It can happen for a variety of reasons and can be quite concerning at first. However, this is usually pretty easy to fix, and you shouldn’t worry about it too much.

Sometimes you don’t need to do anything at all!

This guide covers the nine most common causes of yellow leaves. Here’s how to identify and fix each one:

Too Much Direct Light (Sunburn)

The number one most common cause of yellow leaves is sunburn due to too much direct sunlight.

Orchids generally need to be in a bright location, but not bathed in sunshine. However, some are more tolerant of light than others. The correct amount will depend on the genus (and sometimes exact species) of your orchid.

How to Fix: First, check what type of orchid you have. Its light requirements will depend on its natural habitat. Some orchids naturally grow under thick tree cover and are used to having a lot of shade. Others thrive in the open and can tolerate more direct sunlight.

Move your orchid to a spot that’s a bit more shaded if you suspect this to be the problem. It’s generally best to avoid north-facing windows, as these let in the most light.

Hard Water

When watering your orchid, the type of water you’re using might not be the first thing on your mind. However, this can actually make a big difference.

Many people live in areas with hard tap water, which has high levels of dissolved minerals such as magnesium and calcium. These can cause problems with your plant’s absorption of nutrients.

As a result, your orchid can develop yellow leaves.

How to Fix: There are a few ways to fix this problem:

• Use distilled water to water your orchid, as this is very pure.
• Use bottled water, which is generally quite soft compared to tap water.
• Invest in a water softener, which can remove some of the minerals from your tap water.

Water softeners can be quite expensive, but they’re very effective and are a great investment. They also help with chores like washing dishes and doing laundry, as you’ll need less detergent.

Over-watering (Root Rot)

Over-watering or poor drainage can cause your orchid’s roots to rot. As a result, your orchid will be unable to absorb nutrients effectively, and its leaves will turn yellow.

How to Fix: Only water your orchid when the top inch of the potting medium is dry and the roots are white.

You should also check the pot you’re using. Orchids need to be grown in pots with plenty of drainage holes to ensure proper water drainage.

If you suspect the yellow leaves are due to over-watering, your orchid may be suffering from root rot. Inspect the roots to see if the plant still has some healthy green roots.

If so, trim off the rotted roots and repot your plant in fresh potting mix. Don’t water the soil for the first week after repotting, just lightly mist the leaves so the roots will have a chance to recover.

Be sure to check out our watering guide if you’d like to learn how to avoid common watering issues like this.

Under-watering (Dehydration)

If your orchid isn’t getting enough water, it will become dehydrated. This can cause yellow leaves, which will also appear dry or shriveled.

This issue is more common with some types of orchid than others.

Orchids with large aerial root systems absorb moisture from the air and can often go for ages without being watered. Others will need more frequent watering to avoid dehydration.

How to Fix: Check your orchid’s roots to confirm the problem:

• If they’re a healthy white color, but the leaves are yellow and wrinkled, this could be an under-watering problem.
• If the roots are going a bit brown and dry, this is a sure sign that they need more water.
• When they’re black or rotten, this is due to over-watering instead. Refer to the section above to fix this.

If you’ve determined that your orchid needs more water, check out our watering guide for the correct techniques. A good rule of thumb is to wait until the top inch of your potting mix is dry before watering.

You should also check what type of orchid you have, along with its specific watering requirements.

Low Temperatures

If your room temperature is too cold, it can cause your orchid’s metabolism to slow down. This can cause problems with its biological processes and result in yellowing leaves.

How to Fix: Adjust your thermostat, or move your orchid to a more suitable spot.

In general, the ideal temperatures for growing orchids are between 65 and 80 F during the day and slightly cooler at night. So if you feel comfortable, your orchid probably will too.

As always, this depends on which type of orchid you have. Your plant will expect to be in an environment similar to its natural habitat.

Diseases (Yellow Leaves With Spots)

If your orchid’s leaves are turning yellow with black spots, this can indicate a bacterial or fungal disease.

The most common cause is wet leaves or high humidity. This excess moisture provides the perfect environment for diseases to thrive.

