What happened to my orchid??
By Fleur
@Fleura (30392)
United Kingdom
June 22, 2023 4:39am CST
Just over a week ago we had some visitors and one of them brought an orchid as a gift. It looked healthy and had several pretty flowers.
As it was quite a busy day I said thank you and just popped it on the windowsill as it was, in its pot with the cellophane sleeve around it. And then I basically forgot about it for a few days.
So I was horrified when I looked at it more closely just over a week later and found that all but one of the flowers had shrivelled up and fallen off and the leaves are all pock-marked!
I don’t know what’s wrong. In fact I don’t really think I’ve been responsible for it for long enough to have caused such a problem! I’m usually quite good with plants, I have a house full of them including a couple of orchids, one of which is just growing two new flowering stems so I must be doing something right.
Any suggestions?
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2023.
12 people like this
12 responses
@LadyDuck (471500)
• Switzerland
22 Jun 23
It's surely not a water problem, I see that the leaves are hydrated. The white spots make me think that it is affected by the fungal infection called powdery mildew. It is very possible it was watered too much and keeping it inside the cellophane caused the problem. Move to a larger vase, keep far from sunlight, it should recover.
2 people like this
@Fleura (30392)
• United Kingdom
22 Jun 23
It definitely isn't mildew, they are not spots like that but mostly raised bumps and some are hollows. I did wonder if my visitor had given it too much water, meaning well of course, but I didn't really check it until days later and then it was quite heavy and there was a bit of water in the bottom of the outer pot, which I know orchids don't like. But I can't find anything on the web about this sort of leaf problem.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (47313)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
22 Jun 23
It got upset that you forgot about it, lonely too, probably...
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16763)
• China
22 Jun 23
I suspect that it is due to the prolonged exposure to the sun on the windowsill..
1 person likes this
@changjiangzhibin89 (16763)
• China
23 Jun 23
@Fleura Orchids only grow well in scatter rays of light.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (30392)
• United Kingdom
23 Jun 23
@changjiangzhibin89 Does strong light cause blisters?
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178568)
• United States
22 Jun 23
Keeping it in the cellophane probably caused a mold to develop. It should recover.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (178568)
• United States
23 Jun 23
@Fleura Looks like Anna may have the solution.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (136424)
• India
22 Jun 23
You say you forgot about it for a few days May be it needed water. You can still revive it Good Luck.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (136424)
• India
22 Jun 23
@Fleura Did the cellophane choke it? Was there enough sun for it? Whatever. You could now take care of it and I am sure with your green fingers all will be well.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (106271)
• Marion, Ohio
22 Jun 23
Maybe it got to warm with the plastic on it. Or shocked by the sun depending on what kind of light it was used to.
1 person likes this
@Scrapper88 (5983)
• United States
22 Jun 23
I wonder if some insects could have gotten in the roots system.
1 person likes this
