Question
QUESTION: Dear Jim, I wrote to you recently about my orchid.  I found it in a bin of flowers to be discarded.  I brought it home last year, nursed it back to health and it recently bloomed for me.  It was looking green and beautiful and then, suddenly, it started turning yellow.  The recent changes:  it went from indoors to outdoors (it was indoors all winter and did great).  It is now on my screened porch (a perfect location, I thought) and now the leaves are turning yellow and the plant looks terrible.  We have the air conditioner on in the house now and I fear that bringing it inside will be the kiss of death.  Also, I left for a week on vacation and I could not remember if I watered the plant or not before I left.  When I came home and saw the dying plant, I immediately panicked and watered it before I checked the soil.  So, I do not actually know if it needed water or not.  We are in the middle of a heat wave in Georgia and it was blazing hot while I was gone, but the temp stays about 82 degrees on my covered, screened porch.  It is not in direct sun.  This phal sat in this exact location last year and did great.  I have no idea what is wrong.  Could it have a disease?  I am very inexperienced, but have had great luck with three orchids (my first three ever) until now.

ANSWER: Hi Elizabeth,

When you moved it out to the screened porch, was there a large temperature difference (more than 15F) between in and out doors?  Most orchids do not like big temperature swings in either direction, for this reason it is best to move any orchid when there is less than 10F difference.  

Do the yellowing leaves look okay otherwise?  Such as still fairly firm and rigid, if they are then it may recover.  Can you see any black sooty looking areas near the base of the leaves?  If there are, that could be due to a fungus infection.  Are the yellowing leaves more on one side of the phal. versus the other side?  If they are, this could indicate that the yellow side some how received more sun.  How is the air circulation on the porch?  If there is little or no air movement, that can cause a multitude of problems not only with yellowing leaves but the general health of the phal.  Although you don't remember if you watered before leaving on vacation, how long was it when you watered before leaving?  If it had been over a week plus the week you were gone, that would be two weeks without water during a heat wave and it could have stressed your phal.  

Hope some of this helps.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Jim.  You helped a lot.  I have been reading like crazy and trying to save my phal before any more damage was done.  I read that I could put ground cinnamon at the base of the yellow leaf in case it was fungus (to keep it from spreading -- it works like charcoal).  I did that. I put cinnamon all over the base of the yellow leaves.  I also turned the porch fan on to increase air circulation.  I cut off the three yellow leaves (which I probably should not have done).  Today, it looks okay.  I was pleased when I came home from work and saw that the feeder leaf (the one the spike is growing from) does not appear to be yellowing (it was starting to yellow but now it appears to be turning back to green).  The blooms all look good.  I did not dare move the plant.  I was afraid of traumatizing it further.  I now believe that I both traumatized it by moving it (due to a huge temp shift) and I under watered it (I think).  I'll keep you posted.

One more question:  it does not get any direct sunlight.  It gets bright light all day.  Should it get early morning direct sunlight? I have another Phal that gets early morning direct sunlight and it suddenly looks great with tons of new roots and possibly a spike.  I am just nervous to move the fragile phal again since it is in bloom.

I appreciate all of your help.  This is the 3rd time that I have written to you and you always give great advice.

Answer
Hi again Elizabeth,

Yes, putting ground cinnamon was a good idea.  Cinnamon has some mild fungicidal and batericidal properties within it.  Some persons sprinkle it on any fresh cuts to prevent an infection.  

Leave it where it is for now.  Once it is stronger you can move it to where the other phal is located.  When you move it, move it from bright shade towards the light slowly over 2 to 3 weeks because it isn't accustomed to it.  You don't want sunburned leaves!  

Early morning sunlight is better but bright indirect sunlight is also good.  

Thank you for the very kind words.  Oops!  My head just grew 2 sizes!!!  (LOL)  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.