Amazing orchid flowers decorate the interiors with their tenderness and variety of color combinations. There are more than 30 thousand species that differ from each other. There are deciduous and evergreen.
The leaves of a healthy plant are smooth, juicy and resilient to the touch. Therefore, among beginning gardeners there is an opinion that if an orchid dropped its leaves, then the flower can no longer be saved.
Content
Why do orchid leaves fall if all leaves are green
Before looking for a reason why leaves can fall off from an orchid, you need to determine its appearance, because some leaves last up to 5 years, while others may fall off immediately after flowering. This is a natural process, therefore, fallen leaves are not always a sign of disease. If you notice any changes, you need to determine the cause and try to eliminate it. Proper care and timely measures will help preserve the flower.
Lack of lighting
Orchid is a photophilous plant, therefore, for normal life, it needs good lighting, the lack of which can lead to the fall of not only yellow, but also apparently healthy green leaves. Orchid receives nutrients not only through the root system. For its normal development, leaves are also important, playing an important role in the process of photosynthesis.
When growing in an apartment, it is advisable to place flower pots on the well-lit side. Do not forget that the light should be scattered, since orchids are afraid of direct rays of the sun, which can leave burns on sensitive leaves of the plant, which will not affect its general condition in the best way. To create a comfortable lighting flower, in summer they cover the windows with blinds or a special mesh, and in winter they include additional lighting.
Wrong fertilizer
Orchid, like any plant, periodically needs additional nutrition. However, with the improper use of special fertilizers, the flower can experience stress and discard all leaves.
Excess fertilizer
When feeding a plant, one must not forget that it is better to underfeed than to oversaturated with seemingly useful substances. Using a high concentration of fertilizer, it is possible to get a root burn and disrupt the nutrient intake process. So you can destroy the orchid irrevocably, because not only the aerial roots disappear, but also those that are inside the pot. If this happens, then all dressings are excluded for at least 1-1.5 months.
Fertilizer lack
The main criterion for the lack of trace elements supplied with fertilizers is the appearance of the plant. Orchid slows down its development, becomes weak and lethargic, and its shoots become fragile. The leaves lose their color, may turn yellow, fade and fall off in a short time.
Feeding her taking into account the development phase and seasonality. Fertilize not only under the root, also do foliar top dressing. In the dormant phase, in autumn and spring, fertilizers are applied 1-2 times in 14 days, in the winter and summer, feeding once a month is enough. In the phase of active vegetation, phosphorus and nitrogen-containing substances are introduced. At the beginning of flowering - phosphorus-potassium fertilizers that positively affect the formation of buds.
Important.In order not to scorch the roots, it is necessary to strictly follow the recommendations for the use of a particular fertilizer.
Irregular watering
One of the probable reasons why leaves may fall off on the plant is an improper watering regime. Moreover, to overfill the flower is also destructive, as well as to underfill.
Excess moisture
Excessive watering most often can provoke putrefactive processes leading to various diseases of the plant, which ultimately leads to leaf decay. Most often, this phenomenon can be observed when novice flower growers, unknowingly, when transplanting an orchid, water it abundantly, believing that such a technique will help the plant to take root more quickly. But this only hurts, the root can rot completely. It should be watered infrequently, but abundantly, waiting until the earth in the pot dries. At the same time, it is desirable that the room has moist air in order to bring the climate as close as possible to tropical. Wet air is especially important for weakened flowers with a small number of roots that are not able to absorb enough water. In order not to overmoisten the roots, they increase air humidity by spraying.
Lack of water
An overdried substrate can also adversely affect the flower, which will draw moisture from the roots until they completely dry and die. Since the orchid is an epiphyte plant, part of the moisture is obtained using aerial roots, but without proper watering it is not enough for normal development. They pay special attention to soil moisture in the summer and during the heating season to avoid drying out, as a result of which the flower will gradually drop its leaves.
Wrong neighborhood
To exclude all the negative factors that can inhibit the plant, you should pay attention to the content in the home, as well as which flowers live nearby. Orchid is capricious and demanding, loves light and space. If its neighbors are plants with heavy energy, then, under stress, the whole leaf may fall in the flower. Representatives of the agave family (yucca, cordilina) and succulents growing nearby must be relocated to another room.
Pests and diseases
Violation of the rules of maintenance can lead to orchid disease. In order to identify the problem in time and begin treatment at an early stage, you should periodically inspect and feel the plant. It is still possible to cure a flower from a fungal or microbial infection, but help with an infectious lesion will be almost ineffective.
