Ends of Phalenopsis Leaves Brown/Black/Yellow

[mareintx]

Hello, I'm new here but in need of help.

I have this orchid that is so pretty; but the ends of the leaves are turning yellow, brown and black. The plant lives in my office and I water it about 2 times a week - as needed. It is continually putting out new leaves and seems 'happy', except for the tips of the leaves.

I have tried to read and find out what is wrong, but I'm not 100% sure. I think that the water here is too hard and the minerals are causing the ends of the leaves to turn. But, I think it might be sun burned too. I'm just not sure.

I'm also not sure what to do about the 'dead' ends of the leaves, if I should cut them off and how/with what.

Thank you so much for any help or advice - I'm a total orchid newbie and I don't want it to die.

I have pictures of the leaves and plant, but since I'm new I can't post them yet. Let me know if you want me to and I will once I have the proper number of posts. Thanks!

[Liberty White]

As you said, there could be many things wrong with the Phal, so pictures are a definite plus. Where is the phal located? Is it being hit by direct sunlight?

Here is a link to a general caresheet to give you a boost:

Orchid Care for Phalenonopis & Paphiopedilum Orchids

There is an AOS caresheet for Phals, but I can't seem to access the website so hopefully someone will chime in there with it.

I wish I could do more, but without more information or a picture or two, I can't be of much help. Hopefully someone with more experience will come along and help you out.

[mareintx]

It is in my office window. The window faces west and gets sun in the afternoons/evenings.

[mareintx]

So, yes, it gets direct sunlight.

[mareintx]

But through a thick window - I'm in an office building on the 8th floor.

[mareintx]

Ok...maybe I can do pics now....

[Liberty White]

That is not a Phalaenopsis, and unfortunately I have no idea what kind of orchid it is. Finding out what it is first would help even more as some have different sun requirements.

I've got it narrowed down to 4 different causes, depending on what the plant is and how you cultivate it:

Too much sun (again, depends on the orchid)
Not enough humidity (Do you spray it with water?)
Fungal
Too hard water

I wish I could be of more help, but unfortunately I'm not experienced enough to go from here. Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.

[mareintx]

Well crumbs...now I don't even know what sort of orchid it is. It came from a florist and it said it was a Phalaenopsis.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for you help Liberty White!! I really appreciate it!!

[mareintx]

Here are some pics from when it was blooming:

[Dendian]

You have a very nice Cymbidium, not a Phalaneopsis.

It can handle sunlight for most of the day - except at noon.

The black leaf tips happen. Sometimes its because they got too hot in the sun, sometimes its because of over fertilization.

Cyms. like to be kept damp - but not sopping wet. They also like a lot of air movement around the plant and the roots. Is it potted in moss? If it is - it would be best to re-pot it in bark - it does not like stale soaking wet moss. If that pot does not have any drainage holes then it needs to be moved to a pot with drainage holes. You can put it back in the decorative pot after watering it and letting it drain if you like.

Since it is done flowering, I would pull it out of the pot and check the roots - and re-pot it in pre-soaked bark. I think it will be much happier that way (the tips will not come back - but they can be cut off if you don't like them). With proper care it may bloom again next year.

[syndywindy]

A cymbidium and a very pretty one. Mine do the same thing, the tips do get yellow and sometimes a bit spotted. They can handle quite a bit of light, do the leaves touch the window at all? If so the heat of the window could cause the leaves to burn. It just may be a matter of too much sun or if you are fertilizing, too much fert. I think overall your plant looks great. They like a lot of water, I don't let mine completely dry out, they are outside during the summer so get watered almost daily.

[mareintx]

Thanks ya'll, so much, for the ID!!

So far I haven't fertilized it. The pot it is in has bark in it with some decorative moss on top of the bark. Shall I take that moss off? It is in a pot inside that bigger one, the smaller one it lives in has drainage holes. I normally take it out and put it in the sink and water it down good and then when it isn't dripping I put it back in the ceramic pot.

To cut the tips off the leaves do I just use scissors? As in the ones at my desk? Or do I need to use something else?

Thank you all so much for the help!!!

[Emma Grey]

To cut the tips off, use a sterile instrument. You can put cinnamon on the cut tips to prevent fungal infections.

[orchids4me]

Hello,
These guys like to stay moist. And when watering it best to flush the pots letting the water run through. I'm taking it its in its original potting media which is why I'm stressing even though you haven't fertilized the growers tend to put this time relesed fertilizer gel balls or pelleted form in the media . I have found both forms in ones I have bought from like big box stores. They tend to get salt build up if not flushed and the signs of this condition is the leaf tips turning brown/yellow first... Just trim the tips and start flushing the pot when watering. I recommend repotting when the blooms fade away or pass.
Good luck
Emmaye

[Dendian]

Oh good - its not in that moss. No, you don't have to remove the decorative moss if it isn't sopping wet.

Sounds like you have a good watering regimen - possibly just let the water run through longer sometimes. Emmaye is right - sometimes the seller puts time release fertilizer in the pots, so a good flush is a good idea. However, if they did not put fertilizer, you will want to start fertilizing it - it is a heavy feeder when it is growing. Half strength of regular fertilizer once a week will make it happy. I have found that some plants will pull the nutrients out of the leaves if you don't give them any food - they use it to grow the new growths. It may also be the cause of the yellow leaves - if they continue to turn yellow.

Also you might want to check for buggies.. that yellow spotting is sometimes a sign of something on the back side sucking the life out of the leaves.

All in all sounds like a happy plant - new growths are GREAT!