What to do with limp, wrinkled leaves on an orchid. Why orchid leaves wither: causes and treatment of an exotic plant

This phenomenon is quite natural, but only experienced flower growers know how to deal with this problem. Don’t worry if this exotic miracle has withered lower leaves . There is no need to pick them off immediately, because its leaves have not had time to give up all their nutrients. They will fall off on their own when the time comes.

Important! If all the leaves of orchids become limp, then the alarm should be sounded, because it is possible that the plant is dying, and the cause of this may be a disease.

You can learn more about diseases of the green cover of orchids, and also see photos of affected leaves.

The elastic leaves begin to gradually droop, they lose their former color and acquire strange wrinkled stains. This flower urgently needs help. We talked in detail about what to do if the orchid leaves have lost turgor and wrinkled.

It is difficult for all gardeners to watch their own plant begin to die. They cared and cherished the plant, but nevertheless problems arose that led to this outcome. Why does a baby orchid's leaf become soft, but over time they all become soft? It remains important to find out the true reason that led to the softness of the leaves.

If the plant does overheat, then it needs to be placed in the shade for several days. You should not water it or spray it. After you can move the flower to a illuminated area, but further from heat sources.

To determine whether the soil is too dry, you should stir the soil a little, but if this does not give in well, then you need to water treatments. The flower is placed in warm water, and then sprayed a little. The leaves should be wiped with a dry cloth.

Damaged roots can cause soft leaves, so it is worth treating the plant. The orchid must be carefully removed from the pot and the roots examined. All damaged areas must be removed and washed with warm water. Healthy areas of the roots need to be treated with dried cinnamon (you can find out how to grow the roots of an orchid using root and other means). The plant is transplanted into new soil.

If the plant lacks moisture, it should be watered more often. Large quantity fertilizers are removed quite easily. You need to wash the roots and get rid of excess fertilizer. The pot is placed in the shade and just waiting for it to fully recover.

Plant care

An orchid's leaves may also become soft if the plant is stressed. To prevent this, you need to properly care for the flower after treatment. If the plant was brought from the store, then you need to give it proper care.

As soon as the plant is cured, it needs to be placed in the shade for several weeks, without disturbing or watering. Once the flower is isolated from other flowers, it will recover much faster. There is no need to speed up this process and expose the flower to the light ahead of time. Domestic minerals will begin to activate and allow the plant to fully heal.

It happens that having brought home a lush orchid, after a few days we can only “admire” its bare peduncle. From our article today you will learn what to do if your orchid’s flowers wither.

First of all, you need to understand probable reasons such a phenomenon. And they can be very diverse: from natural and obvious to alarming. Sometimes the situation can be corrected with “little blood”, and sometimes you have to work hard to save the flower. Let's look at the most common factors of flower wilting.

Drastic changes

Dry air

The most dangerous period for the Orchid family (and for all indoor plants) is winter. Natural light insufficient, intensively working radiators central heating, the lack of a natural temperature difference between day and night - all this does not affect the well-being of the orchid in the best way.

As a result of the intense flow of hot air from the battery, the orchid sheds the hatched buds as excess ballast, consuming the missing moisture.

Watering errors

For a crop during the flowering period, both excessive and insufficient watering are considered equally destructive. If you significantly reduce the amount of moisture when the orchid begins to form buds, you can provoke extremely short flowering and the fall of unopened buds.
It's even worse when the plant experiences excess moisture. In this case, the process of rotting of the roots begins, and the latter can no longer supply the flower with moisture. required quantity. As a result, the plant sheds first buds and then flowers. If urgent measures are not taken, the leaves will begin to wither, and this can lead to the death of the entire plant.

Overheating or frostbite

As you know, the orchid does not like straight lines. sun rays, preferring diffuse light. By placing a pot with a plant on a south or west windowsill, you risk exposing your pet to overheating. In this case, organizing shelter from direct sunlight is a must, otherwise the orchid may not only overheat, but also receive serious burns.
The result will be an intensive release of moisture on the leaves and peduncles of the crop, which the root system simply will not have time to compensate. The result is dehydration of the plant and falling flowers.
A similar effect will occur when the plant is exposed to low temperatures. This happens if we want to save the orchid from the hot air rising from a working battery by moving the pot closer to the glass. Sometimes it is difficult to notice that one or more leaves are in contact with the surface of the glass, which means that frostbite is guaranteed to the plant in this place.

