Orchids with yellow leaves: causes and how to cure them

Orchids should be placed in a place where the sun never hits them directly, either inside your house or in the garden. This does not mean that they do not need a good lighting, since they are tropical plants. For the latter, you can make the mistake of expose it too much to the sun so that it is in a warmer temperature and causing, as a result, its leaves to turn yellow; this can also affect your flowers which will start to darken.

An easy way to get rid of these Sun burns is to cut, with the appropriate tools, the part of the leaf that is yellow. It is very important that you know that orchids need their leaves to store water and nutrients, so we do not advise you to prune them completely. Here you can learn more about How to prune an orchid, but keep in mind that in this case it is convenient remove only the diseased part.

The appearance of yellow leaves on your orchid can be due to both excess and lack of watering. This will depend a bit on the specific variety but, in general, it is more common for it to be due to a excess watering. A very simple method to make sure that the problem is caused by excessive irrigation is to observe if there are specks or black spots on the leaf and, in addition, if they have lost vitality. We remind you that, although they prefer humid environments, it is not recommended to water them excessively. For this reason, we recommend that you water the leaves with a diffuser, including the roots themselves. In the same way, make sure that the container or pot where your orchid is located has good drainage.

If it’s for lack of irrigationsomething easy to appreciate in Phalaenopsis orchids when their whitish roots are shown, you will only have to carry out the irrigation by immersion and that it be the same plant that releases the excess water.

Finally, and also related to irrigation, there is the problem of using hard water. That is, those that have excess calcium and other salts. Remember that you must water your orchids with mineral water to prevent traces of these salts from remaining in the substrate, which will seriously harm the health of your plant.

In this other gardening guide from EcologíaVerde you can learn everything about How to water an orchid.

Another of the most common possible causes that you have your orchids with yellow and wrinkled leaves is a misuse of fertilizers or fertilizers. It is very important that you only pay them with specific products for them and that you do not abuse them. Always stick to the proportions marked by the different manufacturers.

Likewise, it is good to know that, on a regular basis, you only need to pay your orchids during the growth period and that this should always be done after irrigation or duly diluted with the water from your irrigation dose. It is also not advisable that if you have just transplanted your orchid you fertilize it during the first days.

In the same way, the leaves can also turn yellow if they are not properly fertilized. It is very important that they do not have a lack of potassium or an old and poor in nutrients substrate. Here you can learn about How to make substrate for orchids.

Orchids can also be affected by fungi, bacteria and viruses. In fact, this is one of the first symptoms of sick orchids with yellow leaves. In these cases, the first thing you should do is isolate your orchid from the rest of the plants to prevent the disease from spreading.

• The appearance of fungus on the orchid It is usually closely related to poor ventilation, lack of lighting and excess humidity. Here first small spots or specks of yellow color with a black dot in the center appear. We recommend that in addition to improving its environmental conditions, you use a systemic fungicide to treat it until it fully recovers. In this other post you can learn about Fungicides for orchids.
• In the event that the orchid has been attacked by a bacterium You will be able to see its symptoms after the appearance of small yellowish necroses that secrete a kind of oily substance and that, over time, ends up darkening. You can combat it by improving its crop conditions, especially irrigation, and using a cut from the affected area with previously disinfected utensils.
• Orchids that are attacked by viruses they tend to die during the process, so what we can do is try to improve their conditions at all levels and patiently wait for the virus to subside and see if they survive. Unfortunately, even if the plant survives, it will not flower again.

Although you can always go through another of the options explained, this is one of the most natural causes if you have lovingly cared for your orchid during its life cycle.

So, remember that this plant loses its leaves also because of the end of its life cycleso it is very normal to display yellow leaves on orchids before they wither and fall off.

After knowing the causes of yellow leaves on orchids We can make a list of basic care to improve your health:

• Make sure it gets sunlight all day, but never direct sunlight.
• Use specific fertilizer for orchids.
• Cut only the yellowed parts of the leaves.
• Do not water them too much, use the coloration of their roots as a symptom of the need for watering and let the plant manage the amount of water it needs.
• In case of illness caused by fungi, bacteria or viruses, isolate it from the rest and try to be more aware of it by improving its conditions or applying specific products so that it can fight the disease.

One of the main questions that arise when you are not used to having an orchid at home is to get nervous and ask yourself what to do when an orchid is drying. It is true that this is the first symptom that something is wrong, but as you may have already read in this article, you just have to make sure that it has all the necessary care for it to recover. What’s more, you can revive an orchid that is in poor condition with several simple methods that you will also find in this other EcologíaVerde article on How to revive an orchid.

Now that you know all this about these plants, we encourage you to learn more about their care. Here you can learn about Cymbidium orchid care and Phalaenopsis orchid care. Also, below you can see our video of the guide to yellow leaves on orchids.

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