Also, my leaves aren’t perky and have wrinkles. you can YouTube it. Or are you just stating that what’s it looks like and I may want to add that some orchid stems turn red after? Is just me here answering questions:) I would love to help. I’ve been reading your posts for about an hour now! Bottom leaves may yellow or turn reddish as the orchid discards mature leaves. ), each with beautiful large white blooms (yellow in the center if I remember right). Thanx for being there for us myfirstorchid! Orchids typically bloom once a year and in the fall. Orchid blooms falling off pretty soon after you get them is normal as shown here… Hi, my Phalaenopsis was done flowering a couple of months ago but the spike is not turning brown but seems to be producing new nodes as I didn’t cut if off. Last one that came from this home had been left outside overnight and was frozen solid!! I would cut the stem because it transfers energy to be plant. With bulb rot, evidence of this disease in sympodial orchids is that an old back bulb changes color to brown and becomes mushy and decayed. I plan to let it keep growing — should I expect a smaller bloom? Here is my link on that. The other orchid is probably producing a Keiki which is explained here…. After keiki started forming plant continued to flower. Also, am I able to trim the top of the other stem even though there are still blossoms there? I’m still not sure when to cut it back. You can always send me a picture of your orchid and I can tell you what it is. You can cut the brown part off if you like. You can cut where it’s turning brown or where the flowers have already fallen. The result will be that the leaves on your orchid will turn yellow or brown in a few days. Yes, I would cut both bloom stem down to the base once the blooms fall off because when it blooms again (sends up a new spike) it will be from an entirely different spot(s) on the orchid. Yet another garden pest that also has a taste for exotic fare…slugs and snails can be a very frustrating problem in the greenhouse. Phals liked to be potted snug. I would like to see what the bud looks like. This is typically a result of overfertilizing because fertilizer leaves traces of salt in the soil. I don’t see that any roots are growing out of the pot, it has moss all around it.

Sounds good! We use Design Master but other brands such as Pokon Leaf Shine works as well. Thanks, Does your orchid have drainage? Is that what you mean? When it blooms again it will bloom from an entirely different spot.

How are watering it and is it back in “indirect” sunlight (like in a window)? I just transferred it to a different pot and put new orchid soul mix in and moistened soil mix with warm water that has orchid food in it. The only reason I would repot is if you put it a huge container. Try keeping it in a spot where you don't have to move it. Do recyclers such as carrion consumers, fungi, bacteria, etc. I don’t really don’t know why I put it in this post maybe I should have put in it in Keiki “Baby orchid”. I own my first orchid since 4 months now and some time ago it suffered root rot and a stem started to turn yellow. In this case you would want to cut it right above a node (shown below).

I always cut my spikes down to the base to conserve the energy for next years blooms but a lot of other people do it your way. Best of luck, Good afternoon, I watched​ your video and my plant is due to be cut back. Cutting the stems back help to switch its energy to the plant itself. Hi I have a stem that has buds on it but at the top it is turning g brown not sure what to do at this point part of it has broke off. http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/orchid-health-bugs/, Brilliant advice, thank you. Hi… I would love to help. I cut one spike to the base after flowering and left the other. Thanks! I haven’t ever trimmed anything, fertilized or repotted. Thanks much!!

The most frequent reasons for this are as follows. It should fall off naturally but you can cut it off if you like.

Would you cut the spike, even though it has so much new growth? When the root system dies from disease, insects or too much sun, leaves are often the first parts of the orchids to show symptoms. In warmer weather they will quickly form colonies in the crevices between leaves and can have a special taste for Phalaenopsis and Paphiopedilums. The leaves have been turning yellow/brown and fall off. I have a post in this and it needs to be treated with peroxide even though it was repotted. That leaf is still firm and standing up nice. American Orchid Society, Delray Beach. Help. Those top roots are called aerial roots and you don’t need to worry about those as shown here…, http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/aerial-roots/, You do want to take it out of the decorative pot as shown here….

It finished blooming 3-4 weeks ago and i’ve just continued to water weekly. This will usually solve any issues and after a week or so the plant could be put back with your other orchids. I’ve had this orchid for well over 5 years and I bought it from Tesco. Flowers wilt and fall off the plant. If you like you can email me at myfirstorchid@gmail.com and I can go line by line, blog post by blog post and show you how they are in accordance with other orchid websites. It sounds beautiful!! Should I trim it to the base or not? Must I cut the leaves or leave it. If it is a keiki then you want to follow the instructions on that link. I googled for help and found your blog. Orchid foliage should be a light yellow-green. http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/. Orchid blooms falling off can be normal as shown here….