The plant is old

Wilting of flowers can be caused by the natural process of aging of the peduncle. Buying blooming orchid, we don’t know how long the flowering has been going on, so it is likely that this process is coming to its logical conclusion. To protect yourself from such surprises, try to purchase plants whose flower stalks still have unopened buds.

Presence of pests

And another danger is insects. A particularly insidious pest for orchids is the mealybug. The plant (including leaves and peduncles) should be wiped with a cotton swab soaked in soapy water, and also treat it with an insecticide.

Is it possible to fix the situation?

Measures to save the crop will directly depend on the factor that caused the flowers to fall off. If the reason is the wrong location, you should rearrange the pot with the plant or remove the negative factor. When the air is dry, you should place containers of water nearby or spray the orchid from time to time with a spray bottle.
If it overheats, you must immediately remove the plant to a safe place and avoid such situations in the future. As for pests, they need to be dealt with promptly and mercilessly.

Stick to these simple rules, and your orchid will delight you with its lush exotic flowers for a long time.

Video “Orchid flowers wither”

In this video, an expert will tell you what causes orchid flowers to wilt and what to do about it.

Orchid - very capricious indoor flower, requiring strict compliance with the conditions of detention and good care. And if something is wrong for him, he quickly reacts to it and withers. Let's find out why an orchid may fade and what to do to bring this plant back to life.

All reasons for yellowing and wilting of orchid leaves can be divided into four large groups:

unsuitable conditions flower contents;
Not proper care for an orchid;
plant disease with infections;
flower damage by pests.

Let's take a closer look at these reasons, find out how they affect the health of the plant, and find out what to do if the leaves or flowers of an orchid wither.

Incorrect conditions of detention

Being in direct sunlight. (overheating of roots) Orchid leaves first turn yellow and then dry out if unsuitable conditions are created for it. These include:

Dry air. IN natural environment orchids grow in tropical forests where it rains every day. Therefore, they are very demanding of moisture. If the air humidity is too low, the leaves begin to wilt. This happens especially often in winter, when the air becomes dry due to radiators and other heating devices. To save the flower, humidify the air. The simplest and modern way The solution to the problem is to buy an air humidifier. Also try placing the plant pot on water-soaked rocks or hanging a lot of wet laundry around the house.
Low air temperature. In the tropics, the temperature stays at +20...+30 o C, and it never drops below +14 o C. It is difficult to maintain such a temperature at home, but it is necessary for the orchid to maintain the green color of its leaves. If you cannot increase the air temperature by heating the room, buy a heated mat and place a flower pot on it.
Lack of lighting. Optimal duration daylight hours for orchids – 12 hours. If the lighting is poor, or the sun shines less than 12 hours a day, the plant suffers. Its leaves lighten and weaken. The solution to the problem is simple - place the flower pot in a well-lit place. In winter, provide additional lighting. Special phytolamps are most suitable for maintaining photosynthesis in plants. A cheap, but lower quality analogue can be a fluorescent lamp.
Overheating of roots. If the orchid stands in direct sunlight, its roots overheat and die from the resulting burns. This is facilitated by the transparent walls of the pot. Dead roots are not supplied to stems and leaves nutrients, so the above-ground part of the plant withers. To save the flower, you need to cut off the burnt roots and replant the flower. Place the pot in a well-lit place with diffuse rather than direct sunlight.
Incorrectly selected soil. For orchids you cannot use what we used to call soil. IN soil mixture the flowers die. Instead of soil, plant your tropical guest in a mixture of crushed tree bark, sphagnum and small stones.
Draft. Orchids do not tolerate cold air currents. If they often stand in a draft, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off. Move the flower pot away from openable windows. Do not keep it near the air conditioner.
Location in the kitchen or other place where vegetables and fruits are constantly found. If the flowers of your orchids dry out quickly, and some of the buds do not even have time to open, this may be due to the influence of ethylene gas. It is released by some vegetables and fruits. Move the flower away from them to admire the beautiful blooms longer.