Undergoing temperature changes, abundant watering and lack of water, the plant becomes vulnerable to various types of rot.
- Root rot appears from high humidity. The roots and soil are treated with a 2% solution of Fundazole.
- Gray rot covers the aerial roots, leaves and flowers with a gray fluffy coating. Damaged parts of the plant are cut off, sprinkled with activated carbon on the cut-off site, and treated with fungicide several times.
- Black rot is characterized by the appearance of weeping dark spots in the middle of the leaves. Sick leaves are removed or disinfected and treated with Topsin.
- Fusarium - different pink powdery coating. The leaves are treated with the antifungal agent Fundazole.
Leaf spotting occurs from sunburn; wet spots spread rapidly and lead to leaf death. They must be removed, the sections sprinkled with fungicide colloidal sulfur.
Dampness and poor air circulation, stagnation of moisture in the leaf sinuses lead to the appearance of black spots with fluffy or yellow bloom - these are characteristic signs of anthracnose and powdery mildew. They are struggling with the removal of the affected leaves, followed by the processing of the slices with Topsin.
In addition to diseases, pests can appear on the plant, not only on weakened, but also apparently healthy flowers.Most often, orchids suffer from sucking parasites, such as aphids, scutes, insects, small whitefly butterflies. Symptoms of their appearance are small dots on the leaves and shoots. These are traces of punctures through which insects feed on the sap of the plant. Pests are removed by the method of a soap shower, followed by treatment with Fitoverm, Chlorofos, Actellik.
Slugs and woodlice love damp, but do not tolerate water. To drive them to the surface, the orchid is abundantly watered.
The most malicious pest is all kinds of ticks. You can only view them through a magnifying glass. With damage, the leaves begin to dry out, becoming covered with a white coating in the form of a web. Apply soaping and spraying with acaricidal drugs with an interval of 10 days. When midges and bugs appear, Aktara is a good remedy.
Changes in the color, structure and density of the leaves noticed in time will help save the plant.
Instructions for saving leaves from falling off
In order to reanimate an orchid that has lost its leaves, it is worth paying attention to the roots. To do this, remove the flower from the pot and carefully examine the root system. If it is damaged or has a dry appearance, then first of all it is necessary to remove all spoiled and dry roots. After this procedure, cut sites are sprinkled with activated charcoal and lower the roots into warm water for 6 hours to nourish them with moisture. The plant is transplanted into a smaller pot with a new substrate, which is preliminarily shed with the fungicide Fundazole, and placed in a plastic bag or covered with a transparent container, creating a mini-greenhouse. Further, regular application of nitrogen fertilizers is required, which stimulate the development and growth of new leaves, and frequent ventilation of the greenhouse.
Prevention
Understanding the reasons for falling leaves can prevent this. In order for a flower to please its beauty, it is necessary to create optimal and comfortable conditions for it.
- The flower pot should be well lit.
- Watering only as it dries. To avoid excess moisture in the pots make large holes for drainage.
- Keeping a favorable neighborhood with other plants.
- Use only special fertilizers for this type of flower, strictly following the dosage recommendations.
- Maintaining the desired level of acidity of the substrate.
- Regular inspection for diseases and pests.
- Temporary quarantine for each purchased item.
The painstaking task of growing the most elegant plant on earth is an orchid. But any work will be more than compensated when you will be overwhelmed with a sense of pride in the beauty cherished by your own hands.
Reviews
I bought an Orchid !!! The dream has come true. Now I’m studying special care literature, because I’m afraid of losing it. Thanks for the article, very informative. Got answers to all your questions.
Visiting a flower shop, she always admired Orchids. I could not take my eyes off their graceful beauty, but I couldn’t dare to buy myself, I was afraid that I couldn’t cope, because I always considered the flower to be very problematic. My relatives, knowing about my desire, gave me 4 pots of different colors for my anniversary. My joy has no limits. So far, everything is with flowers. Every morning I talk, as with living things, and really love.
To all grandmothers, when my grandchildren are far away, I advise you to grow orchids from loneliness. You have no idea how they changed my life. Constantly demanding attention and care, they distract from sad thoughts. You look at life in a new way, the vivacity and meaning of what you are doing appears. True, the price is a little expensive, but the beauty on the windowsill is worth it.
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