When the flowering phase passes, the dormant phase begins and the plant is left with only leaves that can grow normally, or may, for a number of reasons, orchid stopped growing leaves.
The orchid, with its delightful flowers of exquisite shape and color scheme, attracts attention and delights many people.
Why does orchid stopped growing leaves?
The leaves of orchids are of greater importance than those of ordinary plants. Being an epiphyte, the orchid is able to receive nutrition not only through the roots but also through the leaf plates.
In the event that the roots lose their main function, the plant can be reanimated through the leaves with a live growth point. In this regard, it is simply necessary to deal with the reason for stopping the growth of leaves.
Most often, new leaves on an orchid do not grow due to a stressful situation.
The orchid ceases to show interest in active growth and development for many reasons that we have to consider.
Inhibition in the development of these wonderful flowers can cause the following factors :
- A sudden change of scenery stressed the plant;
- The temperature at which the orchid grows is not favorable;
- Deviations from the optimal irrigation regime were allowed (insufficient, overflow or watering is not carried out according to the rules);
- Too weak or intense lighting;
- Violations in the application of fertilizers or fertilizing at the wrong time;
- Care that is not culturally appropriate.
stress factors
Orchids at any time in their lives can suddenly slow down or stop their growth and development due to stressful situations.
Feeling the impact of a negative factor, the plant falls into suspended animation and is waiting for better conditions for further growth.
It has been established from practical experience that the fading of orchids and the drop in their interest in further growth occurs due to the following stressful situations:
- Abrupt change of scenery;
- Unfavorable temperature conditions;
- Violation of the irrigation regime;
- Unfavorable light intensity;
- Shortened daylight hours;
- Drafts in the room;
- Violations associated with the feeding regimen;
- Non-compliance with the rules of plant care.
All these stressful situations will be described in detail below.
How many leaves can an orchid grow in Flowering period?
Plant growth is based on a certain periodicity called growth rhythm . It depends on the factors of the external environment and the internal state of the plant, which are closely interconnected. The change in periods of growth and dormancy is embedded in the genetic code of the plant.
Between periods, the orchid under normal conditions should have 2 leaves.
In nature, there is almost no continuous and uniform growth of plants. Each new period of orchid growth is characterized by the growth of new leaves , and then the entry into the flowering phase.
The following factors contribute to the exit of orchids from a state of relative rest and the resumption of growth and development :
- Increase in air temperature;
- Increase in relative air humidity;
- Increasing the intensity of lighting;
- Increase in daylight hours.
The last item on the list is related to those orchids that grow in temperate latitudes . And in the tropics, where these plants grow wild, the length of daylight hours does not change throughout the year and is 12 hours. The most important factors regulating the rhythm of orchid growth in natural conditions are:
- Temperature;
- And air humidity.
Orchids grown in apartments usually bloom 2 times a year. It is considered normal if between flowering periods the plant grows 2 new leaves or, under less favorable conditions, at least 1 leaf.
If this does not happen, this means that the flower continues to be in a state of rest, from which it must be removed.
5 Reasons of orchid stopped growing leaves
If your beautiful orchid does not grow new leaves, then there are very good reasons for this . What they really are and how to fix the problem, you will learn by reading this article to the end. Check out a detailed guide on Orchid Growing New Leaves But Not Flowers.
Uncomfortable temperature range for keeping orchid
When growing orchids, you should always remember that they are very capricious and make great demands on growing conditions, including temperature.
Often, due to improper temperature conditions, orchids do not grow leaves.
An orchid of any kind at home should grow with a temperature range of 18 to 25 degrees. The difference between day and night temperatures should not exceed 7 degrees , and a difference of 5 degrees is considered optimal.
Important! Avoid drafts completely. All orchids react badly to them. The constant presence of a pot with an orchid on a ventilated windowsill can cause severe stress to the plant.
For the summer, it is better to remove the pot from the windowsill to the back of the room, where:
- Lighting diffused;
- And no direct sunlight.
This will prevent leaf scorch that appears as discolored spots with a brown border.
