What if the orchid is withered?

Drying and wilting of orchids is an extremely painful situation for any grower. Very often, these exotic beauties begin to dry up when irrigation rules are violated and the air humidity is insufficient. But sometimes their drying can be triggered by other factors not related to watering and humidity levels. Many are interested in what to do if the orchid begins to dry, whether it can be saved and how to do it.

Among the main reasons due to which the orchid dries up, it is necessary to note several of the most common.

An incorrect watering regime is one of the main reasons leading to the fact that the orchid begins to suffer from a lack of moisture. Such situations often occur with inexperienced novice growers, who, fearing to flood the plant, try to water it less often than required. The fact that the orchid is experiencing an acute moisture deficit is indicated by a change in the color of its roots. In healthy plants, they have a green color, which provides velamen. Essentially, velamen is a layer of dead cells that covers the roots of plants and prevents them from drying out. In addition, velamen protects the root system from damage. When the roots dry out, caused by insufficient watering, the velamen layer thickens. The build-up of a layer of dead cells leads to a change in the color of the roots.

In order to prevent the orchids from drying out, the watering regime should be carefully observed. The optimal frequency is 2–3 waterings per week in summer and 1–2 times per week in winter. If the summer is very hot, watering the plants is allowed more often.

In the tropical jungle, which is the natural habitat of orchids, there is a constantly high level of humidity. At home, flower growers maintain the required level of humidity in the room where exotic plants grow with the help of regular spraying with warm water. Special electric humidifiers also provide a significant help in maintaining a stable air humidity.

The easiest way to constantly saturate the air with moisture is to place a wide container of water next to the plants. In hot weather, water will evaporate from the container, saturating the indoor air with moisture. Orchids will absorb water molecules from the air both with their aerial roots and with their leaves.

Injury and damage to the roots is a common cause of drying out of plants. Often, the sensitive and fragile roots of orchids are damaged by an inept or rough transplant. To a greater extent, such mistakes are often made by inexperienced growers. Sometimes root damage is the result of pest activity. One of the most famous is the root worm. Individuals of these pests have a small (2–4 centimeters long), worm-like body of white, gray or pinkish color. Having settled in the substrate, they harm the roots of orchids, as a result of which the plants begin to dry out, and then die.

You can find the parasite by carefully examining the substrate in the pot. If a pest is identified, the infected substrate is destroyed, and the affected orchid is reanimated by carefully washing the roots in a solution of potassium permanganate.And you can also destroy the pest with a special insecticide, which is dissolved in water and poured into a pot.

Many novice growers who seek to create conditions for orchids as close as possible to their natural environment often make the room temperature excessively high. Exotic plants in such conditions begin to die from the heat and dry out. In addition, an excessively high temperature in the room leads to drying out of the air, which has a detrimental effect on the condition of the leaves and flowers of orchids.

In addition to the worm, which damages the roots of plants, other pests can also cause drying of orchids. So, with the defeat of aphids, scabbards and false scutes, exotics begin to dry due to the fact that the parasites feed on their juices. If the orchid begins to dry for no apparent reason, it is necessary to carefully examine all its parts, including roots, peduncles and leaves. Some parasites (flat mite and spider mite) are very small, so they can only be seen through a magnifying glass.

If pests are found, it is required to immediately isolate the infected plant from healthy flowers and take all measures to destroy the parasites. If the treatment is done in a timely manner and correctly, then the drying up orchid will gradually begin to recover. Another common reason for the drying of exotic plants is root rot, which often occurs when the substrate is swamped.

The fact that the orchid has dried up or began to experience an acute deficiency of moisture, evidence of such signs as:

• yellowing and wilting of leaves;
• yellowing and wilting of flowering shoots;
• darkening of the trunk;
• falling leaves and buds;
• color change of roots from green to gray or gray-green.

In dried orchids, the state of the shoots and leaves changes. They lose their juiciness, attractive glossy shine, become wrinkled and withered. Often, a yellow stripe forms along the edges of dying plants, indicating that the flower is severely lacking in moisture. With strong drying, orchid leaves become brittle and brittle, crumbling at the slightest touch.

Experienced growers say that in most cases, if the orchid is dry, it can be saved. However, before taking any action, it is necessary to establish the exact cause of the problem. If the drying out of orchids is caused by a lack of moisture, you can try the following:

• examine the plant and make sure that it still has living roots;
• provide the orchid with the most benign conditions;
• ensure a gentle wetting of the substrate.

Allows to revive a dried orchid and bottom watering, during which water should be poured into a saucer that supports the plant pot. It is important to remember that flowers with a large number of dead roots are not able to fully absorb moisture, therefore, providing them with water should be moderate and accurate. Another way to restore orchids that have no living roots is to use an impromptu greenhouse. For its manufacture, an ordinary plastic bottle with a volume of 5 liters is suitable. At the bottom of the cut container, drainage should be poured from a layer of crushed expanded clay, on top of which a layer of pure sphagnum should be laid.Further, on top of the sphagnum, it is necessary to lay the affected plant and cover it on top with the second part of the container.

During resuscitation in the greenhouse, it is required to maintain high humidity and warmth. After some time, new roots will form on the orchid, and it itself will gradually begin to fully recover.

Do not panic if the arrow of the peduncle has dried up on the orchid. Very often this happens at the stage when the plant is preparing for the dormant stage. During this period, you should reduce the frequency of watering, abandon feeding and transfer the exotic to a cool, but well-lit place. If the orchid only has dried stems or branches as a result of lack of moisture, you can try to reanimate it by placing it in a saucer of water so that only the ends of the roots touch the surface of the water. Sometimes this is enough for the plant to gradually recover. It is only important to ensure that the water in the saucer does not dry out.

The chances of an orchid recovery will be significantly higher if it has a growing point - the top of the plant. In this case, you can try to reanimate the drying exotic in one of the ways given above.

It is worth adhering to a few simple rules in order to prevent the orchid from drying out.

• It is necessary to carefully observe the watering regime. In hot weather, plants should be watered more often, monitoring the state of the substrate. It is important to provide the plant with the necessary air humidity. It is desirable to maintain this parameter at the level of 30–40%. When spraying or watering a plant, care must be taken that moisture does not settle at the point of growth. If this happens, the apical part must be carefully blotted with a clean cloth.
• It is extremely important to monitor the quality of the substrate. If it is poorly breathable or dries quickly, this can cause the orchid to wilt. A good substrate necessarily contains hygroscopic pine bark, which remains moist for a long time, providing the roots with full conditions for development and growth.
• Watering with cold or hard water can cause plants to dry out. As a result of such watering, the root system of orchids is under severe stress, as a result of which the exotic can dry out and die. Watering should be done only with warm and soft water, for example, rain, filtered, distilled.
• So that the plant does not become a victim of pests and does not dry out as a result of the diseaseall parts must be inspected regularly and carefully.

You can find out how to reanimate an orchid below.