You’ll need to act fast to prevent it from spreading.

How to Fix: The infected foliage must be cut away. It’s difficult to distinguish between bacterial and fungal infections, so pruning is usually the best course of action.

Use a clean, sharp blade to cut off the infected tissue and about an inch of clean, green area.

If you suspect it’s a fungal infection, apply a fungicide to the cut surface. This will prevent the disease from reoccurring.

Too Much Fertilizer

Applying too much fertilizer is a common mistake, especially for beginners. It’s meant to help your orchid grow faster, so it can be tempting to use it every time you water your plant.

However, you can have too much of a good thing. Orchids generally don’t need a lot of fertilizer, and the excess nutrients can cause problems with absorption. This is similar to the hard water cause.

How to Fix: Make sure you’re following the instructions for your chosen fertilizer. If in doubt, a good rule of thumb is “weekly, weakly.” This will ensure you’re not applying too much.

You should also avoid giving your orchid fertilizer while it’s flowering. Wait until it becomes dormant again before feeding it.

Lack of Nutrients

If your orchid’s leaves are turning yellow at the tips, this can indicate a nutrient deficiency. You’ll see yellow spots or patches around the tip and edges of the leaf.

The most common missing nutrient is potassium, which supports your plant’s metabolism and helps it to grow roots. It’s especially important during spring and summer when your orchid is growing fastest.

How to Fix: Make sure you’re applying a balanced fertilizer. Choose one that’s formulated for your specific type of orchid.

Follow the instructions, and you can be sure that your orchid is getting the right amount of nutrients. Don’t use too much, as this can harm your orchid.

Leaves Yellowing & Falling Off Naturally

Many popular orchids such as Phalaenopsis develop yellow leaves naturally as they age. So if you have an older plant, there’s nothing to worry about.

These leaves will eventually fall off and decompose. Your orchid does this to make space for new leaves, and so it can recycle nutrients from the old ones.

How to Fix: The best thing to do is simply wait for the plant to shed these old leaves.

If you prefer, you can trim them off with a sharp blade once they look like they’re about to die. However, this isn’t necessary and could harm your plant if you do it wrong.

So we recommend waiting for them to drop naturally. Let your orchid do its thing!

Summary & Cheat Sheet

It can take a bit of practice to tell the difference between these problems, but once you can, they’ll become super simple to fix.

Here’s a summary of the top nine causes of yellow leaves:

We hope you found this care guide useful. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Orchid Leaves Turning Yellow: Is This Normal? appeared first on Brilliant Orchids.

Learn to watch your orchid’s leaves closely for signs the plant isn’t getting the care it needs. If caught in time, it’s generally possible to fix wrinkled orchid leaves.

What Do Healthy Orchid Leaves Look Like?

Before you can identify problematic leaves, you first must learn what healthy leaves look like on an orchid plant.

While other plants may display quite dark or light green leaves, a healthy orchid leaf is always going to be a bright olive green color.

Healthy orchid leaves should also be plump and buoyant, extending out from the stalk without aid.

Fixing Wrinkled Orchid Leaves

This is all about matching the symptom to the solution. Each of these symptoms can typically be remedied by taking certain specific care steps.

Limp Leaves

When an orchid’s leaves grow limp, the typical solution leads back to improper watering.

If you want to diagnose whether the issue is over-watering or under-watering, it is helpful to examine your orchid’s roots.

Dry, wrinkled, brittle, or shriveled roots may indicate under-watering. Brown, mushy, soggy, or rotted roots can mean you’re over-watering. In the latter case, there could also be a secondary issue developing with root rot, a common orchid fungus.

However, in either case, the end result is that no water is getting from the roots to the leaves.

The first thing to do is to avoid removing the wrinkled orchid leaves even though they may look unsightly. They may still be helping the plant in other ways to gain nutrients and protection.

Instead, do your best to gently remove dead or rotted roots, using sterile scissors to do so. Apply sterilizing solution over the wounds and repot in fresh, sterile potting media.

