Help dying Orchid
I am new to taking care of plants I have never been good at it but thought I would give it a try again I have kept this orchid alive for a year but I'm afraid it is dying now the center leaf is really green but very soft and floppy I have read up on them online but so much different advice any help would be great
1ft to light, indirect
Last watered 1 month ago
2
It would help to have better pictures. A newly emerging leaf (the top-most) is always going to be a bit brighter and soft and floppy because it is a tender, baby leaf… as it finishes growing, it will ‘harden’ and start looking/feeling like the other leaves below it. This leaf (first photo below) is still growing, so it’s greener, shinier, thinner, softer, and much more flexible (floppable) than the other leaves below it. A baby leaf like this is tender because it’s still growing and stretching and widening as it continues to emerge from the crown. The leaf in the second plant in the second photo (forefront) of the same species of orchid but the leaf is even smaller because it’s at an earlier stage of growth (it’s also a little red in the middle because it is getting light that is a little too strong for it). They both need more time and consistent humidity around their roots to finish growing and stretching so they can be as big as — or bigger — than the previous leaf.
If your leaf feels floppy in a *limp* way or mushy, that would give me concern about possible overwatering; if the plant is overwatered for too long, the roots rot and they can no longer absorb water properly, so the leaves get progressively limp as the plant can’t replenish enough of its water.
Do give your pot a sniff — smelling wet, moldy, or musty is a tell for rot. You can also pull it from the pot and check its medium and roots; sterilize some scissors with some alcohol or a flame and cut away any roots that feel mushy or papery, or any roots that look brown/black. Let it air out for 10 mins or so before repotting it back into the pot.
If you can provide better pictures of your plant and more context, I can give better advice.
If your leaf feels floppy in a *limp* way or mushy, that would give me concern about possible overwatering; if the plant is overwatered for too long, the roots rot and they can no longer absorb water properly, so the leaves get progressively limp as the plant can’t replenish enough of its water.
Do give your pot a sniff — smelling wet, moldy, or musty is a tell for rot. You can also pull it from the pot and check its medium and roots; sterilize some scissors with some alcohol or a flame and cut away any roots that feel mushy or papery, or any roots that look brown/black. Let it air out for 10 mins or so before repotting it back into the pot.
If you can provide better pictures of your plant and more context, I can give better advice.