An orchid can begin to fade, even if you provide it optimal conditions content. This happens when there is a sudden change in microclimate. For example, if you bought a flower in a store and brought it home, or borrowed a plant from your neighbors. The difference in lighting, temperature and air humidity for such a sensitive flower will be significant. Therefore, he will experience stress. A temporary refusal to replant, regular watering, humidifying the air and feeding your green pet will help you get out of it faster.

An orchid can dry out due to improper care. Harmful to her:

Rare watering. Since the orchid is a guest from the tropics, it needs frequent and abundant watering. If the soil is dry most of the time, try to moisten it more often.
Frequent watering. Despite the orchid's love for water, its stagnation in the pot is just as harmful to it as its lack. If the substrate never dries out, it develops pathogenic microorganisms that cause rotting of the root system. In this case, the flower must be replanted after cutting off the damaged roots.
Neglecting loosening the soil. The orchid likes to grow on loose substrate. If it has become too dense, it needs to be loosened. By neglecting this procedure, you make the plant suffer. After all, its roots need access to fresh air. Solution to the problem: timely loosening of the soil.
Excess fertilizer. The orchid is not very demanding on soil fertility. It needs a loose and light substrate, as well as regular moderate feeding. But if you add too much fertilizer to the soil, the flower's metabolism is disrupted, which leads to yellowing and wilting of the leaves. A mineral fertilizers may cause chemical burns to the roots. It is best to replant the orchid in new pot with a new substrate. If you simply wait for the amount of chemicals in the pot to decrease to normal on its own, you can wait until your green pet dies.
Lack of fertilizers. Lack of nutrients is another reason why an orchid withers. If you feed your flower too rarely, it may need nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and other minerals. Feed the flower complex fertilizer, developed specifically for orchids.

Important! Leaves can wither and fall off within normal limits: each leaf has its own lifespan. It is considered normal if the lower leaves of an orchid periodically dry out, provided that the rest of the plant looks healthy.

Infectious diseases of orchids

When systematically flooding the soil, the orchid is affected by fungal infections. A guest from the tropics most often suffers from the following diseases:

Anthracnose. The disease begins with the formation of concave spots on the leaves of the plant. Subsequently they turn yellow or pink. Infected parts of plants must be removed and destroyed, and cut areas should be treated with an alcohol solution of iodine. If the disease has affected the entire plant, you can save it by treating it with one of the following drugs: Mikosan, Ritomil or Skor.
Powdery mildew. Fungi multiply on the leaves of the plant, forming white coating with a purple tint. This makes it seem as if the orchid has been sprinkled with flour. Fight with powdery mildew consists of treating the above-ground part of the plant with Skor, colloidal sulfur or Fundazol.
Rust. With this disease, small, almost colorless spots appear on the leaves of the orchid. Then they become convex and colored red. The plant seems to have rusted like metal. The fight against rust involves removing the affected leaves and treating the flower with a fungicide solution. Suitable for this: Skor, Fundazol, Mikosan.
Tea mushrooms. The leaves, stems and flowers of the orchid are covered with small dark spots. It seems that the plant was sprayed with strong tea. This fungal infection, therefore it is treated with the same fungicides.

Attention! Transplantation is a procedure necessary to save an orchid in many cases. The flower needs it whenever the roots are rotten, sick or overheated. Watch a video on how to properly transplant a diseased orchid.

Pest damage to orchids

Orchids often suffer from the fact that insects or their larvae begin to feed on their juice. The most common pests of guests from the tropics are:

Shchitovka. When too high temperature Scale insects love to live on orchids. They hide under dark tubercles (shields) clinging to the stems and leaves of the plant.
Mealybug. Females mealybugs form a substance around themselves that resembles cotton wool. Cotton deposits can be found on the underside of leaves, flowers and peduncles. If you lift the “cotton wool”, you can find the females themselves and the eggs they laid.