Adjust your watering according to your healing plant’s needs and supplement with extra humidity, which your orchid can take in through the leaves until the roots heal.

Make sure to read our watering guide and you’ll have no problems!

Leathery Orchid Leaves

If the leaves are leathery, this is commonly another sign of a watering problem.

This can happen when the orchid isn’t getting enough water or the roots are compromised so that they cannot take up sufficient water to send to the leaves. A leathery, dehydrated appearance is often the result.

Another common cause of leathery orchid leaves is disintegrating potting media.

In either case, it is essential to use sterile tools to remove any dead or rotted roots and then repot your orchid in fresh, sterile media. Increase the ambient humidity and adjust watering as needed based on the underlying cause.

Curly Leaves

One of the most frequent culprits in the case of curly orchid leaves is using the wrong potting media or leaving your orchid potted in disintegrating potting media.

Novice orchid growers, in particular, may not yet realize orchids don’t grow in traditional potting soil, which crowds and suffocates the roots. Switching to an orchid-appropriate sterile potting media may cure this issue.

Another common cause of curling leaves is pests. Microscopic pests like aphids or fungi like Fusarium wilt can cause leaf dehydration, which in turn causes wilting.

You can remove aphids and other small pests by hand or using a forceful water spray. Fungi typically require sterile removal of the infected areas and repotting in a sterile potting media.

Leaves with Brown Tips

When your orchid’s leaves start to turn brown at the tips, the most likely cause is either over-fertilization or fungus.

Here, repotting in a sterile potting media will be necessary no matter which it is. If the root cause is a fungal infection, you may need to use tools to excise the infected areas before repotting.

Other Similar Orchid Problems

While most orchid species are not as difficult to care for as their reputation might suggest, they can still put you through a learning curve.

These are similar issues that many growers face in the course of learning to care for their plants.

Wrinkled, Dry or Shriveled Roots

When an orchid’s root system has gone without adequate hydration for some time, the roots will start to shrink, wither, and dry out.

If the area is humid, the leaves can take in some moisture. As a result, it can take longer for you to notice that your orchid isn’t receiving enough hydration at the roots.

Orchids can be salvaged even if the roots have died, but it takes patience.

Wilting Blooms

Wilting blooms are a common sight at the end of a blooming cycle. Most orchid species will only produce blooms once per year (twice at most).

After anywhere from a week to six months, those blooms will naturally start to wilt and will eventually detach from the plant and fall off.

However, if they start to wilt and wither before even opening, a common issue called bud blast is the likely culprit. Stressed-out orchids may drop un-opened buds to conserve resources.

Leaves Turning Dark or Yellow

Orchid leaves that are dark green are not getting enough light. Very light-colored green leaves can indicate sun damage.

Adjusting the light source and proximity (orchids prefer indirect light) can address this issue, although it will take some time to see the results.

The post How To Fix Wrinkled Orchid Leaves appeared first on Brilliant Orchids.

You will quickly notice you have lots of orchid fertilizer options to choose from as well as different application methods.

Here, there is no one single “right” or “wrong” choice – just the choice that is right for your particular orchid.

What Nutrients Do Orchids Need?

Fertilization is an interesting topic because wild orchids don’t technically get “fertilized.” Instead, they simply take nourishment and moisture from the surrounding air and landscape.

But when grown in captivity, many orchids are out of their native habitat. They rely on the grower (you) to provide the optimal blend of nutrients and hydration for each stage of their annual life cycle.

Below are the primary nutrients orchids require. If you are offering them some nutrients using your own DIY fertilizer, then be extra cautious about supplementing with full-spectrum commercial orchid fertilizer.

• Water
• Nitrogen (nitrate or ammoniacal; avoid urea-based)
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Trace minerals: sulfur, molybdenum, manganese, iron, boron, folic acid, zinc, copper, sodium, chlorine

Main Types of Orchid Fertilizer

The best orchid food should provide the right balance of nutrients as well as the full spectrum of required nutrients. Other more specialized formulations can be created using the DIY guide below here.

You should be able to find each of these three popular types of commercial orchid fertilizer online or in local nurseries.

