What are leaves turning brown
0ft to light, indirect
4” pot
Last watered 1 month ago
2
@AceCoccoon41 Hi Eddy- Well, it is winter, and orchids kill off leaves like everything else does, so it’s probably just time. She is dropping older leaves to save up all her energy for the spring! That is how it is done, so she is just taking care of herself🪴😁
Hi. Eddy. No that's not normal. @Ponytailmom, please look at the picture first, or ask questions first, if the description is unclear. In this case, there is a need for immediate action to get that orchid well again.
While it is normal for phals to lose a leaf or v two from time to time, that is not a specific seasonal thing, should happen only to the bottom-most leaves, and would be described as yellowing not browning. None of theses things fit the plant in question.
This one needs to be moved out of the sun ASAP and get more water over time.
The picture shows a clearly dehydrated phalaenopsis with partially sunburned leaves.
So: first off, the dehydration:
You can recognize it by the very floppy and slightly wrinkled leaves. And the split (which is more a sign of irregular watering rather than it getting no water at all). Phal leaves should be plump, smooth and able to stand up on their own (like the top ones). Signs of dehydration show up first in the oldest (lowest) leaves and become visible after only quite a long time of too little water already. So the fact that some of the upper leaves are affected as well, shows this has been going on for quite a while.
There could be two possible main causes: Just plain old underwatering or a damaged root system. Many people underwater because they think phals need next to no water. Or the have overwatered, leading to rotting roots and leaving the phal with no way to get at that water. Or hasn't been repotted for too long and the rotting organic medium killed the roots to the same effect.
I would check inside the pot first to look at the roots. If it has been a while since the last repot, get some suitable orchid medium and do a full repot (I recommend watching e.g. a tutorial by miss orchid girl on youtube first on what to pay attention to).
Of the roots are fine, the frequency/ technique of watering needs to be adjusted or you'll need to choose a more water retentive medium. In the future, water once the roots inside the pot turn from green and plump to a matte silver. That would be exactly what they need.
As for the burns: maybe the location was fine before. Generally they can't take a lot of direct light and are prone to burns. If the seasons changed that might be a reason. More probably it was also the dehydration that came into play here. Dehydrated leaves or leaves of sick orchids are even more sensitive and burn faster (I mean, It makes sense. Less stored water in the leaves equals a lower threshold for burns). I would move it a bit further from the window until it is healthy again. Unless it burns daily, the watering issue is the more immediate one for now, imo.
Good luck
While it is normal for phals to lose a leaf or v two from time to time, that is not a specific seasonal thing, should happen only to the bottom-most leaves, and would be described as yellowing not browning. None of theses things fit the plant in question.
This one needs to be moved out of the sun ASAP and get more water over time.
The picture shows a clearly dehydrated phalaenopsis with partially sunburned leaves.
So: first off, the dehydration:
You can recognize it by the very floppy and slightly wrinkled leaves. And the split (which is more a sign of irregular watering rather than it getting no water at all). Phal leaves should be plump, smooth and able to stand up on their own (like the top ones). Signs of dehydration show up first in the oldest (lowest) leaves and become visible after only quite a long time of too little water already. So the fact that some of the upper leaves are affected as well, shows this has been going on for quite a while.
There could be two possible main causes: Just plain old underwatering or a damaged root system. Many people underwater because they think phals need next to no water. Or the have overwatered, leading to rotting roots and leaving the phal with no way to get at that water. Or hasn't been repotted for too long and the rotting organic medium killed the roots to the same effect.
I would check inside the pot first to look at the roots. If it has been a while since the last repot, get some suitable orchid medium and do a full repot (I recommend watching e.g. a tutorial by miss orchid girl on youtube first on what to pay attention to).
Of the roots are fine, the frequency/ technique of watering needs to be adjusted or you'll need to choose a more water retentive medium. In the future, water once the roots inside the pot turn from green and plump to a matte silver. That would be exactly what they need.
As for the burns: maybe the location was fine before. Generally they can't take a lot of direct light and are prone to burns. If the seasons changed that might be a reason. More probably it was also the dehydration that came into play here. Dehydrated leaves or leaves of sick orchids are even more sensitive and burn faster (I mean, It makes sense. Less stored water in the leaves equals a lower threshold for burns). I would move it a bit further from the window until it is healthy again. Unless it burns daily, the watering issue is the more immediate one for now, imo.
Good luck