forums of amateur flower growers. It should be remembered that some types of orchids require significant effort in the implementation of care activities. However, this does not apply to Phalaenopsis orchids. Growing such a plant is easy even for beginner gardeners. Often, beginners in floriculture are concerned about why yellowness appears on the leaves of the phalaenopsis orchid, what should be done in this case. Even despite the absolute unpretentiousness, such a variety of orchids as Phalaenopsis can be weakened as a result of significant violations that accompany the cultivation and care of this houseplant.

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Factors affecting the yellowing of the leaves of the Phalaenopsis orchid

There can be several factors that contribute to the yellowing of leaves on orchids, and they are extremely diverse. The main experts include improper watering, insufficient or malnutrition of the plant, various types of diseases and pests, as well as the irrational use of mineral types of fertilizers and dressings.

Phalaenopsis orchid leaves turn yellow due to the natural aging process of the leaves

If you have yellowed and completely dried one lower leaf (in rare cases, two lower leaves) in orchids such as phalaenopsis, while other leaves retain their color, then there is no reason to worry: each orchid leaf goes through its life cycle. The plant gives birth to new leaves, old leaves die - there is a natural change of leaves. In a dendrobium nobile orchid (noble dendrobium), the upper leaves of the bulb, which has already faded, may turn yellow. In addition, the dendrobium nobile can also shed all the leaves from a faded or blooming bulb. If you see that the yellowing of orchid leaves is due to natural process aging of the leaves, then no special action needs to be taken - it is necessary to let this leaf dry completely, and it will separate from the plant itself. After that, the dry leaf can be removed. There is no need to cut or tear off the yellowing orchid leaf on your own. First of all, the plant begins to turn yellow due to the natural shedding of leaves. If one leaf has turned yellow or dried up, and the rest are in the same state, then, as a rule, you should not worry, this means that the life cycle of this leaf has simply ended and a new one will soon form in its place.

Phalaenopsis orchid leaves turn yellow due to frostbite

Phalaenopsis is sluggish yellow leaves talking about their frostbite. At the same time, the leaf plate loses turgor without any visible mechanical damage and painful spots. For an orchid, transportation without protection through cold air in winter or keeping near a window is fatal, where the air temperature often drops below + 15 degrees. Frostbite leaves lose elasticity, become dark green and watery. Treatment: the affected parts of the plant must be removed to healthy tissue. Dead tissues are a favorable environment for the propagation of a variety of rot. Make cuts with a sharp blade. Places of cuts are sprinkled with crushed, activated carbon. In addition, you need to carefully examine the flower, whether there are black spots on its stem or other parts. A frozen plant is not transplanted. This is an additional injury that can lead to death.

Phalaenopsis orchid leaves turn yellow due to a fungal disease

Phalaenopsis orchids are sensitive to stagnant water and prone to fungal diseases. Orchids pick up fungal infections very easily in the store. If you recently bought a new phalaenopsis (cattleya, cumbria or other orchid) and it suddenly began to turn yellow leaves after the purchase, you can not look for other reasons. Start treatment right away. The faster you react, the better the plant's chances of survival. Yellowing can also occur due to a bacterial or viral infection, but such cases are still rare. But to treat them is much more difficult, and sometimes completely impossible.

Pest Control Articles

If the leaf on your orchid has already turned yellow, it is impossible to bring it back to life. In addition, you need to clearly understand that if the orchid turns yellow on the leaf, then the problems are not only with the leaf. It is useless to cut off the leaf or its yellowed part. The fungus sits inside the stem or rhizome, so the whole orchid must be treated. Otherwise, the first sheet will be followed by yellowing of the next. Fungus needs water to live. Therefore, in order to cope with the fungus, you must first dry the orchid well. Whole, wholly and completely. Both leaves and roots and stem (in sympoidal rhizomes). This will greatly slow down the progress of the infection. Unfortunately, in many cases, drying is not enough to completely cope with the disease. The infection may subside for a while and go full steam ahead as soon as you start watering the orchid in the usual way. Therefore, along with drying, it is necessary to treat the orch with antifungal drugs (fungicides).

Phalaenopsis orchid leaves turn yellow due to improper watering

The state of the roots is connected with a thin thread with the color of the foliage. Due to the constant overflow, the foliage can lose turgor, become soft and turn yellow. They may also develop wet patches.

Treatment: in this case, a transplant into a new substrate is necessary.