20-20-20 orchid fertilizer

An excellent all-purpose orchid fertilizer will be one that offers a 20-20-20 balance of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Ideally, it’ll also have 15 percent calcium and eight percent magnesium plus trace minerals and micronutrients.

Before choosing and using your fertilizer, learn all you can about the specific orchid species or hybrid you are caring for. Fertilizer applied appropriately can help encourage blooming and nourish the depleted plant after it blooms.

20-10-20 orchid fertilizer

When your orchid is in the growing season, we recommend switching to a custom blend of 20 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphorus and 20 percent potassium.

10-20-30 orchid fertilizer

Just before your orchid is ready to bloom, some growers suggest using a fertilizer with 10 percent nitrogen, 20 percent phosphorus, and 30 percent potassium.

Organic or all-natural fertilizer

Orchids can be more sensitive to chemical additives in commercial fertilizers. Use an organic or all-natural orchid fertilizer in dilute form to reduce the risk of your orchid having a bad reaction.

Step-By-Step Guide to Fertilizing Orchids

Many experienced orchid growers prefer applying fertilizer to their orchids once a month, especially when caring for many plants. However, the American Orchid Society suggests using orchid fertilizer once per week instead.

The AOS recommends using this “weekly, weakly” guideline, following these basic steps:

1. Choose a balanced fertilizer. It should be appropriate for your species of orchid, its age and size, stage of life (growing, blooming, dormant) and overall health.
2. When in doubt, err on the side of too little rather than too much.
3. Always water your orchid before fertilization unless you are using fertilizer water. Otherwise, applying fertilizer to dry orchid roots or leaves can burn the orchid and cause a lot of damage.
4. Dilute the fertilizer you are using to between one-half and one-quarter strength.
5. Apply according to the manufacturer’s instructions (spray, sprinkle, soak, mix in potting media, etc.).

Frequently Asked Questions

Even experienced orchid growers are always learning new things about how best to care for orchids. There are more than 30,000 orchid species (not including hybrids), and so there is always something more to learn!

Here are some of the most common questions about how to fertilize orchids properly.

How often should you use fertilizer on orchids?

The general rule of thumb among experienced orchid growers is to fertilize using a weak solution once per week.

It is best to feed your orchids regularly during their growing season. Let them rest during their winter (dormant) season.

Keep in mind that fertilizer isn’t usually the right treatment for a plant that has become ill or weakened.

Is it possible to over-fertilize orchids?

It is possible to overfeed orchids. Orchids that have been given too much fertilizer will often develop overly dark or large, floppy leaves as a result.

The best way to guard against this is to dilute your fertilizer in plain water. Never offer it more than once per week.

Do all orchids need the same type of fertilizer?

Different orchids can benefit from different fertilizer application methods based on their age, health, size, and species.

However, all orchids need the same basic nutrients to thrive.

Can you use Miracle Gro on orchids?

Miracle Gro makes a special orchid fertilizer that is safe to use with orchids. This is water-soluble and is designed to be used every two to four weeks.

Do not use regular Miracle Gro (or other “all-purpose” fertilizers) on orchids.

Can you make your own orchid fertilizer at home?

Yes! Professional orchid growers often like to develop their own fertilizer for different species and seasons.

These materials can all form part of an effective DIY orchid fertilizer when used as directed. You may want to create your own schedule to ensure your orchids get all the required nutrients regularly.

• Eggshells (crushed): provides calcium. Crush and sprinkle over orchid potting media.
• Chicken bones (cooked, dried, crushed): provides calcium. Crush and sprinkle over orchid potting media.
• Epsom salts: provides magnesium. Dilute one teaspoon of salts in one gallon of water and water as usual.
• Dairy milk or buttermilk: provides nitrogen. Use one part milk to three parts water and water as usual.
• Molasses: provides potassium. Add one teaspoon of molasses to one quart of water and water as usual.
• Potato water (from boiled potatoes): provides potassium and phosphorus. Use room temperature left-over potato water in place of regular water and water as usual.
• Brown rice water: provides thiamin, niacin, folic acid, and riboflavin. Use left-over room temperature brown rice water to water in place of regular water.
• Tea bags (steeped): provides nitrogen. Open the room temperature used teabag and sprinkle the contents over the potting media.