Aphid. Aphids are easily recognized by the naked eye. These pests graze in a herd, clinging to the stems and leaves of the plant.
Spider mite. Too dry air can cause the orchid to develop spider mite. It constructs small webs by which the pest can be identified.
Thrips. They usually attack the roots of the plant. This disrupts the nutrition of the above-ground part. The leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out, and a silvery coating forms on them.
Nematodes. If you added garden soil to the substrate, you could add nematodes to the pot along with it. These are small roundworms, the length of which does not exceed 2 mm. They gnaw out the roots and can completely destroy the plant, which ceases to receive nutrients from the soil.
Woodlice. They rarely appear on orchids. But if they have already appeared, they cause great harm to the health of the flower. Woodlice hide in the soil, and after it is moistened, they move to the stems and leaves. Pests chew them out, leaving holes.

To destroy pests living in the substrate, it is necessary to replant the orchid. Before transferring the flower to a new pot, carefully inspect the roots: not a single pest should remain in them. For the same purpose, remove the remains of the old substrate. Eggs may remain in them and larvae may hide. For replanting, use new disinfected soil.

To control pests living on stems and leaves, you can use soap solution. This is the safest, but not the most effective way getting rid of them. Insecticides (Aktara, Inta-Vir) work best against them. But they are dangerous for humans and domestic animals, so they should be used in extreme cases and with great caution.

Attention! The rapid wilting of flowers may be due to their successful pollination. If a bee flew into your home and visited an orchid, it may have pollinated the flower. After this, the formation of the fruit - the capsule - begins. To keep the plant blooming longer, prevent it from being pollinated by insects.

Basics of proper orchid care

To prevent your orchid leaves from drying out again, properly care for it. This plant loves:

High quality lighting. The duration of daylight should be at least 12 hours. If you don't have a window facing sunny side, place a phytolamp next to the orchid. Turn it on when the sun's rays stop falling on the leaves of the plant.
Regular watering. Water your orchid thoroughly whenever its substrate becomes dry. Ensure good drainage to prevent standing water. Then the overflow of soil will be excluded.
Regular feeding. During active growth and flowering, do not forget to feed the orchid. The recommended frequency is once every 2 weeks. Fertilizing is combined with watering. Give preference to mineral or organomineral fertilizers, developed specifically for orchids.
Loose soil. Try to loosen the substrate after each watering. This promotes soil aeration and prevents stagnation, which provokes the development of fungal diseases.
Warm and humid air. Optimal temperature air for orchids - about 20 o C. At night, do not allow the temperature to drop below 15 o C. And during the day, try not to raise it to 30 o C or higher. If the air is dry, moisten it with improvised means (containers of water, wet laundry) or a special air humidifier.

Advice! To prevent fungal diseases of an orchid, spray it once a week with a solution of Fitosporin. This safe remedy with a weak antifungal effect. To treat a fungus that has already appeared, it is better to use powerful fungicides.

Take proper care of your orchid, and it will stop withering, the stems and leaves will become stronger, and flower stalks will appear. Healthy plant will delight you with long-lasting flowering and a pleasant aroma, thinned in the morning or evening hours.

Once upon a time exotic flower“Orchid” is so beloved by flower growers that it is difficult to find an apartment where this plant does not decorate the windowsill. But not everyone has learned how to properly care for it.

This is expressed by the fact that the orchid leaves begin to wither, turn yellow, and subsequently fall off. Having noticed such changes in your flower, you need to analyze the care process and understand why the orchid has lost its beauty and healthy appearance.

Causes of leaf wilting

Before you begin the process of flower rehabilitation, you need to understand the reasons why this happened. There can be many options:

Let's look at each reason for leaf wilting in more detail.

Why do flower roots overheat?

The first thing that experts in breeding these flowers pay attention to when they need to answer the question of why the leaves of an orchid wither is elevated temperature pot.

Despite the fact that orchids love warmth, constant exposure to sunlight on the walls of the pot provokes its heating.

Because of this situation, the roots overheat, which causes leaves to wilt. IN winter period The cause of wilting may be a battery that heats the window sill from below, and that, in turn, heats the pot with roots, which leads to the same effect as the sun's rays.

This situation leads to the fact that the plant begins actively evaporate moisture. Water in the ground evaporates due to heat. As a result of such created conditions, roots do not receive required quantity moisture.

