Limp leaves on our favorite plants is far from what we are looking for, isn’t it? If you have been wondering why is my jewel orchid limp, we have got some answers for you!
Luckily, the reasons behind these plants suddenly not looking their best are easy enough to identify, so let’s go through them – and their solutions – together.
What You'll Learn Today
Why Is My Jewel Orchid Limp?
There are many reasons why a plant’s leaves can start to get droopy – from being pot bound, to insect infestations, to being kept in the wrong conditions.
Jewel orchid leaves are almost always related to watering issues – either they are getting too much or too little, and they express this through their leaves.
Because the leaves are the main attraction of this plant, you will want them to be looking their best!
Orchid’s natural habitat is a humid, tropical environment, so you will need to be emulating this as closely as possible to get your jewel orchid to thrive.
Although orchids don’t need a lot of water, and their roots will quickly rot if they sit around in soggy soil, they do still need a drink.
Once a week is a good time to water your jewel orchid, or up to every 10 days if the weather is not too warm.
A good way of checking is to feel the soil – if the top inch is dry then it’s time for a drink.
If your orchid’s leaves are drooping AND the soil is dry, then you’ve found your answer to drooping leaves, and a little extra watering should sort out the problem.
This video shows you some of the reasons why an orchid might suddenly go limp, and a few of the things you can do about it:
How Do You Revive A Limp Orchid?
There are many reasons why orchids may become droopy – some of these are fixable while others may be longer lasting.
- If your orchid is drooping because of a lack of water, you can place it in a basin of tepid water for 5 minutes. Allow the water to drain, and place your orchid in a cool place out of direct sunlight – you should see it start to recover.
- Overwatering can also cause an orchid to go limp – if this is the case you will need to remove it from the pot, snip off any damaged roots, and repot it in dry soil. Hold off on any watering for at least a week, and keep it in a cool room with no direct sunlight to stress it further.
- Pest invasions can cause stress and damage to the plant, causing it to go limp, droopy and unhealthy. Make sure you check your orchid for pests, particularly mealybugs, and be prepared to treat it with a natural insecticide.
- Too much light can cause problems for these shade-loving jewels; in fact excessive light will scorch the leaves and cause it to wilt or even die. Keep your jewel orchid in a cool room away from direct sunlight – a north or east facing window ledge is the perfect spot.
- Catching a limp orchid early, before any lasting damage is done, is the only way to revive your limp orchid. If their problems are allowed to get out of control, unfortunately there will be no saving your orchid. Keep a good eye on it at all times!
Will Droopy Orchid Leaves Recover?
Because jewel orchids are most loved for their beautiful foliage, it can be a disaster if these leaves start to droop, wilt and discolor.
As we’ve discussed, there are many reasons why your orchid’s leaves may be drooping, and if you catch the problem in time those lovely leaves should be able to recover.
If, however, the problem has got out of hand than you will just have to cut your losses – and your leaves – in order to save the whole plant.
This is not an ideal situation, and it can make your orchid look very sad – but comfort yourself with the fact that any new growth will be strong and healthy.
Even if you cannot recover the leaves on your orchid that are already drooping and unhappy looking, you can still save the plant itself and ensure this problem doesn’t happen in the future.
What Do Overwatered Orchids Look Like?
Orchids generally show their displeasure over their watering conditions in their leaves before any other part of the plant.
Leaves will go limp, droopy or leathery, and can even turn yellow or drop off, in very serious situations.
The roots can also show up the problem – they will look damaged and can even start to turn mushy.
Luckily, even an orchid in this much discomfort can be saved!
- Remove your orchid from its pot, carefully brush off the sodden soil and repot it into fresh, dry soil.
- Using a sharp, clean knife, cut off any roots that are looking damaged or not as firm as they should.
- Once your orchid is repotted, hold off on the watering for a few days. Usually we like to water plants in, but an overwatered orchid will not need this.
- Keep it in a warm room, away from bright direct sunlight, and avoid sudden changes in temperature.
- After a week or so, add a tiny bit of water to the soil. You should already see your orchid starting to recover.
- Once your plant is back to its vibrant, happy self, stick to the orchid watering guidelines and don’t water it excessively, and certainly not more than once a week.
Now that you know the reasons behind your favorite houseplant turning up limp leaves all of a sudden, you can do something about it.
When you know why your jewel orchid is looking limp, you can fix the problems so that you never have to deal with these issues in the future!
My Jewel Orchid is wilting, but watering is not the issue. Could it have an infestation of bugs?
Certainly it could. The most common pest for these pretty plants is a mealybug – small white creatures which live in the small areas of closely tangled leaves. Remove each insect you see with a damp cloth, and consider changing the soil and the pot too.