In winter, a slight decrease in temperature to 16-20 degrees is useful for an orchid , but not lower.
In addition, you need to make sure that the flower standing on the windowsill does not grow in conditions of temperature differences between day and night temperatures that are more than 7 degrees. Otherwise, he may die.
Temperature fluctuations of 5-7 degrees are not dangerous for the orchid, on the contrary, they are useful as they speed up the laying of flower buds .
Effect of lighting orchid leaves growth
When growing an orchid, one should strive to give it a metered amount of light , since a lack of lighting and an excess of light are equally harmful to the plant. In the wild, orchids always grow in the shade of tropical plants that protect them from overheating.
The orchid pot should not be exposed to intense sunlight. If you have a flower placed on the windowsill of a south-facing window, you must definitely take care to make it partially shaded. For this , a special grid is used , which scatters the sun’s rays well.
In low light, the orchid does not produce new leaves.
If you do not create shading, the orchid will not be able to get out of a state of stress , which, in turn, will not give it the opportunity to grow and develop normally. Such plants will try to somehow survive in the created adverse conditions.
The lack of light can also adversely affect the condition of orchid leaves. The period of light activity for this genus of plants should last 12-14 hours a day, regardless of the season. To achieve this goal in winter you need to use:
- Special photo lamps;
- Or, in extreme cases, fluorescent fluorescent lamps.
Plants should be illuminated with these lamps for 6-8 hours .
The flower can be in the back of the room or on the north window, but in any case, it should be illuminated by daylight for 12 hours a day.
Advice! In order to avoid one-sided development of the flower, it must be periodically carefully turned with the other side towards the light.
Are you facing problem of Orchid Leaves Curling.
replacement of orchid
A sudden change of scenery can also affect poor leaf growth . There are several points in mind here.
In a nursery or in a store, a flower could be kept for a long time in conditions of a certain temperature and air humidity with a certain feeding schedule.
But, after its purchase by a new owner, the flower can easily be in completely different growing conditions.
Orchids of all genera and species, even those that show a certain resistance to adverse external factors, are sure to fall into stress, reminiscent of a long hibernation, when faced with a sharp change of scenery.
The appearance of the plants will not cause concern. The leaves will have a characteristic green color, with the absence of:
- Symptoms of the disease;
- And pest infestation.
However, the growth of new leaves is not observed at all, the plant, as it were, froze, waiting for improvement in growing conditions.
Advice! To solve this problem, it will not be superfluous for the new owner of the flower to visit the store where he purchased the orchid again and find out in detail about the regime for keeping the plant in the nursery and store.
In accordance with the information received, adjustments should be made to flower care measures.
In addition to the location, change the care of the plant.
If the flower was given to a new owner or bought from an unknown person, then it will be more difficult to understand the reasons for the inhibition of the growth of new leaves. But in any case, it is necessary, in accordance with general recommendations, to correct :
- Watering mode;
- And a flower feeding system.
irregular watering orchid
Deviations from the recommended watering regimen can also cause a slowdown in the growth of orchid leaves. If watering is excessive, then it will entail:
- Not only inhibition of leaf growth;
- But also the decay of the root system.
In this option, the plant will die if you do not react in a timely manner and do not take proper measures.
If we have in mind the hard-to-detect causes of inhibition of leaf growth, then this is most likely a lack of watering.
If the orchid is well watered, then its new roots will have an intense green color with rare patches.
If the root system consists of many shrunken and dead rhizomes, and the new roots that have appeared have a pale appearance, then this indicates an acute moisture deficiency.
Important! For irrigation of orchids, only well-settled, for 3 days, warm water is suitable. It is likely that the orchid does not want to grow new leaves because of the chlorine in the water or because the irrigation water is too cold.
In winter, radiators greatly dry the air of the room , the substrate of the pot rapidly loses moisture. To maintain a favorable humidity regime, during this period it is necessary to water the pots at least 2 times a week. In addition, the plants need to be sprayed daily or use a residential humidifier. Want to know what cause Orchid Stem Dried Out.
