---
title: "Help please! This is my first Orchid and i’m still not to sure how to…"
description: "Help please! This is my first Orchid and i’m still not to sure how to take care of her😖, I figured out that I was under watering her so she has a long journey…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/JmTUi1iSQr6-tX35luAMXQ/64d81d0928a18905abd0b6f0"
community: "The Orchid Oasis"
author: "Christina"
published: "2023-08-13T00:00:09.884Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/sgX96vJF-ljTnzVCYgXdJxoBcPL-MNitJD_SPqw9GzI/6c755c3471a44541b08d693ac48d174d.webp?size=large"
---

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# Help please! This is my first Orchid and i’m still not to sure how to…

_Posted by Christina on 2023-08-13_

Help please! This is my first Orchid and i’m still not to sure how to take care of her😖, I figured out that I was under watering her so she has a long journey of recovery!! But i’m not sure if i’m supposed to cut the yellow leaves off or leave them as is.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/sgX96vJF-ljTnzVCYgXdJxoBcPL-MNitJD_SPqw9GzI/6c755c3471a44541b08d693ac48d174d.webp?size=large)

## 5 comments

### MargaretYakoda commented on 2023-08-13

Deep breath. 😮‍💨

It’s not looking too bad.  
Losing the oldest leaf at the bottom is pretty typical.

There are others here who can probably give better advice, but your orchid doesn’t look too bad at this point.  
Slightly under watered beats overwatering as root rot is much worse than the wrinkled leaf.

I’d let it be for a few days. It might fall off on its own.

And have someone more knowledgeable than I am advise you on fertilizing.  
But overall I think you’re doing OK.

#### Christina replied on 2023-08-13

Thank you!! This made me feel better because I thought it looked really bad😭. This was very helpful thank you again.

### Jen commented on 2023-08-13

You don’t need to cut the yellowing leaf, it’ll dry out and fall detach on its own- if you cut it, you run the risk of opening wound in the plant to infection. It’s slight, but no need to risk it unless you really hate the way it looks.

#### Christina replied on 2023-08-13

Yeah i don’t think i will i’ll get sad if it gets sick and dies lol. Thank you!!

### MeasomerPi commented on 2023-08-13

I agree with the above that things don’t look bad. Orchids have a bad rep for being fussy, but I find phals to be daily undemanding.

The yellowing leaf could be the plant adjusting to the lower lighting conditions of your home. So don’t worry if it’s one or two. I let the yellowing leaves fall off on their own.

The leaves look a little wrinkled to me so I agree with your suspicion of under watering. But just in case, take a look at your roots if you can (it looks like you have it in a clear orchid pot so a peek would be fairly easy to arrange). Healthy roots are green when wet, silvery when dry. Dead roots are papery or mushy and brown or black in color.

If the roots look to be in mostly good shape, then you might consider soaking the pot when watering.

When I water, I soak the pot for 10-15 minutes. Wait until the bark dries out (look for silver roots) before watering again. For my setup, that works out to once a week. Each time I water, I use fertilizer at 1/4 strength. One a month flush with pure water to reduce salt buildup (this is especially important if you are using synthetic fertilizer).

The important thing to remember it to let the roots dry out between waterings do you may need to adjust your watering frequency.

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