If you have or have had orchids, this situation has surely never happened to you. And most of the time, when you don’t know much about it, it ends up in the trash thinking that the plant is dead. But what to do when the orchid loses its leaves?
If you’ve ever found your orchids losing their leaves and in the end you throw them away because you think they’re dead, maybe that’s not entirely true. Want to know what to do in this case?
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Why do orchids lose their leaves?
Orchids, like any other plant, do not shed their leaves just because. In fact, there are some reasons why this happens. The main ones are:
you over-watered
When you overwater an orchid, one of the warning signs is its leaves. They start to turn yellow, very soft and eventually fall off. It’s more common than you might think, and in fact it’s one of the most common problems for those with orchids.
A little tip for watering them is to watch the roots. Only when they look grayish (as if they have lost their natural greenness) should you water, not before.
crown rot
Or also called collar rot. It consists in the fact that the center of the orchid, from which the leaves and also the roots come out, begins to darken and die (and with it the roots and leaves).
When this has happened, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to be saved. But as long as the roots are fine, you have hope for it.
Not getting enough light
When a plant does not have all the light it needs, it suffers. And in the case of the orchid, the signal that warns you is if its leaves turn yellow. Yes, just like in case you water it too much.
However, the solution to this problem is much simpler. Moving it to a sunnier area should solve the problem (unless it’s too late).
In fact, many experts consider that in summer, as long as it is not too hot, if you can take the orchids outside it is much better because they will be nourished by the light and the sun, giving them more energy to flourish (and even to overcome winter more easily).
Plagues and diseases
Do not forget this problem. Pests and diseases are the order of the day and will irreparably affect the plant. One of the signs is seeing white spots on the leaves (on the upper or lower sides), cobwebs, or even yellow or brown spots on the leaves.
Once the type of problem is analyzed, it could be solved with treatment, but it will be normal for it to lose some leaves.
Can an orchid survive without leaves?
We tend to think that when a plant loses all its leaves, it is dead. But it really doesn’t have to be that way. It’s true that it stops doing photosynthesis because it has no way to do it. But that doesn’t mean she’s really dead.
What is the signal that can tell you if everything is fine or not? Roots.
Let’s put the orchid. Imagine you have one and all of a sudden there are no more leaves. But the roots are still green and chubby and the crown isn’t bad either. This means that there is still hope and the plant could produce new leaves within a reasonable time.
As long as the condition of the roots and the crown does not change, there would be no problem in tending the plant because sooner or later it will drop those leaves. Now, if the state of any of them starts to change (roots or crown), there are problems and you need to act as quickly as possible to make it work.
What to do when the orchid loses its leaves
Let’s move on to the practical part. Do you know what to do when the orchid loses its leaves? Here we give you a guide to try to save it. Keep in mind that you won’t always get good results as it will all depend on the state of the plant and if it is able to fight. However, what you can do is:
Place it in a bright place
There should not be too much light, nor too little. Keep in mind that the plant cannot photosynthesize or receive nutrients at this time, but that does not mean that a little light is bad for it, quite the contrary.
Keep the substrate moist
One of the characteristics of orchids is that their pots are transparent and this makes it possible to see the roots and the soil of the orchids. So that? Well, because this way you can see if the plant needs water or not:
- If it has chubby green roots, it doesn’t need any type of water.
- If you have them gray, then it’s time to water it down.
- If the substrate is dark, this will indicate that the plant does not need more water because it is still moist.
- If the substrate looks dry, it should be watered (unless the roots continue to look green).
In this case, with an orchid without roots, it is not recommended to leave it without water for a long time, because it needs it more than others, so you will have to be attentive to its condition.
Avoid watering or wetting the crown
The crown is very important and you have to take very, very good care of it. This implies that when it comes to watering it, care must be taken that this part does not get wet to prevent it from rotting further or rotting directly.
cut dry roots
Without taking the plant out of its pot (because this could cause the roots to suffer, dry them out or even cause fungi to appear), there are some that generate more external roots that dry out irreparably. These will not recover and can be a waste of energy for the orchid.
Therefore, without touching the plant too much, you can take scissors (previously disinfected) and cut them to avoid losses and, at the same time, activate the plant. Believe it or not, it’s quite effective and you also remove parts that you know won’t work anymore.
sprinkle with cinnamon powder
In the crown area, a trick that many use to avoid the appearance of pests or diseases is to use cinnamon powder. This is used in larger cuts because it is a good protectant (and because it kills any fungus or bacteria) so if you apply it to the crown you will protect it from problems that may arise and cause death of the orchid.
A Recipe to Save Your Leafless Orchid
Checking the internet for help in saving your orchid, we found instructions in the Infojardín de Tecnopica forum (Juan Luis) advising you to follow a series of steps to try and save it. Take a look as they might help you.
Tell us, have you ever faced a leafless orchid? What did you do?