The post Orchid Fertilizer: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Brilliant Orchids.

Both over-watering and under-watering can cause damage to roots, leaves, and blossoms and eventually kill the orchid.

In this care guide, learn the answers to essential questions about watering and other basic care needs for these singular plants.

Learning About Your Orchid Plant

The first step when learning how to care for your orchid plant properly is to do your homework. As best you are able, find out what the native climate is for your particular varietal of orchid.

According to the Rainforest Alliance, there may be as many as 30,000 different species of orchid today!

There are four basic types of orchid plant:

• Epiphyte (most common): these orchids grow on trees or plants.
• Subterranean: these orchids grow underground.
• Lithophyte: these orchids grow on rocks.
• Soil: these orchids grow in a soil base.

Each type of orchid has different basic needs to thrive. As a rule, orchids are either pan-tropical, which means they can grow successfully and become established in all but the coldest areas, or they are endemic, which means they need a specific type of climate to thrive.

Whether they are pan-tropical or endemic, there are two things that nearly all orchids share in common:

1. Orchids typically take their moisture from the air, rainfall or soil moisture.
2. Orchids lack an established water-retaining root system, so they rely on symbiotic fungi called mycorrhizae to help the orchid absorb water and other essential waterborne nutrients.

How to Water Orchids

In most cases, your orchid will come accompanied by a basic care guide. However, you won’t know how or how well your orchid was cared for before it came to you, and whether it is already under stress or is thriving and well.

Here are some great tips from the American Orchid Society for how to water orchids:

Mist, don’t drench

Because orchid roots cannot retain water, it is all too easy to drown the root system with overwatering.

Since most orchids take much of their water from humidity and rainfall, this tells you that orchids will gladly absorb it when their leaves are misted.

Plastic spray bottles are inexpensive and work great for this purpose.

Ambient humidity

Many orchids are grown in greenhouses because the higher moisture content to the air allows the plant to absorb moisture via humidity.

The more moisture your orchid can access via humidity, the less actual watering you will need to do.

Water in the morning, not at noon or nightfall

The best time to water your orchid is in the morning. This gives the plant all day to make use of it, from the roots to the crown.

Use the right kind of water

Overly chlorinated or treated water or softened water can harm your orchid. When available, the best type is distilled water or pure recycled rainwater.

Use a humidity dish

One unique way to water your orchid that most orchids love is a humidity dish (also called a humidity tray). Place a few stones in a shallow dish, fill it with water, and place the dish and stones underneath your orchid’s pot.

This allows a gentle upwelling of humid air that your orchid can readily absorb for moisture.

You can also buy these trays ready-made, if you prefer.

Other Best Practices When Watering Orchids

These additional tips for orchid watering can help ensure your orchid plant continues to thrive.

Potting media

Soil-growing orchids need the right type of soil medium to absorb water properly. The best medium is one that is specifically made for orchids.

Ice cubes

The use of orchid watering ice cubes is a handy little trick that is not well known outside of orchid grower circles.

What you do is place three ice cubes directly on the soil once per week. As the ice cubes slowly melt, the water trickles down so the plant can absorb it. This ensures you won’t inadvertently drown your orchid with water and rot out the root system.

Airflow

Orchids like some personal space, so be sure you don’t crowd your orchid in too much with other orchids or other plants.

However, be mindful that if there is more airflow or any drafts or wind, this will cause moisture to evaporate more rapidly and you may need to water more frequently as a result.

Proper daylight and dark periods

Orchids really like to have a set schedule because they need the right type of sunlight and also a period of darkness each night to thrive.

The best light for orchids is indirect natural sunlight.

The “lift test”

If you lift up your orchid pot and it is heavy, you don’t need to water. If your orchid feels lightweight, give it some water.

