Orchid Leaves Turning White: Causes and Cures

The leaves of an orchid plant are turning white! What is happening? In this article, we will discuss possible reasons why your orchid plant’s leaves have turned white and what you can do to fix the problem. Read on to learn more about this topic.

Why Are My Orchid Leaves Turning White?

The most likely reason why your orchid leaves are turning white is due to powdery mildew, which is a type of fungus. In fact, it is common for orchid leaves to be attacked by powdery mildew due to the soft texture of their leaves.

When your orchid plant’s leaves are being affected by powdery mildew, they will turn white and become very dusty-looking. The next time that you look at your orchid, make sure to check under each leaf as well because this fungus can spread quite easily.

What to Do if Your Orchid Leaves are Turning White?

There are a number of things that you can do to prevent powdery mildew from attacking your orchid’s leaves. First, make sure that there is plenty of airflow inside and around the location where your orchids grow.

Second, clean up any dead plant matter on the floor below them so that it does not spread spores into the air as dust particles.

Thirdly, invest in an oscillating fan near where your plants grow because this will help with proper circulation and regulate humidity levels.

Fourthly, potting soil should be allowed to dry out between waterings; overwatering these types of plants can lead to powdery mildew.

Lastly, you should always an organic fungicide, like neem oil, to prevent this fungus from attacking your orchid’s leaves again. This oil works to suffocate the spores of any fungi that are present on the plant. You may be able to find these types of products at your local garden center as well as online retailers like Amazon.

Orchid Plant Care To Prevent Powdery Mildew

To protect against disease and fungal infection, you need to give your orchid everything it needs to thrive.

Watering your orchid

Ensure that the potting soil dries out between waterings. Orchids need at least an inch of moisture in their pots, so make sure to check for wetness every day.

If you are unsure if a plant is too dry or too moist, it’s best not to risk watering the plant until all doubt has been removed. Note that there should be no standing water inside the saucer after 15 minutes have passed since filling up with liquid!

Humidity levels

A good way to increase humidity around these plants is to group them together. If you have a lot of orchids, it is possible to make your own humidity tray for just a few dollars!

Place pebbles in the bottom and then top that with potting soil before planting each plant on top. Then place a jar filled with water into the center, which will create humidity around these plants as the water evaporates.

Lighting

Orchids need lots of bright, indirect sunlight to grow and thrive. This means they should not be in a dark corner of your house where no light reaches them! Try moving this pot closer to a south-facing window if it’s currently shaded by other plants or furniture inside its location. Or move the plant outside during daytime hours for some fresh air every day (when weather permits).

Using good quality soil and pots

Most importantly, use high-quality soil when planting these types of plants because cheap soils will not give orchids what they need to get strong roots and absorb vital nutrients.

The pot should also have a drainage hole to prevent water from accumulating and rotting these plants’ roots over time, as this can lead to disease that kills orchids in their prime!

Conclusion

Hope this helps!

As you can see, there are multiple reasons why your orchid leaves could be turning white instead of green like they normally do. Do not worry because if you follow all of our tips for growing healthy orchids shown above, then it will likely grow out of its fungus problem within a month or two.

We hope that we were able to provide you with some helpful information about why your orchids’ leaves have turned white and what you can do in order to fix it! If there is anything else that you would like us to add for future posts, please let us know in the comment section below!

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