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There are still lots of live flowers and plenty of sap, but the whole main stem is dark brown and has been for a while. Is that where to cut it, or should it come all the way off? That is a lot! Ethylene gas given off by ripening fruit; gas leaks; inefficient burning of gas stoves or heaters; engine exhaust; cigarette, cigar or pipe smoke; open fires; smog or air pollution can also cause bud blast and age and distort open flowers. Buds are the most sensitive part of an orchid, and are easily affected by unsuitable conditions in the growing environment. Thank you for your informative article and that you published it for free! Thanks again. It needs natural light – this could be the problem. The developing buds of an orchid are by far the most sensitive part of the plant. All pics are mine Handmade orchid mix www.rollingridgenursery.com.

It won’t hurt it. The best approach is to treat the same as Mealy Bug. What do I do when one of the flowers on my orchid plant dies? I am also going to be repoting it as the roots are poking up out of the soil medium (which was how it was when I bought it, and didn’t know that was a sign the plant was giving me it needed to be repotted! Just remove it from the decorative pot and don’t put it back in.

I don’t know whether to just leave all the stems as they look healthy or cut them all down! A small problem today can turn into a big headache in 2 weeks.

What should I use for the soil to repot? http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/. The outer pot kinda traps moisture and doesn’t allow for air flow. I have a phaleanopsis orchid that has produced a keiki at the top part of it’s bloom stem. That’s the natural cycle. All the flowers have dropped now, but none of the spikes have gone brown as I would have expected.

I did however, cut the stem all the way back because it was entirely brown. So, thank you for that. In some cases particular orchids can be more susceptible to leaf tip die-back because of their needs for high quality water (Phragmipediums are one such example). Thanks Healthy orchids can still have keiki, I think. Is my orchid lost?

The plany/leaves are growing get new leaves but no flower and no new spike. This also helps transfer the orchids energy to growing new leaves and new roots. Those blooms are starting to fall… It sits at a window w/ southern exposure. So maternal….

Very upset about this. I have a Phalaenopsis orchid that I had cut back completely. I do like putting orchids in bathrooms though because of the high humidity but they must also have natural light. It has just dropped it last flowers and I noticed its underneath leaves are yellowing and it is starting to produce a new green leaf.

I would assume growers pump them with growth hormones and/or it was a VERY well established orchid but if you got it from a local store then the first option is most likely. How many months has it been on bloom. I’ve had to repot it twice within the last four months. Thanks, Hannah . Is there anything I can do to help heal it? I was so upset, thinking that I just didn’t have the skills, knowledge, or knack for caring for this beautiful plant! If the buds on your Phalaenopsis orchid become soft or turn brown and papery and start to drop from the stalk before … Hi there, I hope that you can help! The plants can flower just fine and by solving the watering or humidity problem the new growths will develop normally. You never want to repot an orchid while its in bloom. I cut it about half an... Option #2 – Cut it back right below the brown part of the stem. So if they bloomed a year ago then you should expect them to produce bloom spikes this Fall. Is this from the ants or a natural occurance? I think I should wait to morning? In orchids the most common types you encounter are: brown scale, soft scale, and Boisduval scale and none of them are fun to deal with. Ur Video and article has helped me in taking care of my orchid .

If not we can figure it out here.

I also purchased a phal with 1 stem and 2 side branches a while ago (Apr?

What can I do with leaves which are not so green and dry at places? Do I wait until the last of the blooms fall off and then cut it at the base? This way the orchid can focus on growing new leaves and new roots in preparation for new blooms later. http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/, Drainage Also how long did you have it before you repotted it? orchids. Here are a few of the more commonly encountered orchid ailments and some suggestions on how to deal with them. Click that link and it will show you what to do. Every since I’ve had this poor thing it’s never stopped blooming. Awesome! Shawn, You can send it to myfirstorchid@gmail.com. Leaves lose their glossy appearance and seem to flatten. Since then all of its blooms have dropped and the stem is brown from the base up about 3-4 inches and the top where the blooms were is also turning brown now. Cattleyas, Phalaenopsis and Dendrobiums seem particularly susceptible to this problem.

I have a lot of them and their stems normally are green until the flowers fall and then they turn brown. You can send me a picture at myfirstorchid@gmail.com if you like and I could tell you right away . As long as you are watering it correctly and your orchid has proper drainage then it will eventually bloom. I’ve was SO sad when my ‘shoots’ were actually roots 😣 But now… I’m THRILLED!!! 2. These can be good non-toxic approaches if only a small number of plants are affected but don’t expect to control them in a medium/large group. Since they tend to like wet and damp areas you usually don’t see them in the home. John, Sorry, the stem dies back and turns red. I have a orchid that I got last year and it bloomed perfectly and then started growing new branches that started to produce new buds earlier in the year.

And I know this really sounds like a commercial but I don’t know how to express it in another way. I didn’t cut those two in time and this year the plant only grew one stem. I’m a fairly new orchid owner and one of the buds on my single spike orchid has begun to wilt. The flowers at the top of the spike have fallen and the spike has begun to turn brown. The ‘stems’ are less than an inch from the base and are brown and dried up [like hard sticks] but no signs of new growth and no new stems.