The orchid in its wide variety is the pride of any grower.
But caring for a beautiful and moody plant that has moved from tropical latitudes to our windowsills is not easy. Most often, you may encounter the problem of yellowing of the leaves.
When you don’t need to worry
The most common, but quite harmless reasons are the natural aging process and too narrow a flowerpot.
In the first case, only the lower leaves turn yellow, and there is no need to do anything: they will dry out and separate themselves from the trunk, then they can be thrown away. The life cycle of the leaf varies in different types of orchids - foliage renewal can occur from once a year to five years.
If in general the flower looks healthy and the leaves turn yellow, perhaps the old pot has become simply small for the plant, and a transplant is required. The new flowerpot should be larger by a maximum of 2 cm, otherwise the substrate will dry out worse and waterlogging and rotting of the roots will occur.
What to do if orchids turn yellow leaves due to watering
Sometimes the cause of yellowing becomes excessive attention and care for the plant, namely abundant watering. Due to the high humidity, the soil does not let air through, the roots begin to rot and stop supplying the leaves with nutrients.
A plant signals excessive watering if:
• The leaf cover becomes yellow and soft, and this applies to both the lower and upper leaves.
• The plant is covered with black spots.
• The roots are getting dark.
• The flower sits in the ground loosely, scrolls and is easily removed.
In this case, it is necessary to get the orchid out of the pot and examine its roots. If they are not completely destroyed, then the flower is transplanted into a new substrate.
Cases of plant disease are less common due to insufficient watering, therefore, you must verify the cause of yellowing of the leaves before watering the flower. To do this, several layers of soil are removed - if the substrate inside is dry, then the problem is really a lack of water. In this situation, the flower should be watered. If you encounter such a problem, despite regular watering, it is worth revising the method itself. Many beginners choose the classic method using a watering can, but at the same time the water drains into the pan, and the roots do not have time to be saturated with useful substances. It is necessary to switch to watering by immersing the pot in dishes with water for half an hour.
Orchid is a finicky plant, therefore leaves may turn yellow due to hard watering. This leads to an increase in the salt content in the soil and a deterioration in the ability of the flower to absorb iron. The solution will be a transplant into a new soil and the transition to a mixture of distilled and piped water in 1: 1 proportions.
Tip: It is not recommended to disturb and transplant the plant during the flowering period..
Due to the lack of lighting, the orchid leaves wither: what to do
Light-loving species such as Wanda, Cattleya, or Lelia may suffer from insufficient lighting. Their leaves become yellow, lethargic and soft. In this case, the flower is placed in a more lighted place.
However, you need to be careful: the plant is not recommended to be placed on the windows of the south and west on hot days - it can get sunburn. In this case, only the places where the sun's rays fall yellow. The flower must be removed from direct sunlight, it is not necessary to remove the affected leaves - the affected area will dry out, and the healthy green part of the leaf will continue to function and nourish the plant.
What to do if orchid leaves turn yellow due to parasites and fungal diseases
When a plant is infected with infectious diseases, first of all, it must be isolated from healthy neighbors in order to avoid the spread of infection. You can return the orchid to the rest of the flowers only if the symptoms do not recur after some time after treatment.
1. Fusarium fungus
Excessive watering can cause the appearance of a Fusarium fungus, as a result, the roots rot, and the plant does not receive nutrients. The leaves of the affected flower turn yellow, twist around the edges, and darken over time. If measures are not taken in time, the orchid may die.
It is necessary to cut off diseased roots and leaves, treat the affected areas with special antifungal drugs and transplant the flower into a fresh substrate. After that, in order to avoid a new outbreak of the disease, the plant is immersed three times a day for 10 days in a solution of 0.2% baseball.
2. Bacterial spotting
Another dangerous disease is bacterial spotting - first the leaf begins to turn yellow, darken and soften, and then oozing ulcers appear on it. It is necessary to cut out the affected areas, and treat the cut points with a solution of iodine. If the symptoms do not appear again within 10 days, the infection has passed, and the orchid can be returned to the rest of the flowers.
3. Whitefly
Indoor plants, like outdoor plants, can be affected by flying parasitic insects. The result of the activity of whiteflies is white spraying on the leaves, under which they acquire a yellowish or reddish tint. To begin with, the plant must be washed with a solution of laundry soap, and then treated with "Actilict" according to the instructions.
4. Root tick
The parasite affects only the roots and main shoots of the plant, while the leaves become soft, turn yellow and blacken. The flower is treated with the preparation "Karbofos" or "Agrovertin" according to the instructions and transplanted into fresh soil.
For no apparent reason, orchids wither leaves: what to do
The cause of deterioration of leaf cover may be a lack or oversupply of growth stimulants and fertilizers. Firstly, with additional feeding, it is necessary to comply with the recommended norms, otherwise you can overdo it and destroy the plant. Secondly, you still need to fertilize the orchid, since the flower came from a tropical climate and may not receive all the necessary substances in our conditions.
Often, sellers overfeed plants with growth stimulants and fertilizers to give it a more lush and attractive appearance. However, visible symptoms can occur only after many months. In this case, it is necessary to put the plant in a bright place and refuse to feed for 15 days. Then you can start using nitrogen-containing fertilizers no more than once every two weeks and in solution no more than 50%.
If you accidentally apply a high concentration of the drug, rinse the root system under running water. You can start feeding the plant only after six weeks.
With a sharp change in environmental conditions, such as temperature, lighting or location, the plant may experience stress. The stressful state affects the appearance of the flower - the leaves wither, become soft and turn yellow. Let the orchid acclimatize in a new atmosphere and create optimal conditions for healthy flower growth.
