How to Remove Damaged Orchid Leaves

With their captivating beauty and uncanny ability to elevate the ambiance and prestige of a space, orchids are also perceived as high maintenance and finicky flowers. Enthusiasts go to great lengths to preserve orchids' delicate appearance to ensure they thrive for years to come. Care for yours by removing leaves when they become yellow, wrinkled, soggy, spotted or drooping. These are usually indicators of over-watering, improper exposure to sunlight, or bacterial/fungal infection. Orchid owners can safely remove leaves threatening the health and beauty of their orchid.

Cutting tool (garden shears or straight edge knife)
Bleach or rubbing alcohol
Fungicide paste or cinnamon powder
Cotton swab
Gloves
Clean cloth/rag

Instructions

- 1
  Wear gloves and clear the working area of other plants.
- 2
  Dilute one part of bleach or rubbing alcohol with three parts of water in a bowl.
- 3
  Soak the blade of your cutting tool in the bleach/alcohol solution for about 10 minutes.
- 4
  Rinse and air dry or wipe the tool with a clean cloth.
- 5
  Pinpoint the greenest (healthiest) part of the leaf, usually between the base of the plant, and past the line of discoloration.
- 6
  Cut through this point (well into the green), in a straight line across the leaf's width, completely severing the unhealthy part of the leaf from the plant.
- 7
  Apply a plant fungicide paste or cinnamon with a cotton swab directly to the cut, concealing it completely.

Plant Care for Tacca Chantrieri

What Soil Should I Plant My Orchid In?

Orchids