This beautiful flower has long won the hearts of amateur gardeners. This is not surprising, because the orchid has a unique look, unprecedented beauty and the same amazing aroma.
However, keeping such a beauty at home is not so simple. Over time, many note that the leaves turn yellow in the orchid. What to do in this situation? First of all, do not leave this problem unattended. This flower is distinguished by its sensitivity. He may be ill or suffer from improper care. If you do not solve the problem in a timely manner, then the plant will simply die. Therefore, it is worth considering the reasons why the leaves turn yellow in the orchid. We list them all.
Natural causes
Each orchid is characterized by aging foliage. As a result of this, after each flowering, the plant renews the leaves. In some subspecies, this occurs less noticeably. This is due to the fact that only the lower leaves turn yellow and die. There are also species that are characterized by such a change of foliage no more than 1 time in 4 years. Therefore, in this case, the orchid leaves dry for completely natural reasons.
Based on this, it is worth clarifying the features of a particular flower. There are over 2,000 subspecies of orchids. If the leaves turn yellow and fall off for natural reasons, then you should not pick the foliage yourself. The plant itself knows when it needs to be updated.
Improper watering or lighting
Like any other plant, an orchid's leaves turn yellow when it lacks the sun. This thermophilic plant loves diffused light and a hot climate, since in nature it grows in the tropics. If there is insufficient lighting, then the foliage will begin to fall off. However, an excess of light leads to the fact that the tip of the leaf turns yellow on the orchid, and then the plant completely gets burned.
If we talk about improper watering, then in this case the most common problem is an excess of moisture. It must be clearly understood that the orchid is able to live without water for a long time. Therefore, it is better to once again forget about water procedures than to transfuse a plant.
Also, do not navigate this issue by the state of the earth in a flower pot. Its top layer dries quickly enough, but inside the soil remains moist and fully nourishes the culture.
To determine how often you need to water the orchid, just use a fairly simple method. To do this, just pierce the ground in a pot with a long wooden stick. If at least part of it is wet, then it is worthwhile to wait a few days with watering and repeat the check later.
Too many or few top dressings
Not every remedy is suitable for this sensitive plant. She likes potassium most of all, because it takes part in rejuvenation of orchid tissues and has a number of other useful properties. If the plant lacks this component and iron, then this may well lead to yellowing of the foliage.
Also worth paying attention to another nuance. Very often, flower sellers try to improve their presentation and size by literally flooding crops with growth stimulants. At first, it is very difficult to determine such an emergency top dressing. However, when a few years later the leaves turn yellow on the orchid, this may indicate the seller’s dishonesty.
Also, do not overfeed the plant with calcium. From this, yellowing may appear on the tips of the leaves, which gradually spread to the entire foliage.
The presence of the disease
If you take care of the plant incorrectly, this can lead to rather unpleasant consequences, among which there are a large number of ailments. For example, you can very easily provoke the appearance of a fungus if you water the orchid too often. This leads to the fact that the roots of the flower begin to rot. Further, the infection spreads to large areas, which leads to a lack of nutrients. As a result, the leaves turn yellow in the orchid.
The most common ailments
Among the main diseases it is worth highlighting:
- Black rot. In this case, the cause of the development of the disease can be both an improperly selected temperature regime and the appearance of pests.
- Fusarium In this case, spots appear on the leaves of the orchid and a greenish coating. In this case, the foliage becomes softer and sluggish to the touch. In some situations, the sheets are curled into tubes.
- Brown rot. Stains are also observed on the leaves of the flower. Foliage becomes more watery. Most often, such watering or overcooling of the culture leads to such problems.
- Root rot. This ailment is expressed in the fact that the youngest shoots of a plant become very dark. In this case, it is worth probing the rhizome of the flower. If it is soft and has an unpleasant odor, then in this case we are talking about this disease.
- Gray rot. In this case, small spots of the corresponding color appear on the leaves. At the same time, you can notice fluffy villi on them. After some time, the lesion passes to the soil and inflorescences. An excess of nitrogen, which often appears in folk remedies for feeding orchids, most often leads to such consequences.
- Anthracnose. It is characterized by the appearance of spots with clearly defined outlines. The main reason for the development of this disease is too rare ventilation of the room where the flower is located.
- Powdery Mildew In this case, a clinging white coating appears on the leaves. After a while, the affected areas dry out and the plant completely dies.
- Viral ailments. Orchids rarely suffer from these diseases. However, if spots appeared in the form of stripes and circles on the foliage of the plant, this may indicate a virus.
