What to Do With Brown, Dried Orchid Stems

Over my years of cultivating orchids, I’ve seen more than a few issues crop up. They are great houseplants, but until you get used to their care needs, they can be a bit oversensitive. They’re particular about things like light and moisture, and if you don’t meet their needs reasonably well, they’ll let you know quickly.

If you’re just getting started, you might wonder what factors can cause various responses in your plant. Some issues may need fast attention, while others may simply be the natural course of your orchid’s life cycle. Orchids are long-lived plants under the right circumstances, so it’s rare to see one die just because it’s come to the end of its lifespan. 

One of the issues you’re almost certain to face deals with the stems that support their beautiful flowers. When they are green and flexible, there is no need to worry. But what about when the orchid stems dry out and begin to turn brown? Let’s talk about the potential causes and what you can do about it. 

Potential Causes

There are three main causes of brown or dried orchid stem issues. However, they aren’t all true issues in the sense that they aren’t all problematic. They also won’t all progress to brown and dry right away. Most will first turn yellow and then gradually dry up. Possible culprits are dormancy, a nutrient imbalance, and overwatering.

Dormancy

The most common and least worrisome cause of a dry, brown stem is dormancy. When your orchid blooms, it expends a significant amount of energy. You may see the oldest set of leaves turn yellow, dry out, and ultimately fall off. This is a normal part of the process and nothing to worry about. 

Likewise, as the plant prepares to enter that energy-saving mode, the flowers will finish their bloom, and it won’t need that stem any longer. Orchid stems don’t bloom twice; each one only flowers one time, and then it, like those older leaves, will dry up and wither. 

This means that in the event your plant has finished blooming, it’s completely natural for this part of the orchid to turn brown and dry out. The plant is drawing in and storing the nutrients left inside it to store for the next season’s growth. 

Nutrient Imbalance

One of the more concerning causes of an ailing brown, dried orchid stem is nutrient imbalance. That can include too much or not enough of a particular nutrient. Most of these are easy to fix, but there is not much chance that the affected stem will recover in most cases. 

Orchids are heavy feeders, they use a lot of nutrients, and they prefer regular fertilizing, as their potting media doesn’t hold onto much. You should fertilize your plant twice a month during the growing season and make sure to use the right formula. 

I prefer to use an orchid-specific formula so I can be sure to meet its substantial needs. A balanced formula is also a viable option. That said, you can overdo it, and that may lead to discoloration as a result of root burn. More often, a lack of nitrogen will cause foliage to lose its color. 

Another nutrient-related issue is an overabundance of calcium in your water. Increased levels of calcium can create a buildup, which causes other nutrient deficiencies. 

Overwatering

Finally, rot root caused by overwatering can cause yellowing, browning, and eventually dying off of an orchid’s stems and leaves. This is the most common cause of death for cultivated orchids. Because of their natural growth habits, their roots are particularly sensitive to overwatering. 

In their natural habitat, these plants are tropical epiphytes. They grow in trees with their roots exposed rather than growing in soil. They are, essentially, air plants. When we cultivate them, it can be difficult to give them enough support and moisture without some sort of potting media. 

Because they need excellent drainage and air circulation, we typically use a bark mix in place of regular potting soil. This better mimics the natural environment and helps to maintain excellent drainage. 

When your bark mix stays wet for extended periods, it will start to break down. These portions of decaying wood are more susceptible to fungus, and they hold those pathogens directly against the roots of the plant. As the roots rot, they stop doing their job. They aren’t able to transport nutrients to the plant’s extremities, and they suffer. 

There is little to do about an orchid with advanced root rot. There is no recovering the damaged foliage. However, you can re-pot it with new clean soil, if there are still some healthy roots left. Just make sure you remove all the rotted tissue, or it will come back and spread to the healthy roots. 

What to Do About It

We know the potential causes of your orchid’s stem browning and dying. Next comes the question of what to do about it. You’ve got two choices: Leave it alone or cut it off. 

Leave Them Alone

If the stem has run its course, meaning it fully bloomed and dropped its flowers, leaving it alone may be the best choice. In most other cases, you can cut it off. 

Pros

For a healthy orchid that finished blooming and is entering dormancy, leaving the flower stalk intact can be important. There are valuable nutrients that the plant will draw back in and conserve for the next season. 

Allowing it to naturally draw those nutrients back into the roots is beneficial in the short and long term. It builds hearty roots during the off-season, which makes for a more robust plant. Wait until the stem is fully dried out before removing it if it doesn’t fall off by itself. 

Cons

In the case of a healthy plant, leaving the stem intact has no major drawbacks. The most bothersome factor is aesthetics, as you may not like the look of a bare stem that is slowly dying. The benefits outweigh the drawbacks in this case.

The opposite is true in cases of root rot. If the tissue is rotting, it will continue to do so. The fungal infection will gradually move down if it’s not already in the foliage and cause crown rot. 

In the case of a nutrient deficiency, there is little chance that your failing stem will produce flowers. It’s already deficient, so leaving it intact is pointless. Go ahead and take it off.

Cut Them Off

Your other option, naturally, is to cut off the offending part and dispose of it. The benefits and drawbacks to doing this also vary according to the reason it’s looking less than perfect. 

Pros 

Obviously, the main advantage of removing it is its appearance. Dying flower stalks aren’t all that attractive, so removing them cleans up the overall appearance. The advantages for a plant that is ailing are more significant.

As I mentioned, leaving a rotting stem attached can cause greater issues for the entire orchid. Cutting it off will help to prevent the spread of fungal pathogens, potentially saving the rest of the plant. This is only true if the stalk itself is rotten and not the roots. 

In the case of a nutrient deficiency, clearly, your plant is struggling to nourish all of its parts. If there are flowers or buds present, it’s fine to leave it then, but chances are the flowers will either be absent or severely stunted. In this case, cutting it off with tell it to redirect the nutrients it is taking into other parts to keep the leaves and roots healthy. 

How to Do It

If the stalk has flowered already and the plant is entering dormancy, cutting it off may have yet another benefit. But that’s only if you do it correctly. When you notice it starting to discolor, you can cut it off just above the node near the place where it attaches to the rhizome. 

This is only true of monopodial orchids, as sympodial orchid stems only bloom once. Even for monopodial types, the individual stalk will only flower once. If you cut it just above that node, though, there is a chance that it may produce another smaller flower spike from the node. 

In the case of an unhealthy orchid, you don’t need to worry about the node. Just cut it off close to the rhizome. 

Cons

There are no drawbacks to removing a diseased or damaged stem. There is no real reason to leave it be, as it’s not only unlikely to bloom, but it can be detrimental to the health of the rest of the plant.