Help!! Overwatered!!!

4 years ago

I routinely water my Phal orchids in a bowl to be sure I get the medium sufficiently wet. I typically do this for less than 30min and usually in the sink. They go long periods between watering because I forget. I've never had a problem with this and they do better than the spraying I tried before.

The other day, I put an orchid in a bowl and totally forgot because it wasn't in my sink. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I don't recall what day it was. It looks good, but one leaf is a little yellow on the end.

Will it recover?!?!

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Comments (3)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
4 years ago
It may. How long did it soak and what is the planting media?

tj
Crazymommy
Original Author
4 years ago
The medium is from Repot me, but I don’t recall which one. I think it’s the classic mix…no moss…coconut husk, sponge rock, and stalite. I repotted it maybe six months ago. It was only a few days at most. It’s only yellow at the very end of one leaf.
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Billsc
4 years ago
Crazymommy, First thing is.....Don't panic! Probably no harm was done, but lets check a few things first. Let the plant dry out....completely. Then dig around in the potting mix a bit and check the roots. If they are plump/turgid, with green tips, and a silvery sheen on the older parts, they are fine, you can go back to your normal watering routine. If you find the roots looking mushy and brown or black, then you have a problem, and I would recommend taking the plant out of the pot and cutting the roots back to live tissue, and letting them remain unpotted until the cuts dry out. If you have to cut a significant number of the roots back severely, check the resent posts here and look for one I responded to about my bread bag process for reviving dehydrated orchids. If the plant has a good root system, repot it and run it on the dry side for about a month, then back to normal watering.

If the yellowing is on the one of the bottom (older) leaves, its probably just in the early stages of old age, where it will yellow, shrivel, and drop off the plant. If the yellow is on one of the new leaves, then I would watch it closely. If it turns into a watery looking round spot, that may be a fungal problem, which should be cut off the leaf. Use a sharp, clean, and sterile razor blade to make a smooth cut diagonally across the end of the leaf back at least a quarter to a half inch into unaffected tissue. For about a month, check the leaves closely to be sure you got all the diseased leaf off the plant. You can water the plant lightly during this time, but do not wet the leaves until your cut has healed, and you are sure there is no more infection on the plant.

Good luck, and let us know the outcome. Lots of folks are probably interested in knowing this kind of information.

Bill