Orchid yellow leaves what to do. Why do the leaves of an orchid turn yellow: identify and eliminate the causes

Your orchid leaves began to turn yellow and you don't know what to do? Then some tips from the article will come to your aid. Also here you can find out the cause of the flower's disease.

Causes of yellowing leaves in orchids

There are many factors that affect the growth and well-being of an orchid. Let's look at the main reasons for the appearance of yellowness on its leaves.

Reasons related to watering and lighting

Frequent watering.The condition of the leaves is very closely related to the condition of the roots. If the substrate is too wet or does not have time to dry properly, the roots begin to rot, and the leaves become lethargic, lose turgor, begin to turn yellow, become covered with wet spots and fall off. In such a case, you need to immediately examine the flower and take methods to save it. Often, due to strong overflow, the neck of the plant suffers, it begins to rot. In this case, you need to free the orchid from the pot, carefully remove the damaged parts and plant in a new substrate.
Lack of moisture.If the plant is outwardly healthy, without signs of phlegm, then the reason is the too dry substrate. Water it more often. If the leaves continue to turn yellow, change the watering method. For example, you can submerge your orchid in water instead of watering it from above, and vice versa.
Water quality.The reason may also lie in the water itself. . Maybe the water you use is too hard, over time, the earthen lump has salted, and the pet does not receive nutrients from the soil. The first sign of a lack of nutrients is that the plant first turns yellow bottom sheet, the rest of the sweats are covered with yellow spots and in turn disappear. The orchid needs to be urgently transplanted into a new substrate. If it blooms, then it is better not to do this. Dilute distilled water with regular water in equal proportions and water the plant for several days. After a while, old and damaged leaves will fall off, and new ones will appear in their place.
Lack of lighting.If the leaves and aerial roots of an orchid suddenly become lighter than usual, this means that it lacks lighting. Move the pot to a sunny window or use special lamps. Remember that Cattleya and Wanda are very light-loving varieties and will die without sufficient sunlight.
Sunburn.If you suddenly find spots brown colorso she got sunburn... It is better to cut off the dead part of the leaf with sharp scissors, and remove the plant itself on a shady window sill.

The reason is fertilizers

You bought healthy beautiful plant, and after a while they noticed that the flowers were crumbling, and it began to die:

Fertilizer abuse.Often, in order to preserve the blooming appearance of the orchid for a longer time, sellers abuse fertilizer. Such a flower can stand for a couple of years, or maybe only a few weeks, it all depends on the dosage of chemicals used. Then the leaves begin to turn yellow sharply, fall off, and the stem of the plant withers. It will take a lot of time and effort to save such a flower. During a crescent, the plant cannot be fed, and then - only with diluted fertilizer. Do not allow a weakened orchid to bloom or it will die. If you overdo it a little with fertilizer, then urgently rinse the pot with the substrate under running water, let the water drain and dry. You can re-fertilize the orchid in a month and a half.
Lack of nutrients.This reason can also provoke yellowing of the leaves, especially if there is not enough potassium. The plant begins to turn yellow from the upper parts, veins appear, and soon the damaged leaves fall off. Use a special top dressing that contains potassium to restore the orchid.
Excess calcium.If only the tips of the leaves have turned yellow and wrinkled in the flower, then there is an excess of calcium in the earthen coma. Transplant the plant into a new substrate and skip fertilizer for a while.

Infections and pests

Bacterial and fungal infections. With frequent overflow, a fungal infection occurs in an earthen coma. It primarily affects the roots and trunk of the plant. Over time, it reaches the leaves. If you do not take emergency measures, the orchid will die. First you need to cut off all damaged parts, treat the cut sites with antifungal drugs, dry them, and then transplant them into new soil... Remember to spray regularly with fungicidal preparations.
Fusarium rot. The first sign of the appearance of Fusarium rot is yellowed and curled leaves at the edges. After a while, the plant itself becomes gray... Further, the trunk decays and the plant dies. Most susceptible to such a disease are such species as felenopsis and miltonia. To save the orchid, you need to remove all damaged parts and place the remainder in the foundation solution. The course of treatment is 10 days, the procedure is carried out 3 times a day.
Bacterial spotting. A sign - sharply and unevenly yellowed leaves, over time they become darker, lose turgor and begin to wrinkle. Then wounds appear, from which fluid is released. Place the flowerpot separately from the rest, cut off the affected parts, and liberally lubricate the cuts with iodine. If spots appear on new leaves, use special means in the fight. The orchid can be returned to its original place, making sure that no new spots appear.
Mite in the roots. Due to the defeat of the roots and trunk by the tick, home flower receives less nutrients and moisture. The leaves become soft, turn yellow and fall off. In the fight against this pest, use special preparations that must be diluted and applied according to the instructions. After the course of treatment, it is better to transplant the orchid into a new substrate.
Whitefly. The first sign of the appearance of a whitefly is a white, like sugar powder, bloom. The leaves lose their turgor, turn yellow and fall off. In treatment, use a solution of laundry soapwho need to thoroughly wash off all plaque, and spray special means against pests of indoor plants. After a week, the orchid treatment procedure must be repeated.