Special Orchid Watering Problems

Sometimes despite your best efforts, your orchid may fail to thrive. A good way to diagnose the problem is to look at the roots.

Here are some fixes to common watering issues.

Root rot

Root rot occurs when the specialized orchid root system is allowed to sit in water.

You may be able to salvage your orchid by changing to a charcoal or clay pellet-based potting medium that absorbs water and lets the roots dry out. Raising the ambient temperature can also evaporate moisture more rapidly.

Too dry

Wimpy water is born of a fear of root rot. But if you stick your finger in the soil and it feels dry, it is time to water.

The goal is to water your orchid one day before it is bone dry. A good strategy is to dunk your orchid pot in a water-filled bucket and wait until bubbling ceases.

Not sure?

A good rule of thumb is that if you are not sure if your orchid needs watering, hold off for one more day and check again.

The post How To Water An Orchid – Care Guide & Pictures appeared first on Brilliant Orchids.

However, a lot of new growers don’t know this and end up causing damage to their plant by picking the wrong kind of pot. Many “standard” plant pots don’t have sufficient drainage and simply aren’t suitable for orchids.

The good news is that there are plenty of pots out there designed specifically for orchids. Let’s take a look at a few of the more common types.

Clay Pots

Most normal clay pots aren’t suitable for orchids as their drainage holes are too small.

However, some come with much larger holes located at the bottom and sides of the pot. These holes help to ensure that the pot drains efficiently, and will keep the plant from absorbing too much water throughout the day.

If you happen to have some standard clay pots already, you can carefully drill these extra holes yourself. They’ll work just fine.

Net Pots

Next, there are net pots, which are made of black, plastic mesh. These will look similar to the containers you get strawberries in when you visit a farmstead during the summer.

These are actually great pots for orchids, as they have excellent drainage and airflow. However, many homeowners avoid them simply because these look a little less appealing, especially after extended use.

Because of this, a common way to use them is as a lining inside another, more attractive pot. This way you get the best of both worlds.

Plastic Pots

Clear plastic pots are another popular option. Many people find them practical because they’re able to see the root system grow over time. You can also easily see how damp the potting mix is, which helps with knowing when to water your orchid.

These pots will look like your standard azalea pot, with the only difference being that they are clear and completely see-through.

If you prefer a more classic look, then this option might just be a bit too modern for you. But again, you can use one of these as an inner pot.

Ceramic Pots

Ceramic pots with net inserts can be a great way to ensure that your orchid gets sufficient drainage. They’ll also help it to get the right amount of air circulation, which can be helpful for plant growth.

Ceramic pots can also look great. The style goes well with the elegant and luxurious look of the orchids themselves.

Wooden Planters

Finally, there are wooden boxes that have become more and more popular over the last few years.

These are made from rot-resistant wood and will typically be lined with sheet moss. They’re then filled with the potting medium best suited for your particular orchid. This potting option comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and many homeowners have come to appreciate the natural look that they present.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Potting Mix Should I Use?

The three main options are often soil, moss, and tree bark. However, it’s important to bear in mind that not all orchids enjoy being set in the same potting medium.

Dendrobiums, for example, enjoy having their roots exposed so that they can wrap around whatever they’re planted near. This means that they won’t enjoy being set in soil and it can do severe damage in terms of their growth and health.

Here are some common orchid potting mixes:

Make sure you check out our potting media guide to see which type is best for your orchid.

Which Pot Does My Particular Orchid Prefer?

Now that you understand all the options available to you, it’s time to think about the type of orchid that you’re trying to grow.

In general, most types of orchid should grow just fine in any of the above pots.

However, this can vary a bit depending on where your orchid grows naturally, as well as the shape and size of your orchid. For instance, Dendrobiums usually do best in a slightly smaller pot, because they tend to grow quite tall and narrow.

Be sure to check out our orchid care guides to learn more about your particular type of orchid and its care requirements.

Thanks for reading! We hope you found this guide useful. If you have any tips or tricks for growing orchids in pots, leave us a comment below.

The post Best Orchid Pots: Beginner’s Buying Guide appeared first on Brilliant Orchids.