Why is my Orchid dying?
A dying indoor orchid is usually struggling because its roots are too wet, too dry, too dark, scorched, or being weakened by pests or rot.
If you can already see the symptom
Answer what you can see
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The causes in full
Overwatering and root rotMOST COMMON
How to tell
Lift the orchid from its pot if you can: healthy roots are firm, while rotting roots are brown, black, hollow, mushy, or smell sour.
What to do
If the soil is soggy or wet, or the roots are mushy, stop watering until the mix is barely damp and repot into fresh orchid bark in a pot with drainage, trimming off dead roots. After that, water only when the bark has dried through and the visible roots have turned silvery-white rather than green -- the rule for Phalaenopsis and other orchids in coarse bark, while slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum) and thin-rooted types in finer mix should stay lightly moist and must not dry through, and the pot feels light.
Underwatering and shriveled rootsCOMMON
How to tell
Look for wrinkled, limp leaves and roots that are silvery, thin, papery, or shriveled instead of plump.
What to do
If the bark has dried through and the roots look silvery-white, using the medium-and-roots rule above, or the bark is bone dry and the pot feels very light, soak the pot in room-temperature water for 10 to 15 minutes, then let it drain completely. Resume watering only when the bark has dried through and the roots look silvery-white, using the medium-and-roots rule above.
Too much direct sun or window heatCOMMON
How to tell
Check whether the worst damage is on the side facing the glass, with pale, yellow, tan, or crispy patches that do not rub off.
What to do
Move the orchid out of direct sun through glass into bright indirect light, such as beside a bright window or behind a sheer curtain. Do not compensate with extra water unless the bark has dried through and the roots look silvery-white, using the medium-and-roots rule above and the pot is light.
Too little light, cold draughts, or a mix that stays wetCOMMON
How to tell
Look for a plant in a dim spot or cold window draught that is losing older leaves, making little new growth, and staying damp for many days after watering.
What to do
Move it to bright but indirect light and keep it away from cold draughts, radiators, and chilly glass. If the soil is still damp or soggy, do not water again until the bark has dried through and the roots look silvery-white, using the medium-and-roots rule above and the pot feels lighter.
Mealybugs, scale insects, or spider mitesLESS COMMON
How to tell
Inspect leaf joints, undersides, flower stems, and the base of the plant for white cottony clumps, brown shell-like bumps, sticky residue, fine webbing, or tiny moving specks.
What to do
Isolate the orchid, wipe pests off with a cotton swab or damp cloth, and use an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil labelled for orchids, repeating as the label directs. Avoid treating a wilted plant in hot direct sun, because sprays can mark orchid leaves.
Crown rot or bacterial leaf rotRARE
How to tell
Check the center of the orchid where new leaves emerge and any wet-looking spots: rot is likely if tissue turns black, soft, foul-smelling, or collapses quickly.
What to do
If the center or leaves are wet and rotting, keep water out of the crown, improve airflow, remove badly rotted tissue with clean tools, and keep the plant separate from other orchids. Water the potting mix only when the bark has dried through and the roots look silvery-white, using the medium-and-roots rule above; do not pour water into the leaf center.
Will it recover?
Badly yellow, black, mushy, or scorched leaves will not turn green again, so the goal is firm roots and healthy new leaves.
Stopping it happening again
Grow the orchid in a draining pot with orchid bark, bright indirect light, no cold draughts, and water only when the bark has dried through and the visible roots have turned silvery-white rather than green -- the rule for Phalaenopsis and other orchids in coarse bark, while slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum) and thin-rooted types in finer mix should stay lightly moist and must not dry through and the pot feels light.
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