Question
Hello, I have had my Orchid for about 4 years. It has bloomed 3 times for me in that time. Small pink flowers. My question is, I have not changed the location, watering or bark and some of the leafs are turning a very light gold to brown color and falling off. Any ideas? Thanks!

Answer
Hello Jon,

That is pretty good, bloomed 3 times in 4 years.  You must be caring for it pretty good!  You didn't mention what kind of orchid you have which makes it a little difficult to tell you what to do or what the problem is that is causing the leafs to fall off.  

With that said, what I can say is that it probably needs to be repotted into fresh orchid potting media.  You've had it 4 years and no telling how long it was last repotted before you got it.  Most orchid bark is good for about 3 years and will break down and when they do can cause the roots to die and rot.  To check if yours has broken down, after watering it, try smelling it and if there is a sour odor it has broken down.  

To repot, buy a bag of orchid bark at your local garden center.  Unpot the orchid, remove the old bark from the roots, remove any roots that are soft and mushy (dead), clean the old pot, place a little bark in the pot and position the plant in the center with the bottom of the orchid just below rim level and fill all around it with bark.  That's about it.  

Hope this helps but if you would like more information, write back with the name of the orchid and I'll try to help with more advice.  

Jim Kawasaki
San Jose, Ca.