What to Do When Orchid Leaves Turn Yellow? Treatment Methods Explained
Friends who grow orchids often should know that yellowing orchid leaves are bound to happen. Next, let us take a look at the solutions for yellowing orchid leaves.
Causes of Yellowing Orchid Leaves
1. A sudden change in the orchid's care environment causes poor water absorption by the leaves, resulting in yellowing.
2. A potted orchid bought directly may have been freshly potted by the seller; the orchid is somewhat unaccustomed to the soil, temporarily affecting nutrient absorption and causing yellow leaves.
3. Water yellowing: watering too much causes waterlogging in the soil, which stays wet for a long time, with poor aeration and even partial rotting of the fibrous roots, showing as dull yellow, lusterless young leaves and shrunken new shoots.
4. Fertilizer yellowing: too much fertilizer, showing as yellowing and dropping of the tips of old leaves and branches; new leaves are thick and glossy but generally uneven and not spread out. If it is a valuable flowering plant, you can scatter a layer of pak choi or radish seeds, and after they sprout for a few days, pull them out to consume the nutrients.
5. Drought yellowing: due to long-term failure to water thoroughly or dehydration, although the new leaves keep a normal color, the lower leaves gradually turn dry and yellow, drop off and age, progressing upward.
6. Alkaline yellowing: some southern flowers especially like acidic soil, while northern water tends to be alkaline, so leaves gradually fade, turn yellow and even drop off.
7. If the orchid leaves are yellowish but growth is normal, it may be caused by excessive light.
8. If the orchid leaves turn yellow and the new buds are relatively small, it is due to excessive light and a lack of nitrogen fertilizer and necessary humidity.
9. Yellowing and dropping of old leaves: this is normal aging or caused by repotting.
10. Rapid yellowing and dropping of old leaves: watering too much and too often, or improper repotting and planting.
11. In addition, growers can check whether their orchid has root rot or whether the potting medium is unclean. If there is root rot, disinfect and treat it as soon as possible, and keep it in a ventilated, relatively dry environment.
How Should Orchids Be Cared For?
Compared with other flowers, orchids are indeed somewhat harder to grow. The difficulty lies in the fact that orchid roots are relatively sensitive to water and are easily "drowned" or "thirsted to death." When the state of the potting medium being too wet or too dry lasts longer than the orchid roots can tolerate (to be precise, when the oxygen-deficient or water-deficient state in the potting medium lasts longer than the orchid roots can tolerate), it causes root rot or hollow roots; if it lasts even longer, the root problems show up on the leaves, and the plant eventually withers and dies.
Because the pseudobulbs of the orchid itself contain water, and because whether the orchid roots are rotted or hollow, their remaining parts still retain some ability to absorb water, the orchid can still linger on for a while even if there is a root problem, and problems are not easily discovered in time from the above-ground parts of the plant.
In fact, orchids are more often "drowned," that is, due to improper selection and blending of the potting medium, too strong water retention, or overly frequent watering, the potting medium stays soggy all the time. When this overly wet state lasts beyond what the orchid can tolerate, the orchid roots rot and the plant eventually dies. In addition, some people, having heard that orchids "fear" water, water them very seldom, and as a result overcorrect and the orchid is "thirsted to death"; such cases also occur. It can thus be seen that whether the water content in the potting medium can be properly controlled is the key to success or failure in growing orchids.
Why Can't Orchids Be Grown in Ordinary Soil?
Let us first analyze the changes in the dry-wet state of the soil after watering: "wet" to "somewhat wet" to "moist" to "somewhat dry" to "dry." Among these, "wet," "somewhat wet," "dry" and "somewhat dry" are all unfavorable to orchid root growth; only "moist" is most suitable for orchid growth. Ordinary soil, after watering, stays "wet" or "somewhat wet" for too long, exceeding the time the orchid can tolerate, so tragedy naturally occurs; therefore, ordinary soil is not suitable for growing orchids.
It can thus be seen that shortening as much as possible the time the potting medium spends in the "wet" and "dry" states and extending the time it spends in the "moist" state is the fundamental goal of orchid cultivation. Whether it is the selection and blending of the potting medium, the choice of orchid pot (the size and material of the orchid pot also greatly affect changes in the water content of the potting medium), or watering, all revolve around this goal.
From this it can also be seen that the water-retaining or water-draining properties of the potting medium itself largely determine the changes in its water content, and even determine the success or failure of growing orchids. It can be said that watering is the external cause determining changes in the water content of the potting medium, while the potting medium is the internal cause determining changes in its water content. To control the water content of the potting medium well, the prerequisite is that the potting medium must be properly selected and blended.
The above is all the content I have summarized for you on what to do and how to handle yellowing orchid leaves. I hope this article can help everyone. Please also continue to follow us.
The prerequisite is that the potting medium must be properly selected and blended.The above is all the content I have summarized for you on what to do and how to handle yellowing orchid leaves. I hope this article can help everyone. Please also continue to follow us.