If the phalaenopsis looks healthy, the root system is without signs of damage, but the lower leaves turn yellow, which means that the earthen lump is too dry. You water the plant regularly, but it continues to turn yellow, pay attention to the watering method. Most likely, you are doing classic watering with a watering can. In this case, the water does not have time to moisten the bark and immediately falls into the pan, and the roots do not have time to drink, they have nowhere to get water from. The result is nutritional deficiencies. To compensate for this deficiency, the plant will begin to extract water and nutrients from the oldest leaves, causing them to begin to turn yellow.

Treatment: Give preference to immersion watering and you will avoid similar problems in the future.

Phalaenopsis orchids turn yellow leaves due to watering with hard water

Many cannot understand why phalaenopsis leaves turn yellow. In most cases, the reason is very commonplace - hard water has a bad effect on the base, buds and the entire orchid as a whole. If you constantly water your pet with hard water, this will lead to salinization of the earthy coma. As a result, iron will no longer be absorbed and functional chlorosis will develop (first, the bottom sheet, and then all the others, will be covered with yellow spots, and after a while they will begin to fall off).

Treatment: transplant the plant into fresh soil. Carry out foliar top dressing: wash the foliage with liquid fertilizers (Pocon, Bona Forte). Be careful: if the orchid is in bloom, do not disturb it and transplant it. It will be enough to free the bark (substrate) from salts by watering it with distilled water. Remember that distilled water can only be used diluted with tap water in a ratio of 1:1. In a few months, following my advice, the yellowed phalaenopsis leaves will fall off, and new and healthy ones will appear in their place.

Phalaenopsis orchids turn yellow leaves due to sunlight

Sometimes with a long exposure to direct sunlight on the leaves of the phalaenopsis orchid, individual sections of the leaves turn yellow. In this case, the leaf does not turn yellow completely, but only those areas that have been exposed to the aggressive effects of the sun. Just move the orchid to partial shade and see the improvements.

Transplanting and fertilizing phalaenopsis orchids

Phalaenopsis is a plant that does not like transplanting and practically does not need it. The only situation when you need to transplant an orchid is active growth and small pot sizes. This can be understood by the number of roots that have begun to grow outside the pot: the more there are, the sooner a new one will be needed - a larger one. It is important to transplant the plant into the same transparent plastic container by changing the substrate. As for feeding the orchid, this can be done once a year, in early spring, to stimulate the exit from the dormant stage and the active growth of the flower. It is important to purchase special fertilizers, a universal product is not suitable for phalaenopsis.

Thus, the yellowing of the leaves and peduncle of the Phalaenopsis orchid is most often a normal physiological process of plant growth, but in some cases it should cause concern for the grower. Having noticed the first signs, you need to immediately respond to the symptoms and provide the orchid the necessary conditions comfortable growth. It is important to know the rules and requirements for growing phalaenopsis so that they grow healthy and beautiful. An orchid is a whimsical flower, but if desired, the conditions for caring for it are easily observed. Then it will grow, bloom and delight with its appearance.

What to do if the leaves of the Phalaenopsis orchid turn yellow

Orchid - one of the most spectacular, luxurious, having a large number of species and varieties of exotic plants. Now it is widely grown not only in greenhouses, but also on window sills. Sometimes pets start to get sick, the lower leaves turn yellow and disappear. Why is this happening and what should be done in this case? The answers to these questions are in this article.

Criteria for choosing a healthy plant when buying

  1. When buying a plant, you need to pay attention to appearance its leaves and roots. The leaves should be green, shiny with a waxy coating without spots or damage.
  2. The roots of a healthy orchid are elastic, strong, without visible breaks. The plant should sit tightly in the pot. Flowers do not play a decisive role in the condition of the plant, but it is better to choose an instance with few unopened buds.
  3. A reliable place to purchase a healthy flower is a greenhouse, where you can get competent expert advice on the conditions for its cultivation. It is better not to risk buying a plant at a discount. Otherwise, you can get a sick and weak specimen, which is difficult to nurse, and even dangerous to the surrounding flowers.
  4. If the orchids in the store stood next to other plants, then there is a possibility of their infection with pests (scale insects, snails, etc.). These specimens must be carefully inspected when buying. The infected flower should be separated from other plants and sprayed with a special solution.
  5. It is better to acquire this delicate flower in the warm season. If the temperature is low outside, then in order to avoid hypothermia, the purchased plant is carefully packed in paper or cellophane.

