Orchid is a perennial tropical plant. It is perfectly adapted to home conditions and pleases the household with its flowering. However, there are cases when, for unknown reasons, the orchid dries. "What to do?" - Many beginner gardeners ask, trying a variety of ways to save the beauty.
Causes of flower drying
Orchid is a rather capricious plant that requires constant care. All reasons can conditionally be divided into 2 groups:
- the flower is not properly looked after;
- the plant has become infected or has been attacked by a pest.
It is easier to find the source of the disease, it is enough to carefully examine the affected flower. But with care more difficult. First you need to understand what caused the plant to dry.
Temperature regulation
The main reason that the orchid dries out is the increased temperature in the place of growth. First, leaves begin to turn yellow, which after a few days wither. If the moisture continues to disappear so quickly, and the temperature does not decrease, then the leaves will completely dry. After that, the root system will begin to die. At first, the roots will simply decrease in size, this is clearly visible in a transparent pot, then they will change color and completely dry.
What to do if the orchid dries due to high temperature? First, you need to move it to a cool, shaded place for a while. After the plant cools down, they begin to spray it and water it with water at room temperature.
The problem will not be solved immediately, so you will have to not exceed the permissible temperature (+23 degrees) and completely exclude new overheating of the plant.
Compliance with the regime of watering the flower
The first thing that suffers from an excess of moisture is the root system of the orchid. Excessive watering of the flower leads to rotting of the roots, then the trunk and leaves wither. To prevent the plant from dying, it is necessary to optimize the irrigation regime. Irrigation can only be done if the soil is noticeably dry and crumbles in your hands. If the soil is still wet, then watering is postponed for several days.
But what to do if the roots of the orchid are dried up? This indicates a lack of moisture. To avoid this phenomenon, it is necessary to irrigate every 7 days. If condensation is visible on the tank with the plant on the day of watering, then the flower’s hydration is transferred for some time.
Choosing the Right Primer for Orchids
There are times when a novice grower plants a plant in unsuitable soil and the orchid dries. What to do and how to eliminate this factor? It is worth remembering that not every type of flower is suitable as a substrate for pine bark. Some plants prefer moisture-intensive soil, others can grow on ordinary soil.
If the reason for the drying of the orchid is this, then it is enough to transplant it into the desired substrate, and the flower will again be able to please the household with its beauty.
Old soil may be another problem. Some time after planting, the substrate around the roots of the flower can sag and create a lump that will cause decay and death of the orchid.
The main indicator of health is aerial roots. If there are more than 5 pieces, then this indicates a lack of nutrients, which means that it is time to change the substrate.
Fertilization according to the norm
If an orchid dries due to excessive feeding, what should I do? This question worries many gardeners who have just begun to care for the flower.
In pursuit of a beautiful appearance, a desire to accelerate the beginning of flowering, a person makes many mistakes. One of them is an overdose of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in combination with minerals. It is possible and necessary to feed an orchid, but only in accordance with the instructions.
For example, due to an excess of phosphorus or potassium, the leaves of the flower turn yellow and dry.
If an overdose still occurs, then it is worth it immediately:
- spill the ground with plenty of water;
- cut off dried leaves;
- stop any feeding for 1 month.
If these steps do not help, then it is better to completely change the substrate.
Plant pests
The appearance of spots or white plaque indicates infection with parasites, due to which the orchid dries up. What to do and how to get rid of pests? First you need to determine what kind of insects hit the flower.
Most often, an orchid is struck by:
- Shield. It covers the uterus with a wax shield, from the side it looks like a white spot.
- Spider mite. The first sign is the appearance of white plaque on the leaves. If left untreated, after a while they will turn yellow.
- Whitefly A small butterfly that larvae lays on the back of the leaf. They are removed manually.
- Aphid. It appears due to a lack of moisture, nutrition. Parasites feed on the juice of the flower, while infecting with toxic substances. If these pests are not eliminated in time, then the plant may dry out.
To get rid of pests, the plant is treated with special drugs - insecticides.
Fungal diseases: methods to combat them
It is easiest to avoid fungal diseases than to treat them. So, in some beginning gardeners, without treatment with special preparations, the orchid has dried up. What to do if the roots have dried out due to a fungal infection and what remedy to choose?
The best way to get rid of such diseases is to use fungicides, in particular Fitosporin.
Before processing, you must:
- Release the orchid from the pot.
- Remove rotten parts of the roots.
- To treat the place of a cut with an antiseptic (brilliant green) or coal.
Then the roots are treated with a special tool and planted in new soil.
The reasons for the drying of the peduncle and leaves of the orchid
There are times when the bottom two leaves of a flower dry out sharply. Some gardeners immediately begin to sound the alarm, look for non-existent diseases on their plants and water them with various drugs. However, these are unreasonable experiences that can harm the flower. Drying the lower leaves of a plant is a natural process that happens to everyone.
But if the orchid has dried leaves, what to do and what measures should be taken? There are such reasons:
- If the plant is on the south window, then the drying of the leaves is due to direct sunlight. As a result, heat evaporates moisture very quickly, and burns appear. To avoid such a problem, the plant must be rearranged in the shade and on the window to another room.
- Even if the flower is at normal temperature, it is necessary to carefully monitor the humidity. This is a tropical plant, so you can not dry the root system so that the leaves and the flower itself do not dry out.
If the roots lack nutrients, then the leaves give them their own. Hence the lack of moisture and the slow death of the leaf.
And if the orchid has dried flower stalk, what to do and what are the main reasons for their occurrence? Among the main factors distinguish:
- Elevated temperature or constant drafts, dry air and lack of moisture - all this is the reason for not opening the inflorescences, falling of the flower.
- Low temperature, root damage to the fungal disease, lack of ventilation lead to the appearance of white spots on the flowers and death.
- Adverse temperature conditions lead to a lack of flowering and a deterioration in the appearance of the plant.
Having eliminated all these reasons, in a few months you can get the appearance of such a long-awaited flower.
Resuscitation flower
If the grower did not pay attention to the soreness of the flower in time and yet the roots of the orchid have dried up, what should I do and how to reanimate the plant?
First, they inspect it well, then remove all the rotten parts of the root system and other areas.
Then the flower without roots is lowered into a container of water, the air temperature is not lower than +22 degrees. Lighting must be stable. However, avoid direct sunlight on the orchid. The plant should not be in water for more than an hour a day. If a positive effect appears, then the procedure should be continued daily for a week.
A resuscitated orchid is planted in the ground after the roots have appeared and have grown to 5 cm.
Proper care is the key to a long life and constant flowering of orchids. But regular inspection will help to avoid many diseases and other difficulties with the content of the flower.