All leafs turning yellow and healthy spike and buds

[Ioneva]

Hi guys,
I need help with this one: my phal has green spike and new buds but the leafs are turning yellow and falling off.
I have this phal for two years now and it is quite big, so are the leafs. I haven't reppoted in a while and the pot has a lot room for the roots.
I have no idea what's going on with my phal, if anyone could please help me!

[Shiffdaddy]

First thing that comes to mind when you say it has a large pot is that the medium you have it in held too much water and the roots rotted, which in turn would make the leaves die. Check the roots.

Ben

[Gage]

I second that. Root rot is probably the cause. There are other possibilities, but check the roots first. Good luck.

[Ioneva]

The roots are fine! Green and white...however a few roots are turning yellow as well!!

[Gage]

Ok, just making sure you got a look at ALL of the roots. Not just a few on the outer parts of the medium. There could be a lot of roots down inside that are rotting.

Moving on. First let's cut that spike off to at least give it a chance to live. One easy way to kill the leaves is by getting water in the base of the leaves. This will rot them in no time. In nature, Phals grow rather flopped over and hanging, so the crown and leaf bases cannot get water caught in them. It's like roof shingles. So if you're going to grow it upright, you can't get any water in these areas at all. If you do by accident, get it dry very quickly with the corner of a paper towel, or whatever you can use. The crown is the most vulnerable to rot. I try and get all my Phals to grow in the natural way so I don't have to worry about this kind of rot. Another thing that can happen is if you don't give the plant sufficient potassium, it will suffer and possibly die while blooming. This link was posted by another member, very interesting. Check out 2nd link, 3rd paragraph.

http://www.hrt.msu.edu/faculty/Runkl...sis_Part_1.pdf
http://www.hrt.msu.edu/faculty/Runkl...sis_Part_2.pdf
http://www.hrt.msu.edu/faculty/Runkl...sis_Part_3.pdf

[Ioneva]

The base of the leafs is yellow...
I took two pics...take a look,pls.
I am hopeless...think it's going to die...!


What could have caused it to my orchid?

[calypsoB]

Yeah the crown is yellowing..it is probably going to die of crown rot Sorry.... Like Gage said about water it is very important not to get water in the leave bases.
ETA I have lost a few this way

[Gage]

Originally Posted by Ioneva

The base of the leafs is yellow...
I took two pics...take a look,pls.
I am hopeless...think it's going to die...!


What could have caused it to my orchid?

I'm sorry it's not looking good. I hope you can get another one. Most of us killed our first orchid, and plenty of us have killed some since. But if you stick around here you will be on your way to happy orchids in no time!

[zxyqu]

Yup, crown rot is most likely... You just can't get water in the crown, especially anytime afternoon, as there just isn't sufficient time for the water to evaporate off. However, the plant isn't necessarily dead. It may pull through by making a basal kieki or a keiki off the spike you're currently growing. But if you let it bloom out, it is using energy that could be put to surviving.
Unless it's of sentimental value, I'd pitch it, and find you a new one.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

If the plant loses leaves, it's not a big deal. If most of the roots are intact and healthy, chances are so is the tiny mass of meristem tissue hidden amongst the center of the roots. That meristem is what you need to keep alive in order for the plant to recoup and re-grow leaves.

If it loses roots and leaves, that's a problem. As in it will die.

It was most likely an issue of gas exchange to the roots and over watering. Hybridized Phals are one of the most abused orchids in the market for a lot of different reasons. Your plant may have been suffering badly even before it got to you.

Just because an orchid throws out a spike doesn't necessarily mean it is in good health. It could be a bailout response to dying.

I really recommend checking the roots thoroughly again. This is a fairly common problem with Phalaenopsis in cultivation.

I also recommend removing any bruised plant material. Your Phal shows signs of some severe rotting.

I highly recommend researching a Phalaenopsis' natural environment in the wild and how it grows in the wild. You may be very surprised to know the truth!