Other reasons

Plant age. Leaves can also turn yellow and fall off due to old age. In their place, new, young, light green leaves appear. Most often this applies to the large lower leaves. In felenopsis, several of them can fall off per year, usually during a dormant period. But dendrobium necessarily sheds its leaves during its flowering or after it.
Cramped pot. Have healthy flower many large and green leaves, voluminous and thick aerial roots, and over time, the pot with the substrate becomes cramped for him. The roots are compressed and deformed, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off. In order not to torment the orchid, you just need to transplant it into a larger pot, but its diameter should be no more than 3 cm. Too large flowerpot can lead to waterlogging of the soil and decay of the root system.
Stress. Abrupt change temperature regime, lighting, or a familiar place can lead to stress in the orchid. This will primarily affect the foliage, it will turn yellow and begin to fall off. Do not rush to move the pot to a new place, first place the plant there for a few hours.
Indoor air is too dry.The orchid is a tropical plant, so it is used to humid environments. If the air in the room where the plant is located is too dry, then the leaves will begin to turn yellow and fall off. Use a humidifier to revive your orchid or spray it as often as possible. clean water... Make sure that the liquid does not get inside the trunk, otherwise rotting will begin and the plant will disappear.

When to worry

Is always. Whatever the reasons for the appearance of yellowness on the leaves, this is an alarming signal that needs to be urgently paid attention to. After all, this is the first sign that your pet is not feeling well. If these reasons are not eliminated in time, the orchid will die.

Conditions for correct content

In fact, the orchid is quite unpretentious home plant... All she needs is:

Good substrate (better to buy at a flower shop);
Well-lit windowsill, no direct sunlight or drafts;
Regular watering with settled water as needed. Less often in winter and more often in summer.
Transparent pot the right sizeso that the substrate has time to dry completely before the next watering, but at the same time it does not dry out too much;
Special dressing for orchids, which must be used according to the instructions.

Alternate watering method: water from top to sump once, and next time immerse the plant pot in a bowl of water for a while.
Orchid loves tropical rains, so remember to spray the plant regularly with warm water.
To determine if the plant needs watering, you need to examine the aerial roots. If they are bright green, then there is no need to water, if they are silvery, then the plant needs liquid. You can also determine the moisture content of the earthen coma by weight, if the pot is light, then the orchid needs to be watered.
After flowering, many owners cut the peduncle at the root. You don't need to do this. If the stick is not dry, then you need to leave it alone, and over time, carefully trim the dried parts when they appear.
When transplanting a plant, use only a special substrate for orchids.which consists of pieces of bark. Lay the soil in the pot so that the trunk is covered with bark.
To prevent the clod from drying out, the top can be covered with a special moss. It perfectly retains moisture inside the pot.
There are many ways to extend the flowering period. You can use special fertilizer solutions. Or you can stress the plant - put it in a dark room for a while, and then put it back in place. It is also good to arrange a contrast shower for the flower from time to time - at first the water should be slightly hot, and then cool.
Do not transplant the plant in new pot during the flowering period.
To get a baby out of an orchid, you can place it in an empty aquarium and keep constant moisture there. You can also lubricate open dormant buds on the peduncle with cytokinin paste.

Orchid is a flower that requires minimal maintenance, but in return will delight multi-colored and long flowering... The main thing is to pay attention to the condition of the leaves and to eliminate the causes of the plant's poor health in time.

Orchids are typical representatives of the tropics. And although they adapt well to conditions indoor growing, treats them like everyone else indoor plants unreasonable. This is understood by almost all novice growers. But, alas and ah, understanding alone is not enough. It is also necessary to make efforts, sometimes considerable, so that the orchid at home feels with the greatest comfort. Otherwise, it will not only not bloom, but it may not survive at all.

Most often, inexperienced orchid lovers are faced with the problem that orchid leaves turn yellow. This phenomenon gives a lot of unpleasant minutes to its owner, especially if it takes on a mass character. In itself, the death of old leaves is a normal phenomenon, they are simply replaced by new foliage, and that's it. But if more than one leaf begins to turn yellow, action must be taken urgently.

First of all, you should identify the reason why the leaves of the orchid turn yellow, and then decide what to do. In the vast majority of cases, this unpleasant phenomenon is based on mistakes and miscalculations when caring for an orchid.

