My plants are struggling!
So I have three different orchids shown in these photos. The bigger one was recently potted in bark and has been going downhill ever since and looks shriveled and its stems are darkening. And the other two smaller orchids usually always do great, but I’ve noticed that the one in the white pot that usually has purple blooms that it just lost, has a purple stem for some reason which I don’t think I’ve ever seen—is that normal? And the one in the pink pot, its leaves are dropping. (And I’ve noticed yellow hues on the leaves too). They usually sit right in the window, are they getting sunburnt? #help #OrchidLovers #PhalaenopsisOrchid #Phalaenopsis
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Pink pot is concerning bc the leaf is dying but the plant doesn’t look like it’s reabsorbing / draining it of nutrients (it’s not yellowing). It could just be a combination of being too thirsty for too long with it’s getting WAY too much sun (causing the discoloration on the leaves). If the wrinkling on that bottom leaf is not dehydration, it could be permanent damage from intense direct sun (think how wilting lettuce never comes back to life). Move it further away from the window and don’t let it sit in direct sun. Do not cut the leaf.
It is normal for an orchid to drop its oldest (bottom-most) leaf; when this happens the leaf will slowly yellow as the orchid drains nutrients from it and uses them to grow a new, more performant leaf. What is NOT normal is losing one after the other in quick succession (should be a once in a while thing and not a back-to-back thing)… that means the orchid is low enough on one or more nutrients that it has to cannibalize its old leaves to sustain its current rate of growth. It is also not normal to lose upper leaves or to lose leaves without them slowly turning yellow.
Re: the empty flower spikes drying up, that is a sign that the plant is done with its current bloom cycle, so it’s reabsorbing the nutrients and water in the spike. It takes a lot of energy to bloom and no plant can stay in bloom constantly; it will likely need at least a few months of rest before it reblooms (at which point you can usually trigger a bloom by giving it a few weeks with no water and a 10 degree temp drop into the low 60s at night). If a flowering orchid is too dry for too long, it may drop its blooms to conserve water. Other parts of the plant shriveling are a concern, but you need to share more context/specifics.
Personally, I grow all my orchids in moss or mostly moss with a little bark. If you are growing in full bark, you are going to need to give their roots a good soak during watering (so they can absorb as much water as possible), and they will need weak fertilization more frequently than you’d have to do with moss.
If this doesn’t cover what you needed, please be more specific (e.g., “going downhill” is subjective, what are the before and after observations that cause you to describe it that way)
It is normal for an orchid to drop its oldest (bottom-most) leaf; when this happens the leaf will slowly yellow as the orchid drains nutrients from it and uses them to grow a new, more performant leaf. What is NOT normal is losing one after the other in quick succession (should be a once in a while thing and not a back-to-back thing)… that means the orchid is low enough on one or more nutrients that it has to cannibalize its old leaves to sustain its current rate of growth. It is also not normal to lose upper leaves or to lose leaves without them slowly turning yellow.
Re: the empty flower spikes drying up, that is a sign that the plant is done with its current bloom cycle, so it’s reabsorbing the nutrients and water in the spike. It takes a lot of energy to bloom and no plant can stay in bloom constantly; it will likely need at least a few months of rest before it reblooms (at which point you can usually trigger a bloom by giving it a few weeks with no water and a 10 degree temp drop into the low 60s at night). If a flowering orchid is too dry for too long, it may drop its blooms to conserve water. Other parts of the plant shriveling are a concern, but you need to share more context/specifics.
Personally, I grow all my orchids in moss or mostly moss with a little bark. If you are growing in full bark, you are going to need to give their roots a good soak during watering (so they can absorb as much water as possible), and they will need weak fertilization more frequently than you’d have to do with moss.
If this doesn’t cover what you needed, please be more specific (e.g., “going downhill” is subjective, what are the before and after observations that cause you to describe it that way)
@MelodiousMint29 thank you so muchh! It’s my cat, Lukas! 🐱