Orchid diseases and their treatment
It is worth considering in more detail how exactly to help the plant in the detection of a particular ailment.
If we are talking about black rot, then in this case it is recommended to remove the affected parts of the flower. After this, the plant is sprayed with a Bordeaux composition. At the next stage, you need to get rid of the infected soil, it is better to transplant the orchid into a special sterilized substrate.
If fusariosis occurs, it is necessary to treat the bush with a 0.2% Fundazole solution for 10 days. For this, it is necessary to immerse the entire flower three times a day, together with the pot, in this liquid. You also need to stop spraying the plant and often ventilate the room.
If we are talking about brown rot, then in this case you need to cut off all the parts of the flower on which lesions are visible. In the case when the disease spread locally, it will be almost impossible to save the orchid.
With root rot, it is also recommended to spray the plant with a 0.2% Fundazole solution three times every 14 days.
If a beautiful plant was struck by gray rot, then in this case all affected areas are also cut off. After that, the plant is irrigated with fungicide. However, it should be borne in mind that this fungus develops resistance to treatment over time. Therefore, with relapse, it is recommended to use different means.
If powdery mildew is detected, you need to spray the flower with a solution with a high content of colloidal sulfur.
Anthracnose
With anthracnosis, it is necessary to tear off all the leaves on which the lesions are present. For treatment of the bush, funds with a high copper content are suitable. After this, it is recommended not to feed or water the orchid for some time. In this case, you must ensure that the humidity in the room does not exceed 70%. You also need to periodically ventilate the room.
Speaking about the diseases of orchids and their treatment, it is worth noting that when a viral illness occurs, it is almost impossible to save the flower. In this case, it is recommended to destroy the culture so that the plants adjacent to it do not become infected, too.
Pests
Parasites can also lead to yellowing of foliage. Most often, pests are easy to calculate, since they are visible even with the naked eye. In addition, soil clods will talk about their presence.
To get rid of parasites, you need to put a pot with a plant in water so that the liquid reaches its edges. In a few minutes it will be possible to see how hated cockroaches are trying to escape.
Other reasons
The foliage may also turn yellow if the plant is in a pot too small. In this case, the root system will not be able to develop normally and begin to nourish the entire flower.
A sharp change in the conditions of existence also affects the plant. If he was moved to a colder room or deprived of the usual amount of light, then all this can result in foliage problems.
If we talk about which soil for orchids is better, then in this case it all depends on the specific type of plant. However, you can definitely say about all plants that they do not like salt. The use of water that is too hard can lead to soil salting. It can also result in yellowing of foliage.
Also, do not install the flower pot too close to the heaters. If the air in the room is too dry, special humidifiers are recommended.
Orchid leaves turn yellow: what to do?
First of all, it is worth identifying the cause of such changes. If the whole thing is too hard water, then in this case it is enough to transplant the beauty into a substrate and wash the leaves with liquid top dressing. However, if the plant is in the flowering stage, then carry out such procedures is not worth it. In this case, you need to start watering the flower with water, which will be half diluted with distilled liquid.
If the plant is chosen by the whitefly, then in this case the methods of resuscitation of the orchid will include the use of "Actellica". Before using this drug, it is worth washing the foliage of the flower in a soap solution (it is best to use ordinary laundry soap without fragrances and dyes).
With an excess of fertilizing
If the orchid suffers from an overdose of growth stimulants, then the next 14 days should not be fed. After this fertilizer can be applied no more than once every two weeks. In this case, you can use only specialized top dressing and make only half the recommended dose on the package. Compositions with nitrogen are best restored in foliage, but you should not overdo it with it.
You also need to make it a rule to periodically transplant the plant. The soil is depleted over time, so the flower needs to be updated. However, such manipulations are recommended only during the rest period. If you transplant an orchid during flowering, it can greatly harm it.
When transplanting, it is recommended to choose a pot, which in diameter will be 2 cm larger than the previous dishes. At the bottom it is better to lay a drain. This will prevent stagnation of water in the soil.
Finally
Tropical beauties are famous for their whimsical behavior. This is not surprising, because beautiful plants are accustomed to the tropical climate. Therefore, you need to ensure that the plant receives the necessary amount of light and is not frozen. If there is not enough sunlight, then special lamps can be installed. With their help, artificial lighting is created, thanks to which the orchid receives more nutrients.
Overdoing with fertilizing and growth stimulants is also not worth it. For orchids, you can not use standard fertilizers. In the store you need to buy compositions that are designed exclusively for a particular type of flower. Then the orchid will always delight with its beautiful view.
You also need to constantly check the foliage for parasites. Very often they hide on the back.