Step-by-Step Guide to Identifying Orchid Problems: What is Wrong with my Orchid?

[@markw.mullins2208]

HI Amanda, I must say that you were right in another video when you said that caring for orchids, and growing them is addictive. I only have three orchids, Thats all I can afford to have, but reading and hearing about orchids never grows old. Here you tackle some of the things that are scary when iti comes to protecting my prized possessions, and watching out for them daily. I don't know how you do it with as many orchids as you have, but I am glad to see all is well. Not only are my phylanopsis so beautiful to look at, and admire, they are they are such a great hobby to take and learn about. Thanks for your information on this entire series. Will be looking for more. Keep up the great work.

[@Orchideria]

Hi Mark, Thank you for the comment! I appreciate it. And yes... it's addicting. But it's a good vice to have. :)

[@luckyspetfriends5588]

I agree. Just in past 3 weeks I bought 30 indoor plants, 2 orchids. My room is small, but it will be like a rain forest soon. I don't drink, smoke, so I justify buying plants.

[@josejkoonthanam]

I had a similar issue with one of my phaelenopssis orchids mounted in a wooden pot because of spider attack. The new leaf which has to sprout is not coming out. I dipped my pot in fertiliser solution for half an hour and hung it. I will watch for a short period I may try an aloe vera spray. Another option is chop the two leaves with stem and wait for another month. New sproutust emerge. It is an orchid which bloomed last year I appreciate the name mid night for your assistant. Happy gardening.

[@elbeem20001]

Hello again ... just recently, a friend (who lives way out in the country) called on a few of her friends to come help her "rescue a wayward" plant which was fiercely attached to a shrub in her garden. She sent pictures, where I realised the "wayward" plant was in fact an Epidendrum orchid!! We went to have a look, and it was really a task - to pull off, cut off, and forcibly detach the orchid from it's foster parent!! We went away with quite a large chunk (yes!!) of epidendrum orchids. My friend and I shared our "prize"!! There are still more attached to her plant. I shall return! When I got home, I had to spray the entire orchid chunk with hydrogen peroxide as the plant was infested with little white "things"/"bugs". To make a long story short - After much cleaning, and separating, the plant seems healthy, but some of the leaves have holes (snails?), some of the roots which I managed to save seems healthy (green and white- I had to cut A LOT of roots). Anyway, I kept some of the orchids for myself which are currently in water, for monitoring purposes. The stems are quite green, and so are many of the leaves (save for the tatty ones). Only one orchid stem has a bloom, others have many seed pods which will be sent to an agriculturist/horticulturist/orchid enthusiast, to see if he can propagate them. In short - this video came in very handy!! Also Midnight is a classic and exceptional "assistant"!

[@Orchideria]

Hi Lyn, I loved to read about this! The white little bugs could be mealybugs. As I was reading, I was going to suggest washing the whole plant, but then you said you already did that. Yeah!! Spot on. They should be all gone after that. Epidendrums are truly amazing! You'll love them.

[@abdulhalimalahmad3503]

Hi, Thank you for the useful info. I like the diagnosis you have presented to identify the orchid problem. I really enjoy watching the video and looking forward to the upcoming videos.

[@Orchideria]

Thank you, Abdulhalim. I appreciate your comment.

[@youremogirlfriend]

hello have you ever heard of hollow spikes after cutting if so what should i do

[@victorialangston738]

Can you help me? My orchid’s leaf edges are black. So I’m assuming that’s black rot? I was doing so well with her until I moved to a new home. She was on a window seal in the bathroom, blooming and making more stems. But I moved and I made 3 mistakes since then she’s been struggling 1.) lit a candle underneath her and after 3 days of this all her flowers wilted off. 2.) I moved her to another window seal and she got direct sun light. So she wasn’t looking pretty. 3.) I put flower bloom fertilizer and moved her to my bathroom(doesn’t have any natural light) 4 days since moving her here, today she formed black on the edges of two leaves. Not sure what went wrong >.< I’ll start treatment process tomorrow.

[@rhondadunn4228]

I need help. I repotted all of my orchids in a cheaper potting mix because a have a lot of orchids. I purchased the miracle grow orchid mix and I think it was to dusty with small pieces … and several of my orchids roots rotted in just a few weeks.. I’m so upset about it. I’ve ordered a better potting mix and I have to wait until I get it before I can do anything.. Is there anything else I can do to help these orchids?

[@let.it.shine_Lauren]

I haven't seen anyone yet talk about grow lights (although I'm new to watching orchid videos) I have grow lights and I keep my poinsettias and my orchids to the side on the floor next to the grow lights, not directly under them. My poinsettias are very happy and so far, my orchids are too but I've only had them 2-3 months. Are LED grow lights ok for orchids as long as it's not too bright or hot? My house is kept in the 60's in the winter and 70's in the summer.

[@Orchideria]

Hi Let it shine! I have a video specifically on grow lights and how to chose the right ones for orchids. LED lights don't cove the full spectrum that plants need. It's ok for the short term, but if you can get a light that is specified as a grow light, that would be better.

[@drannymama]

I didn't hear what your going to do with that orchid or what your gonna do to fix it!

[@LiamEserda]

Hi Amanda. Do you have any idea what this is? A phal has at the base of the stem and at the base of some roots rusty brown (like cinnamon) specks. Like very tiny grains. Not noticable at first sight but when shining on it with a bright torch, many grains.This orchid has lost some bottom leaves and there is a greyish scar tissue as well where it is also on. I don't know how to solve this problem because I don't know what it is. I skipped watering this week because the media does not look good and it needs repotting .But I hope to solve the problem before repotting avoiding to bring the problem into the new media. Thanks in advance.