When determining the moment of the next watering, you should focus on the color of the roots and leaves. The yellowness , soft and watery consistency of the lower leaves indicate increased substrate moisture.
If watering is carried out with a watering can, water should be poured until it flows from the drainage holes . Water should not accumulate in the center of the outlet – this will lead to decay. Excess water must be drained from the pan.
It is best to water the orchid from the shower.
The method of watering from the shower is as close as possible to the conditions that an orchid has in nature. In this case, water in small streams falls on the substrate and evenly wets it. After drinking the pot with moisture, the flower must be dried well.
nutrient deficiency in orchid
In encouraging orchids to grow new leaves and overall development, an important factor is the fertilizer system . For top dressing, many complex fertilizer formulations have now been developed with different directions.
Each of them affects the plant in its own way:
- Some of them encourage the orchid to bloom;
- Others prolong the flowering phase;
- There are also substances that stimulate plant growth.
All of them are well suited for almost all varieties of orchids.
For top dressing, perform the following steps:
- Prepare a nutrient solution according to the instructions;
- Place a pot with an orchid in a container with a solution;
- Wait a while until the substrate is saturated with a solution;
- Remove the pot and put it in a permanent place.
Important! Do not, under any circumstances, exceed the concentration of the nutrient solution above that indicated in the instructions. This will lead to disease, and possibly the death of the plant.
Quite often, new leaves do not grow due to a deficiency of potassium or phosphorus in the substrate. In this case, yellow or brown spots appear on the leaves.
Top dressing of plants can also be carried out by spraying on the leaves with a solution of a lower concentration. The advantage of such top dressing is that it does not burn the roots, and the nutrients are absorbed through the leaves .
Many people have question in mind Do Orchids Have Pollen Allergy.
Treatments for orchid stopped growing leaves
After you have found out the reason for stopping the growth of new leaves, you need to move on to active actions and strive to correct the situation in 1 month.
Fix Shock effect of orchid leaves growth
An effective way to bring orchids out of long hibernation, according to many experienced flower growers, is a “shock” change of scenery.
In order for the orchid to give new leaves, it is necessary for it to arrange a stressful situation.
The method involves a sharp change in the conditions of the flower and this usually affects:
- Temperature;
- And lighting mode.
This method can bring the orchid out of hibernation and return to normal life.
Fixing temperature for an orchid
The “shock” system, associated with a sharp change in temperature, involves placing the plant in a room with a constant temperature of 15 degrees above zero for 45-60 days.
Thus, a short tropical winter will be modeled , in which usually, in the orchid’s homeland, just such a temperature is maintained. After 1.5 – 2 months of the flower being in conditions of relative cold, it is transferred to a room with a temperature of 22-25 degrees Celsius. It seems to the plant that spring has come again, and it resumes its rapid development.
Changing lighting mode
There is also a “shock” technique associated with a sharp change in light intensity . It is similar to the previous technique, only the lighting changes dramatically instead of the temperature.
To do this, put the orchid pot in the shade for 45 days, moving it, for example, from the south window to the north side, placing it in the corner of the room .
After 1.5 months, the pot is immediately moved to a room with intense sunlight. Such a large luminous flux, as it were , will tell the plant that spring has come – the time when you need to hurry to grow and develop.
Use fertilizers for orchid to grow leaves
Orchids can be fed with the same mineral fertilizers as other crops. At the same time, it is important to understand that at different periods they need fertilizing with fertilizers containing different nutrients.
For the growth of the green mass of orchids, including the growth of leaves, they need to be fed with nitrogen fertilizers . Nitrogen is the basis of all living things and if there is a deficiency in the nutrient substrate, the plant will not be able to develop normally.
Important! During the flowering period, orchids require more phosphorus, and during the budding phase, not only phosphorus supplements, but also potash ones will be needed.
Conclusion
The orchid is an exceptionally capricious plant, requiring rigorous and timely completion of the entire range of work provided for by growing technology . Now you know why sometimes suddenly orchids stopped growing leaves and refuse to grow leaf mass.
Put into practice the new knowledge gained from this article and let your beauty develop normally and delight you with her unique colors.