And along with the lack of moisture, there is no supply of nutrients contained in the water. The result is obvious: lethargy and flabbiness of the leaf plate, and subsequently yellowing and falling of the leaf damaged by excess heat. A leaf can wither quickly, especially unfavorable conditions in a few hours.

Why roots can get damaged

Damage to the roots occurs if the orchid is regularly exposed to conditions unsuitable for her growth and development. The roots can either rot or dry out. All this is detrimental to the plant and casts doubt on whether the orchid will survive if urgent measures are not taken.

Created by owner ideal conditions care, which each flower will have its own, will allow the plant to recover and grow new root system. Which, in turn, will allow the leaves to get rid of wilting.

For what reasons can there be excess moisture?

In nature, the orchid grows on rocks and trees, attaching itself with bare roots to the surface chosen by the flower. So, watering and drying the roots occurs in a natural way rain and sun.

Being in pots, the roots cannot immediately get rid of excess water, if in a container few holes or they are small in diameter. Stagnation of water provokes a deterioration in the condition of the orchid root system.

You can eliminate moisture by controlling the tray that stands under the pot. Water should not stagnate in it. In addition, the room where these plants are located must be ventilated frequently. But you need to take into account that you cannot leave an orchid in a draft.

Why may a flower lack moisture?

This state of the plant can occur when a novice gardener, having listened to advice supposedly experienced specialists, begins to water the orchid strictly on certain days.

This can only be done in cases where the premises are constantly maintained at the same temperature and humidity.

This can only be done in laboratory conditions, so for growing orchids at home, this approach to watering destructive to flowers.

For each flower, the orchid owner must have individual approach, since the need for watering can only be determined by the condition of the soil in the pot. Perfect condition the substrate is moderately moist and loose, but in no case wet.

How can you harm a flower by feeding it?

For many flower lovers there is an axiom that the more fertilizers, the better the plant will feel. In fact, this is an erroneous statement that has not been confirmed by practice.

Since the orchid grows in a substrate of moss and bark, which loosely envelop the roots, like soil does, even a fertilizer diluted incorrectly in violation of the instructions on the package can cause significant harm to the plant.

In addition, for fertilizing orchids needed special compounds , on which this particular plant is indicated. On the packaging you can always read the doses and periods of fertilizer, methods of diluting it, if necessary. If you follow the recommendations, the orchid will not have problems due to feeding.

Causes of soil compaction

If the orchid is properly cared for and is actively growing, then a limp leaf may form due to the fact that the soil in the container has become compacted. This suggests that there are a lot of roots. This is easy to see, because almost all pots for these flowers are made transparent.

To correct the situation, the plant simply needs transplant into a pot with large volume. But under no circumstances should you try to fit the roots that stick out into a container and cover them with soil. They must be left in the same condition as they were, otherwise they may disappear.

Roots for a plant are as important as circulatory system for a person. Therefore, if there is not enough space for them to normally supply the orchid with everything necessary or they are in an uncomfortable temperature conditions, then this can immediately affect appearance plants.

How to save a wilted orchid

Seeing withered leaves of a flower, you need to immediately do resuscitation manipulations that will restore the healthy appearance of the plant.

If the plant is overheated, it must be immediately move into the shade. In this state he cannot be disturbed for four hours. It is strictly forbidden to spray or water the orchid, as this can cause rotting of the parts that get water.

Restoring the flower to its normal state will be a long undertaking. After overheating, the orchid will need to find a place where this will not happen again. Then you will need to water it regularly, which should restore her water balance.

Experts have noted that wilting of flower leaves due to damage to the roots occurs only in ten cases.

There are different degrees of injury to the root system:

Easy.
Average.
Heavy.
Very heavy.

All degrees of damage, except the last “very severe”, can be treated and restored.

Rules for the prevention and restoration of orchids

To restore a flower, you need to take it at the base and try to move it. If he does not move, then he needs water treatments. If the orchid was in a warm place, then it needs to stand in the shade for about an hour.

Then, the pot must be lowered into a container with warm water and let it sit there for a whole hour. After this the plant needed warm shower , but you need to remember that you can’t get water on the flower stalks.

