Orchid leaves turning yellow? Check the water before you blame the light.
One yellow bottom leaf on a phalaenopsis is normal. Several, or a young leaf going yellow and soft, means the roots are unhappy — and for orchids, the water they're sitting in is the usual reason.
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Is it your water?
The yellowing started after you began watering from the tap, or after a softener was installed.
Roots inside the pot look brown and mushy, or there's a white crust on the bark or pot.
Leaf tips are also browning, or your other houseplants have brown tips.
Two of three and start with the water:
The three causes, in order
First, age: an old lower leaf yellowing and dropping while the rest of the plant looks fine is the orchid making room. Leave it.
Second, overwatering: orchid roots need air. Bark that stays wet suffocates them, they rot, and the leaves yellow from the base. Let the pot dry between waterings and check the roots.
Third, and the one most people never test: the water. Softened water carries sodium that orchid roots can't handle. Chlorine and chloramine stress the fine root tips. Fluoride and dissolved salts build up in the bark because it never drains fully. This is why so many orchid growers end up hauling jugs of distilled water home — the plant told them.
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Three steps to a greener orchid
Tonight, water with filtered, remineralized water and let the pot drain completely.
This removes chlorine, chloramine and sodium from the watering and keeps the roots from sitting in anything harmful.
Once a month, flush the bark slowly with a full can to rinse accumulated salts.
Let water run through the pot for a minute to dissolve and carry away fertilizer and mineral buildup.
Only remove a yellow leaf once it pulls away freely; cutting a live leaf invites rot.
A leaf that is still firm is still feeding the plant. Wait until it separates with a gentle tug.
What else it could be
Too much direct sun bleaches leaves yellow-white with a reddish tinge. Cold drafts yellow and drop leaves fast. Crown rot turns the center leaf black, not yellow — that one needs immediate action.
Frequently asked questions.
Better water, tonight's watering.
- $69 · Free shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free shipping
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Replaceable filter packs