The following are intended as a general guideline for diagnosing the most common problems people experience with orchids. Keep in mind that each orchid genus has its own care requirements and specifics.
General tips:
- Water with un-softened water
- When clipping or separating your plant use sterilized instruments to prevent infection
- Do not let your epiphytic orchid sit in water.
- When the bloom spike is done, clip it off with sterilized clippers
| Symptom: | Plant: no new growth |
| Possible cause: | Plant’s growth cycle; some plants grow new leaves every few months while others take much longer |
| Remedy: | Keep watering and fertilising your plant regularly. Check temperature and light needs |
| Symptom: | Plant: won’t flower |
| Possible cause: | Most commonly: insufficient light |
| Remedy: | Gradually move plant to a spot with more light or supplement light with fluorescents for up to 12 hours per day |
| Symptom: | Plant: hard waxy spots or mounds |
| Possible cause: | Scale insects |
| Remedy: | General use insecticide. Note: most, even very harsh, insecticides will be repelled by scale unless a wetting agent is added or included in insecticide |
| Symptom: | Plant: Chewed or eroded flowers, buds, or roots |
| Possible cause: | Snails, slugs |
| Remedy: | Snail baits or dust |
| Symptom: | Flowers: (and new leaves) punctures in flowers |
| Possible cause: | Thrips: small chewing insects |
| Remedy: | Soapy water or general use pesticide |
| Symptom: | Flowers: rapidly wilting |
| Possible cause: | a) Temperatures fluctuate too severely b) Air quality; smog or inefficient pilot light |
| Remedy: | a) Move plant to a spot with more even temperatures b) Adjust pilot light |
| Symptom: | Flowers: (and lower parts of leaves) silvery surfaces of leaves and bruises on flowers |
| Possible cause: | Spider mites |
| Remedy: | General use pesticide. Need at least 2 applications to kill adults and juveniles. Raising humidity will help prevent future outbreaks leaves and bruises on flowers |
| Symptom: | Buds: drop before opening |
| Possible cause: | a) Temperatures fluctuate too severely b) Air quality; smog or inefficient pilot light |
| Remedy: | a) Move plant to a spot with more even temperatures b) Adjust pilot light |
| Symptom: | Pseudobulb: (and leaves) shrivel and growth slows, roots rotted |
| Possible cause: | a) Over watering b) Poor potting mix |
| Remedy: | a) Reduce water b) Repot if potting mix has broken down. |
| Symptom: | Pseudobulb: (and leaves) shrivel and growth slows, roots dried but ok |
| Possible cause: | Under watering or humidity too low |
| Remedy: | Water thoroughly several times; increase humidity and waterings |
| Symptom: | Pseudobulb: (and leaves) white cottony masses on plant particularly in leaf axils and underneath the sheath of pseudobulb |
| Possible cause: | Mealy bugs |
| Remedy: | Rub cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol over affected areas, or insecticidal soaps are effective |
| Symptom: | Leaves: new leaves turn yellow |
| Possible cause: | a) Too much water b) Too much light |
| Remedy: | a) Skip a watering or two b) Provide more shade |
| Symptom: | Leaves: turn yellow and drop |
| Possible cause: | Natural in deciduous orchids. In Phalaenopsis; crown rot |
| Remedy: | Skip a watering or two and move plant to a cooler spot to promote bud formation. In Phalaenopsis; water plant in morning and keep water from pooling on leaves |
| Symptom: | Leaves: large splotchy, yellow/brown spots |
| Possible cause: | Too much sunlight/sunburn |
| Remedy: | Provide plant more shade |
| Symptom: | Leaves: black spots increasing in size |
| Possible cause: | Disease |
| Remedy: | Isolate unhealthy plant, cut out all diseased areas of plant using sterilized clippers. Apply an orchid fungicide to affected areas and decrease both water and humidity levels while plant is recovering. |
| Symptom: | Leaves: bolddish brown spots turning black |
| Possible cause: | Fungal infection |
| Remedy: | Lower humidity, dry off affected areas and apply fungicide |
| Symptom: | Leaves: white or brown spots |
| Possible cause: | Water is too hard, iron content too high |
| Remedy: | Flush excess minerals out with de-ionized water; use bottled or rain water once regular watering recommences |
| Symptom: | Leaves: black tips |
| Possible cause: | a) Over fertilization b) Direct sun c) Too much salt in water |
| Remedy: | a) Skip a few fertilizations b) Move plant to spot with indirect light c) Flush excess minerals out with de-ionized water; use bottled or rain water once regular watering commences |
| Symptom: | Leaves: flaccid/limp |
| Possible cause: | a) Potting media is overly saturated b) Root Damage |
| Remedy: | a) Skip a watering or two b) Repot |