Phalaenopsis yellowing & wilting
 

Hi everyone! So I'm not new to raising orchids, but I did gain my experience while living in Hawai'i, where it's relatively simple to care for them. I moved to Paris and finally bought my first orchid here, and literally days after bringing it home from the shop the lower leaves began yellowing, and now the flowers are wilting prematurely.

The flower shop in question does not have AC or fans, the weather here in Paris has been warm but since I brought the orchid home it hasn't been too hot. The medium was already moist when I brought it home, and did not need watering until a few days later by which point the leaves had already begun yellowing.

I have the orchid beside me on my desk, I would say the light is medium diffused. One element I think may be contributing to the issue is a small fan placed near me for fresh air that does blow past the orchid. I'm concerned that the temperature fluctuations are affecting the orchid but I'm not sure how to manage this, as I live in a very small apartment and without the fan on it can get pretty torturous in the summer.

The roots appear to be very healthy, as do the non-yellowed leaves.

Back in Hawai'i I didn't have to worry about maintaining humidity or temperature because those elements don't fluctuate wildly in the area I grew up in. Basically I think I have to relearn everything I know about orchids now that I'm here in Paris.

I've attached several photos of the orchid from various angles. B

It's worth noting that I did purchase two African violets from the same flower shop, and shortly after they arrived they began exhibiting similar symptoms (yellowing/browning of leaves).The Phalaenopsis spikes had several new buds when I first brought the plant home, so I know the flowers are definitely wilting prematurely. Because of that, I have a feeling this is just a matter of temperature, but I wanted a second opinion before making any further changes. Orchids here are pretty pricey compared to the ones back home, and of course I've already become attached to my plant and want to see it healthy again.

Thanks in advance!

- Terri

Hi terri ............ hard to say what the issue is at this moment. If the fan is blowing hard and continuously too much on the orchid, then maybe it could have too much of a drying effect.

Maybe need to consider what conditions the plant is being provided ----- eg. times (if any) where doors and windows are closed and the temperature builds up a lot.

Also - the pot has 6 holes. But three of them are flat on the bottom of the pot, while the other three have little slots/gaps. If you have a stand that allows all holes to stay open (to allow as much air to pass through for air exchange), then that could be beneficial too.

If you started seeing the yellowing only days after bringing the plant home, then the cause is likely at the florist and not due to your care. It doesn’t look too bad for now. I think the first step would be to repot it. Unless you already have experience with watering plants in sphag, it can be tricky to manage watering, especially with cooler weather around the corner (Normally... Unless it stays 30°C!). Plants that grew in sphag are used to a moist root environment, and in my experience with them, they usually do better in a more water retentive mix (in my case, medium bark with a bit of sphag mixed in).

As to the wilting flowers, it’s not unusual. Plants have to cope sometimes drastically changing conditions when traveling from production greenhouse, to a shop, and then to your home. Sometimes this causes the flowers to wilt prematurely, but without harming the plant.

I think your conditions are fine from what you describe, though it could be good to move it away from the fan if it’s really close to it.

Plant aside, that move sounds like a pretty drastic change for you as well in terms of climate! I hope you are adjusting better than the plant. :)

PS: I would recommend that you change your location in your profile as it still reads Hawaii for now. If you ask for more advice in the future it's useful for others to have a rough idea of your climate based on location.

It may be an imbalance between water at the roots and water lost to the air. If it's less humid in your growing space than it was at the shop, and you use a fan, this could happen.

What are your ambient temperatures? Water evaporating from the moss will cool the roots. A fan will promote this even more. Phals prefer warmth.

Thanks everyone!

Good idea, I'll definitely try to find something to improve the circulation!

Yeah, I think I'm just used to purchasing orchids in Hawaii from local growers, so there was never any big chance of shock in terms of temperature and overall environment. It's going to be interesting to learn how to adapt to this new climate!

I'm doing very well here in France, thanks! It's a nice change to have four seasons.

And thanks for the heads up about my profile location, just changed it :)

Not sure about my temperatures here, I don't have any thermometer on hand. I'm living in a relatively small apartment at the moment with intention to move to a different part of the city in the future, so I haven't stocked up on any horticultural gadgets yet.

I have moved the orchid away from the fan so we'll see how it goes! I always had great luck with Phals back in Hawai'i so hopefully I can master the art of growing them in this new environment.

Thanks again everyone, and I hope you're all staying safe and doing well! :)

If you are uncomfortably cool in short sleeves, short skirt or short pants in your apartment, the Phal will also be uncomfortably cool.