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Why do orchid leaves turn yellow: what to do to save the flower
09.02.2023 06:20
Updated: 13.04.2023 22:56
The orchid is an exotic beauty that feels good on our windowsill. But it is a very capricious plant and requires intensive care.
There can be two reasons for the yellowing of orchid leaves: the natural aging of the flower or a serious disease.
Yellow and old leaves on a plant
This is the natural beginning of the dying off of old and yellowed leaves of the plant. This process starts with the bottom row of leaves, while the rest remains green.
Typically, the following popular hybrids suffer from this: phalaenopsis, cattleya, dendrobium, paphiopedilum.
Some species of these plants can replace their leaves completely or shed them at any time of the year, and some varieties renew themselves every 1.5 years. This process can last for several weeks or months.
Therefore, there is no point in worrying about this. Only when the leaf is completely dry, only then should it be removed.
Yellow leaves may be a sign of rot.
Sometimes yellowed leaves on a plant indicate its illness. Especially when young leaves have started to turn yellow or the plant sheds them altogether.
The reason for this may be the infection of the plant with rot, which appears when the flower is not given sufficient care.
This is excessive watering, damage by fungi or pathogenic bacteria, insufficient lighting, very old substrate, excess nutrients and other reasons. The characteristic sign of this disease can be not only yellow leaves, but also curled edges, brown spotting, rotting and dying of the trunk.
A disease that is recognized in time must be treated immediately.
Therefore, the flower stem is removed from the container and dipped with its roots in warm and clean water. Next, after examining the roots, remove the dark, rotten, damaged, withered and dry parts of the plant with disinfected pruning shears. The next step is to wash it with a solution of "Fundazol" or another fungicide.
The cuts are treated with activated carbon powder, brilliant green or ground cinnamon powder and the plant is transplanted into a new pot with fresh substrate.
A common cause of plant rot is over-watering of the substrate. Watering should be done according to the season and the growth and rest phases.
Systematically check the drying of the substrate by dipping a wooden stick or a special indicator into it. If it remains wet for two days, this may indicate very excessive watering.
To ensure that the plant is always healthy and pleases the eye with its lush flowering, you need to place the pot with the plant in a lighted place, feed it, replant it at least once a year and provide the necessary humidity in the room.
