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I have this large orchid that seems to be in good health, but one of
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Micah

I have this large orchid that seems to be in good health, but one of the leaves is slowly turning yellow and shriveling: what should I do? Should I leave it to do its own thing or pluck it off?

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12 kommentarer

  1. LearningPlantMom

    Don’t leave it. You want to take away the dead leaf to make room for a new healthy one. Cut it off a half - inch away from the central stem with a knife or scissors.

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  2. Jen

    If I’m not mistaken from the photos, this looks like a leaf mid-way down the stem. That is unusual. Cutting it won’t make room for another leaf because leaves only come from the crown. I think I would let it wither off on its own, if only to prevent opening the plant up to new infections if it’s already battling something here. However, because it seems like the yellowing stretches from the tip of the leaf all the way to the stem, I would keep a close eye on it. My concern would be that there was an infection from the rough edge shown, and it has travelled to the stem.

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    • Jen

      If you actually noticed the progress of the yellowing starting from the tip to the stem, I would remove it.

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  3. MeasomerPi

    People differ on their approach to yellowing leaves. Some like to remove it from the plant. The rational is that the leaf is stealing resources from the plant as it tries to keep the leaf alive. And it looks better. Others like to leave the leaf on the plant until it is completely dry. Their argument is the plant is reallocating resources by absorbing nutrients from the leaf in question. Cutting also creates a wound that can allow infection to set in. And in nature, there typically isn’t anyone picking off yellowing leaves. I fall into the leave it on the plant, with a caveat. If the leaf looks to be diseased, I will remove it in hopes that the infection doesn’t spread. With regard to your phalaenopsis, it looks a little dehydrated to me. It seems like there is little wrinkling on the leaves and the more significant on the roots. It’s also unusual for a plant to shed an “upper” leaf. I would have expected the bottom most to drop before the one that’s yellowing. I am concerned that the plant may have lost a significant portion of its roots. It looks like it’s in a clear pot. What do the roots in the substrate look like? It also appears to be in sphagnum which I suspect is what it came in. Typically, newly acquired plants come in sphagnum that is tightly packed, which doesn’t allow for a lot of air circulation at the roots. Are you letting it dry out before watering?

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    • Micah

      I only water it every 8 days and the dirt is dry to the touch by the time I water it. I am nervous of overwatering especially because of the poor ventilation due to the plastic container the roots are in. My plan is to repot it after it is done blooming; unless you recommend repotting sooner? This is what the roots look like:

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    • Micah

      I also just noticed this red line down the middle of the underside of the yellowing leaf

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    • MeasomerPi

      I would wait. If you repot now, you run the risk of the blooms dropping prematurely. And the roots in the pot look to be in reasonable shape. I not really sure about the red rib. It looks like the rest of the leaves are a little reddish along the edges which just means your phal is getting as much light as it can safely handle. The red rib is probably just another sign that’s it’s getting a lot of light. It then again, it seems unusual and is making me rethink the yellowing is just due to shedding. I’d listen to Jen about the yellowing leaf. She brought up a good point about the possibility of infection in yellowing leaf.

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  4. Micah
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    • Micah
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    • Micah
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  5. Jen

    Was just wondering how your plant was doing? Did you remove the leaf? Did you notice any progression in the yellowing on the stem?

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    • Micah

      Thank for checking in! I ended up taking the leaf off, and the rest of the plant is looking really healthy still, so I think we are in the clear for now

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