Today it is considered the most popular orchid. Using his example, we will consider why the leaves of an orchid turn yellow and what to do.

There are several main reasons:

Improper watering
The wrong place for an orchid
Growth point damaged

Let's consider these reasons in more detail.

Improper watering of the orchid

Excess moisture

Most often, problems arise from excessive waterlogging of the substrate, rather than from drying it out. Phalaenopsis are epiphytic plants and the bark of trees, which is the basis of the substrate for an orchid, serves more to support and fix the plant than to feed and support them. Therefore, if the substrate is constantly wet, it will be difficult for the roots of the plant to receive the air they need. Root decay will begin. The first symptom of this is yellowing of the leaves. Together with this, they lose their turgor, become lethargic and subsequently die off. If the process is started, the stem rot begins and the phalaenopsis inevitably dies.

It is easy to determine that phalaenopsis is being watered excessively, thanks to the transparent pot. A constant excess of moisture is indicated by:

constantly wet, dark bark in a pot;
dark green roots, some with signs of rotting;
condensation, water droplets are constantly present on the walls of the pot;
the plant pot is constantly heavy.

What to do

If the process of yellowing of the leaves has just begun and a sign of waterlogging is found, watering should be stopped immediately and subsequently carried out less frequently.

If the damage to the phalaenopsis is significant, if most of the leaves have turned yellow, black specks have appeared on them, a large number of roots with signs of decay have appeared, then the phalaenopsis must be immediately removed from the substrate, all damaged roots and leaves must be removed. After that, depending on the degree of damage, proceed to rescue. If the damage is minimal, then you can simply and significantly limit watering. During the resuscitation period, you can limit yourself only to spraying the upper layer of the substrate.

In case of significant damage, more drastic measures should be taken. A sick orchid is not planted in a pot. In this case, you should select a reliable, stable support (for example, a piece of a tree trunk), fix the plant on it with coconut fiber, place it under a glass or film cap and place this structure in a place with diffused light. In the process of resuscitation, only the support is moistened, and the leaves are periodically wiped with a damp swab.

Lack of moisture

But not only excess moisture can cause the leaves of the orchid to turn yellow. The opposite may be the reason for this - insufficient watering. One of the main signs of a lack of moisture by phalaenopsis is the white roots of the plant. Most often this happens from improper watering technique. With the usual watering from above for other plants, the substrate, which contains the orchid, is wetted insufficiently and unevenly. As a result, yellowing and death of the lower layer of leaves occurs.

What to do

In this case, it is necessary to water the phalaenopsis only by immersion in water. If you are already doing this, then increase watering frequency.

Poor quality water for irrigation

Many novice orchid lovers do not attach due importance to this aspect. But hard water with a high salt content can cause significant harm to the plant and cause the leaves of the orchid to turn yellow. A sign that there are a lot of salts in the water is salt deposits, a whitish coating on the walls of the pot and the substrate.

What to do

If during this period your plant does not bloom, then you can limit yourself only to a transplant. During the flowering period of Phalaenopsis, you can try to wash the salt out of the substrate by repeatedly immersing the pot in warm soft water or a mixture of soft and distilled water.

Note! An excess of salt can also cause improper use of fertilizers. This is either an excess of them, or the wrong fertilizer for the orchid.

The wrong place

The reason that the leaves turn yellow in phalaenopsis can be as excess lightingand its disadvantage.

Lack of light

Along with yellowing and falling leaves, the lack of illumination for an orchid is also characterized by excessive stretching of the shoots. Lack of light can even cause a sharp drop in leaves.

What to do

If possible, move the orchid to a brighter place. Provide artificial lighting.

Excess light

In particular for phalaenopsis, yellowing of the leaves is more characteristic when too bright, sunlight... This orchid is more shade tolerant than its relatives. When direct sunlight hits the leaves of an orchid, burns of varying severity are inevitable - from the appearance of a yellow border along the leaf, to large burn spots throughout the leaf plate.

What to do

If one or two leaves are burned, then it is enough to remove them and move the phalaenopsis to a place where it will be isolated from the scalding sun's rays. In case of serious damage to most leaves, but with a healthy stem and roots, you should move the plant to a shaded place and stop watering for a while, increasing the humidity. If the stem and roots are damaged along with the leaves, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to revive the plant.

Orchid growth point damaged

Such damage is typical for a monopodial group of orchids with one trunk. The growth point of phalaenopsis is located at the top of the stem and can be damaged both mechanically and as a result of incipient decay. As a result, the leaves of Phalaenopsis begin to turn yellow and rot from the upper tier. Gradually, rotting spreads to the entire stem and roots. Most often, this is a consequence of moisture getting into the growing point during watering and careless spraying.

What to do

You should immediately remove damaged parts of the plant, reduce watering, reduce air humidity.