[@Orchideria]

Hi Liam, I'm sorry, but I really don't know what that could be. It's hard to tell without a picture and my anti-spam doesn't allow pictures or links. I would go ahead and repot it and spray the orchid with a fungicide or bactericide (like Physan 20 or even rubbing alcohol). It shouldn't be a problem since the bottom leaves falling off is normal and probably is not related. Sometimes roots can turn brown colors in reaction to the natural oils in our hands and fingers. Anywhere that the root has touched, the velamen can turn this brown color, but that would be more of a full spot rather than a tiny speck like you're describing. I wish I could help more, but I'm not sure what it is.

[@LiamEserda]

@@Orchideria Hi Amanda. Thanks for responding. Yes, just the bottom leaves fell off and that's normal indeed; I guess it went faster than usual because the medium was too long wet on the surface a couple of times. I haven't touched the roots and the plant is still in the same medium when I bought the plant. The specks that look like cinnamon and also a bit like nutmeg when grinded are on the scar tissue of the fallen leaves on the base of the stem and on the base of the roots as I mentioned. Nothing was touched by my fingers. I'm keeping the medium dryer just by letting the plant drink in about 2-3 inches of water for about 15 minutes so the roots can absorb water and the surface will stay dry. Of course no water pouring on the surface. I skipped one week watering and it has disappeared a bit. Maybe it has to do with a too long wet surface of the medium? This medium looks very poor. So many small pieces of bark. I'm going to put some small chunks of charcoal around the base and hopefully in combination with reserved/restrained watering it will disappear? If it disappears then I shall repot it and therefore prevent bringing the problem in the new media. Besides that the plant is doing very well. A new leave is groing and all the leaves are nice green, no problems on them, luckily. Best regards!

[@ninnu8546]

Hey. my orchid has small black dots on the upper leaf, i.e. the youngest, it has started to grow a new leaf, yes, but all the leaves are dark green and strong, i.e. very healthy otherwise. I don't know where these have appeared. I have flower stems that have already bloomed and it seems that new growth is starting to come, either a new stem or a new flower. the only thing is that the newest leaf that started to grow is a little reddish, but otherwise everything is beautifully green. what could possibly help me with this problem? how do I remove the top leaf if it needs to be removed? What substance can help with this and how? I live in Finland and I only started getting excited about orgydeas in the summer and I now have 5 of them, the newest one had leaves on a roll and a bit weak when bought in a store, so I isolated it in a different room. otherwise, these three have been on the same window sill the whole time.

[@Orchideria]

Hi! Some back dots are normal. If they don't spread, and if it's not covering the whole leaf, then I would just let it be. You can wipe them off with a fungicide or batericide just for precaution, but I wouldn't be too worried. The problem is when they grow

[@ninnu8546]

@@Orchideria thank you sow mutch. I'm probably too careful. I stare at every little point and I'm surprised to notice that some of the findings are just dust or something else. but they have really become like children hahaa :D

[@ninnu8546]

@@Orchideria Last time I washed the leaves with lemon water, so could that have an effect?

[@Orchideria]

Not if you didn't place it in direct sunlight immediately after you rinsed the leaf. But still, the dots would not be small. They would looked burnt. I dontnhave a picture, but the sun burnt leaf is bigger and whiter than the bacterial spots.

[@ninnu8546]

@@Orchideria thank you. its not sunburn. that i know now :)

[@EE-mn2lu]

Is it better to treat an orchid when you bring it home from store or eBay or where so ever? If yes, what do you suggest to use for treatment?

[@Orchideria]

Hi EE, I usually treat them as soon as I get home with a spray of Physan 20. Since I buy most my orchids online more than from local places, I spray as soon as I unbox. If I buy the orchid in flower, I'll wait for the blooms to fall off, then I'll treat it when I repot it. In this case, I'll leave it alone, by itself until I repot it, since I have no idea what's in the media and the state of the roots.

[@vivtran5970]

Tip: please spray Physan 20 outdoor and keep your orchid out door for 24-48 hrs. Physan 20 is respiratory hazard especially with people with asthma :-)

[@Orchideria]

Hi Viv Tran, Thank you for that tip! I hadn't thought of that aspect! I appreciate your comment. 🙏

[@Just_Lurking8]

@@Orchideria How can we leave our orchid, out for 24-48 hours. Houston is extremely 🥵. Amanda I rescued 7 orchids from a friend, almost 2 weeks ago, but I noticed on one orchid, brown color on 2 leaves and on stem. Seems like it’s getting stringy too, destroying the leaves… Some of the other have little white spots… Don’t know what’s going on. Can you help me? Thanks 🙏

[@robinnitowski2009]

I have never had that happen to my orchid.

[@michaelharper2227]

Help please. Snow fungus. And this orchid has a Kiki.

[@luckyspetfriends5588]

Ok, this video stressed me out. If I was you, after that I showed the ugly leaves I would cut them and put them in the trash cane way from the cat, my hands and other orchids, but you kept touching it and just left it hanging there. Don't you take a risk for killing other orchids and letting your cat walk free all over the place? I would close the door while I am filming to keep my cat and orchids safe. Just a friendly suggestion. Love your videos and learned a lot. Thanks

[@Orchideria]

Hi Lucky, I wasn't too worried because these orchids were doomed before the video even started. They died a few days after shooting the video. Unfortuneatly, I have to sacrifice a few to make my points. So I understand where you're coming from, but I wasn't worried about spreading bacteria around. If the orchids had fungal problems, that would be a different mater. Bacteria from black spots is harder to spread from orchid to orchid. Not impossible, but not at lethal to plant tissue like fungus is.