Yellow/burnt looking leaves on Oncidium

[Imokira]

My oncidium has yellow and burnt looking leaves. I don't think it's normal, especially because it's starting to happen to new leaves. I'm not sure what to do and I don't want it to die. Please help.

[rbarata]

First of all, welcome!

Mites, maybe?

[Imokira]

Thank you =). How can I tell if it's mites or not?

[rbarata]

Clean the underside of a leave with a white cotton lightly embedded in a small amount of rubbing alcohol and see if it comes dirty with a red or brown color.

[Shadeflower]

welcome to the forum.
It's unfortunately going to be hard to definetely identify what is wrong with your orchid from a picture.
It could be mites. It could be temps, it could be a bacterial infection, or fertilizing too much.
There is something seriously wrong with this one but what it is is hard to tell.

I always start my diagnosis by inspecting the state of the roots. Most of the time the roots will have gone mushy.

If that is not the cause then you carry on investigating.

As a grower we can only provide the right temperature, the right light and the right water.

Mistakes can be made too but it's easy to get things right.

The water is arguably the most complicated to get right from ph, to its concentration to the right nutrients needed. This can be hardest to get right so make sure nothing else can be causing these issues first.

Sometimes it is a fast spreading infection that is just hard to save.

[Imokira]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

welcome to the forum.
It's unfortunately going to be hard to definetely identify what is wrong with your orchid from a picture.
It could be mites. It could be temps, it could be a bacterial infection, or fertilizing too much.
There is something seriously wrong with this one but what it is is hard to tell.

I always start my diagnosis by inspecting the state of the roots. Most of the time the roots will have gone mushy.

If that is not the cause then you carry on investigating.

As a grower we can only provide the right temperature, the right light and the right water.

Mistakes can be made too but it's easy to get things right.

The water is arguably the most complicated to get right from ph, to its concentration to the right nutrients needed. This can be hardest to get right so make sure nothing else can be causing these issues first.

Sometimes it is a fast spreading infection that is just hard to save.

Only 1 surface root seems to be mushy. I wiped the leaves and I'm not getting brown or red residue. I water my orchids with sink water, I live in California. Are you saying the sink water could cause this? It's been really hot here for a while and I've been trying to get the timing of watering right. I don't currently fertilize my orchids.

[estación seca]

Welcome to the Orchid Board!

The pseudobulbs are mostly fat and shiny, so you're watering adequately. How hot? Do you keep it indoors, or outdoors? The pattern of leaf browning suggests heat damage to me.

Beautiful tile on the counter, by the way.

[Imokira]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

welcome to the forum.
It's unfortunately going to be hard to definetely identify what is wrong with your orchid from a picture.
It could be mites. It could be temps, it could be a bacterial infection, or fertilizing too much.
There is something seriously wrong with this one but what it is is hard to tell.

I always start my diagnosis by inspecting the state of the roots. Most of the time the roots will have gone mushy.

If that is not the cause then you carry on investigating.

As a grower we can only provide the right temperature, the right light and the right water.

Mistakes can be made too but it's easy to get things right.

The water is arguably the most complicated to get right from ph, to its concentration to the right nutrients needed. This can be hardest to get right so make sure nothing else can be causing these issues first.

Sometimes it is a fast spreading infection that is just hard to save.

It has been upward of 100° most days and sometimes in the upper 80's. I keep it indoors. Originally it was in an easy facing window when I noticed the leaves. I then moved it to my dining room table which is near a south and a northeast facing windows. At that point it seemed to get worse which is now why I'm asking for help. Thank you, my house was built in the 70's and the tile was never changed lol.

[estación seca]

100 F / 38C is too hot for most Oncidiums day after day. I think that's the problem.

[Imokira]

What can I do to help? I keep it at 78° inside. Should I be misting it?

	Mistking Looking for a misting system? Look no further. Automated misting systems from MistKing are used by multitude of plant enthusiasts and are perfect for Orchids. Systems feature run dry pumps, ZipDrip valve, adjustable black nozzles, per second control! Automatically mist one growing shelf or a greenhouse full of Orchids. See MistKing testimonials