Yellow leaves on an orchid: reasons (video)

Why do orchids turn yellow leaves

When leaves turn yellow and die off in pets, this causes a natural alarm. Here are the main reasons for this phenomenon listed below.

natural

Plants go through a leaf aging cycle. Some types of orchids in the process of natural aging can change only one or two lower leaves. There are those who renew the leaves less often - once every 3-5 years, during the rest period. Usually such leaves dry up completely and fall off on their own. In this case, you should not tear off or cut off the yellow leaves.

Wrong lighting or watering

For a heat-loving orchid, bright scattered rays of light are important. Under natural conditions, it grows in a hot tropical climate. Lack of lighting causes increased yellowing of the leaves. However, direct exposure to light can cause burns.

Incorrect watering is most often due to an excess of moisture. This plant in natural conditions can withstand a long time without watering. Therefore, it should not be flooded. The state of the soil cannot be judged by its top layer, which dries quickly. The soil is best checked with a wooden stick. It pierces the soil deep enough. If the soil is moist at depth, then the plant does not need watering yet.

Too little or too much fertilizer

For a native of the tropics, the composition of dressings is very important in order to bring the conditions of its growth as close as possible to natural ones. Potassium plays an important role in the life of orchids., because it promotes the rejuvenation of plant tissues. The lack of potassium and iron contributes to the yellowing of the leaves. A common situation is when flower sellers, trying to give them the best presentation, use various growth stimulants indefinitely. Such overfeeding is most often detected only after a couple of years, when the plant depletes the supply of such nutrition. Phalaenopsis turns yellow and wilts. With an excess of calcium, yellowing of the tips of the leaves is characteristic.

Diseases

Orchids with improper care are prone to various diseases. Most often, the reason lies in waterlogging of the soil. This favors a variety of fungal diseases. The roots rot, the infection spreads further, causing nutrient deficiencies. The most common of the fungi are bacterial spot, anthracosis, powdery mildew, gray rot. Viral infections of orchids are quite rare. Mosaic leaf spot sometimes affects phalaenopsis, cymbidium.

How to water orchids (video)

Orchid leaves turned yellow: what to do and how to save the plant

If your pet's leaves turn yellow and the plant disappears, you must first diagnose the cause of this trouble. In most cases, it is possible to save a tropical beauty. Only for viral diseases diseased plant most likely to be destroyed. Assistance is applied differentially depending on the causes of misfortune:

  • Hard water. It is obligatory to transplant into a balanced substrate with washing the leaves with liquid dressings ("Pocon", "Bona Forte"). During flowering transplantation is not desirable. In this case, watering is carried out with half-diluted distilled water.
  • Stimulant Overdose. For 2 weeks, top dressing should be abandoned. And then do them no more than once every two weeks with special fertilizers for orchids, diluting them by half. For the emergence of new leaves, preparations with a nitrogen content are needed. Otherwise, a plant without leaves will not be able to fully bloom and die.
  • With an overdose of fertilizers you need to rinse the roots of the plant with running water, avoid feeding for at least one and a half months.

  • In the fight from fungal infection spraying with Vitaros, Fundazol, Fitolavin is effective. First you need to cut off the affected roots and foliage. Then, after transplanting the plants into clean soil, they must be treated with these preparations again. In the fight against rot, daily three-time washing of the flower with a 0.2% solution of foundationol for 10 days helps.
  • In case of tick damage you should use "Agrovertin", "Karbofos", and then transplant the plant.
  • In the fight against whiteflies and many other pests, you need to resort to the help of Aktellik. Before using it, you can wash the plant with a weak solution of laundry soap. Prophylactically, you can wipe the leaves with water every five days and spray them with a weak Aktellik solution once a month.
  • Periodically during dormancy plant needs to be repotted in a pot with a diameter of 2 cm larger than the previous one with a layer of drainage. Then, with balanced watering, moisture will not stagnate excessively.

The reasons for the yellowing of the leaves of an orchid is improper care for it, namely:

  1. Lack of lighting or burns from direct sunlight.
  2. Wrong pot size.
  3. Lack of potassium and iron or an excess of calcium.
  4. Unbalanced watering or dry air.
  5. Overfeeding with biostimulants prior to purchase.
  6. Neighborhood of incompatible plants.
  7. Diseases and pests.
  8. Stress from a sudden change in living conditions.

How to save an orchid (video)

Knowing these reasons, you can effectively deal with their consequences so that the tropical beauty will delight us for many years.