After the water has completely drained from the leaves, the flower needs to be wiped dry with cotton cloth (or any other natural one). It is better to place the plant in a bright place, but without direct sunlight.

During the period of resuscitation, you cannot water the orchid with growth preparations, this will only make the flower worse. The first positive result can be expected within three days. If this does not happen, you need to inspect the roots.

To do this, remove the plant from the pot and studying the root system. Healthy and living roots are visible at first glance; they are green and elastic.

All other roots are needed delete sharp knife to healthy tissue. The cut area must be treated with powdered charcoal so that the cut root dries.

According to orchid experts, even one living root of at least five centimeters can grow into a full-fledged bush. You just need to plant it in new soil, strictly controlling watering, avoiding excess water.

Direct exposure to sunlight is also unacceptable, otherwise the flower will not have the slightest chance to survive. Orchid is very beautiful flower, so it’s worth making an effort to ensure that this plant decorates the room with its spectacular flowers made those around me happy.

And don’t despair if the leaves suddenly wrinkle and lose their shine. Need it urgently take measures to improve your health plants and flowers will be able to recover.

A beautiful orchid flower pleases the eyes of its owners with a healthy appearance and abundant flowering. But sometimes it happens that problems arise, and flower growers begin to ask questions about why phalaenopsis leaves wither, what to do to make the plant grow again, and why the flowers wither.

It’s worth taking a closer look possible reasons such a phenomenon.

Plant overheating

Direct sunlight has a detrimental effect on the plant in the hot season, especially in the afternoon. When an orchid's leaves become wrinkled and moisture is released on them, this is a sign that the plant is overheating.

In this case, moisture is released into more, than the roots can absorb, and the leaves become very soft and lose their turgor. It must be said that in this case the plant needs to be moved into the shade for a while, its leaves should be sprayed, but not the flowers. If such measures are not taken, the orchid will not only stop growing, it will simply disappear.

When you grow a flower and at the same time try to comply with all conditions, do not allow overheating in the summer, and in cold period There shouldn't be anything particularly dangerous.

If the leaves still continue to wither, you should pay attention to whether the roots of the plant are overheating due to heating. After all, the batteries heat the window sill from below, and this leads to the same consequences as direct sunlight. As a result, the soil overheats, moisture evaporates, and the roots do not have enough of it.

How to fix the situation? You need to make an air humidifier for the flower. It is easy to do: buy a double one, there is a very wide variety of them. The inner pot comes with holes for cleaning excess moisture, the external one is completely sealed.

Place pebbles or expanded clay on the bottom of the sealed pot so that the inner pot rests on it. When you water a flower, excess water goes down onto the pebbles and remains there. The moisture will evaporate and moisturize the roots, and the soil will not overheat and dry out. The main thing is to make sure that the water only covers the pebbles and not the plant soil.

Soil compaction

The answer to the question: why orchid leaves have lost turgor and wrinkled may be too compacted soil. When buying a substrate for phalaenopsis, pay attention to its quality, because if you get a poor quality one, this problem will manifest itself in the near future after transplantation.

Constant watering of the flower will lead to the destruction of the substrate, the deposition of salts, the appearance of mold or mildew in it, and compaction of the soil. The plant begins to lack air circulation in the roots, the flower will not receive adequate nutrition and moisture. As soon as you notice that your orchid's leaves are wrinkled, take the measures described below.

What to do: buy new, high-quality soil and replant the phalaenopsis. The flower will very quickly begin to come to life and will soon delight you with its blooming.

Incorrect watering mode

Here, of course, there can be two options: overdried soil or excessive moisture.

Incorrect feeding of the plant

Wrinkled leaves on an orchid may also be caused by improper fertilization. This is also manifested by their loss of turgor, their falling off, the roots of the plant turn black or red.

In order to do this, it is worth carrying out the same actions as with high humidity of the plant, only taking into account that after replanting it is necessary to put the plant in the shade for several days for its rehabilitation.

Presence of pests

Pests can also be the reason why orchid leaves wither. They damage the roots and the flower cannot grow normally. We urgently need a good place in new soil. After this procedure, forget about watering the flower for two weeks; during this time, all the pest larvae will die, since they do not tolerate drought.