August 12, 2016
How much light/sun does my orchid need?
Orchids have a wide variety of light needs depending on their species. Understanding the appropriate amount of light for your orchid is essential to their health. Inadequate light is one of the major reasons that orchids do not bloom. Orchids require different light then normal house plants. They do not require the kind of bright direct sunshine that, let’s say, a tomato plant does. Orchids do well with indirect morning or evening sun but never direct hot sun in the middle of the day. While in bloom, it is fine to bring the orchid to a more prominent place in your home to show it off as long as you put it back after the blooms are done. Be aware of any place in your home that gives out a lot of heat or steam, i.e. a fireplace.
Too little light can make their leaves turn a dark green color which is not good, their leaves should be a light to medium green color. The picture on the left shows a healthy orchid leaf. The one on the right shows an orchid with too little sun.
Too much light can scorch or “sunburn” their leaves (as shown below). A good way to tell if your orchid is getting too much light is to touch their leaves and feel for heat. If your orchid leaves feel hot they need to be moved to shadier spot.
Orchid light requirements range from“low light” to “high light.” I briefly described the difference below.
- Low Light = two hours of indirect sunlight per day. These plants can be grown indoors under indirect light or outdoors under shade.
- Medium Light = four hours of indirect sunlight per day preferably either outside or by a moderately sunny windows or under lights would be suitable.
- High Light = six hours of indirect sunlight per day preferably in bright, sunny window or outdoors would be ideal for these plants.
“High light” level orchids enjoy being outside in the summer (with dappled shade). This is the easiest way, to give them enough light to bloom. If you are keeping your “high light” orchids indoors, you may find that they will not bloom reliably without some sort of supplemental light unless they are in a very bright sun room or greenhouse. I have been told that fluorescent bulbs (with broad spectrum bulbs) work well with these types of orchids, as well as High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights…shown below. Remember, as stated in my previous post that in nature orchids get natural light cues, so you will need to keep them on a schedule as the days get longer and then get shorter.
“Low light” and “Medium light” orchids will not be happy far from a light source but are easy to grow in a filtered sunny widow. My Phalaenopsis orchids are low to medium light orchids and they do very well in my window seat.
Below you will find the light requirements recommended by the American Orchid Society. You can figure out what orchid you have by looking at your plant’s label and determine what genus it is (which is the first name on the tag). How much light your plant will require will depend on the type of orchid it is.
- Cattleya –Medium to High
- Cymbidium –Medium to High
- Dendrobium –Medium to High
- Masdevallia –Low to Medium
- Miltonia –Medium
- Odontoglossum –Medium
- Oncidium –Medium to High
- Paphiopedilum –Low to Medium
- Phalaenopsis –Low to Medium
- Vanda –Medium to High
Note on leaves:
- If your leaves are wilted, slimy or have spots click on my links on Orchid Health: fungus.
- If your leaves are turning yellow click on Why are my Orchid Leaves Turning Yellow?
- If your leaves are turning really dark click on my link on Orchid Light Requirements.
Hope this helps,
Hannah
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76 Comments
Beck
September 24, 20127:21 am
Help please. I have an orchid whose leaf turn yellow then brown. Is this normal?
Hi Beck,
I would love to help you figure this out. The leaf that turned yellow…was it the bottom leaf? If it is, then no need to worry – I have a post on this…
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/orchid-leaves-turning-yellow/
If not please tell me which leaf it is and we can go from there,
Hannah
John
March 21, 20134:48 pm
My orchid has medium dark leaves… Not as dark as the not-enough-light example, but not as nice as the healthy leaf. If I give it more light the leaves just turn more and more red! The plant is growing more buds with already five blooms. I don’t know what to do!
JohnJohn,
Well your orchid seems pretty healthy if its producing all those blooms. I would just give it dapple light near a window and don’t move it around a lot. Just keep it in one place and let it rest. It may take awhile before you have your orchid on your schedule and it gets use to your place.
Hannah
John
March 21, 20135:15 pm
Thanks Hannah!
I kind of think you could do a blog on aerial roots?
JohnJohn
March 22, 201310:28 am
I don’t know if this belongs on this blog or not, but one of my orchid leaves are buried in the pot under three roots! There was no potting medium there. I know if I repot it I’ll make sure the leaf comes up, but I am worried about crown rot.
JohnJohn,
I would not worry about crown rot right now…just make sure when you go to repot it that you place the base of the flowers at the lip of the pot so they are above the mix.
Hannah
John,
You said the leaf is buried under the roots but at the same time you said there was no medium?
Either way you said you hope it doesn’t turn yellow before you repot it. If it does turn yellow this is not a problem…it will just fall off.
Hannah
John
April 7, 20133:02 pm
I sometimes check on that leaf for 2 mins., about once per 2 days. That’s about 1 min. of direct light per day. It looks like it’s getting sunburn. It has black spots but they are dry. I can touch the leaf between roots. Can an orchid leaf get sunburn like that?
Google sunburned orchid leaves and see if the picture match. I don’t think it could get sunburned with only 1 minutes of direct sunlight unless your window is somehow amplifying the suns rays.
nellie kirchhoff
August 3, 20137:09 pm
Hi Hannah I have 3 phal..orchids and I get them where they have 3 blooms and like 5 buds, but when I bring them home the blooms seems to last like 2 weeks then they fall off. Why does this happen.
Thanks,NellieNellie,
Most likely your orchid was in bloom for awhile before you got it. When we buy them from a shop or order them…they originally bloomed in a greenhouse (most likely) and then were sent to the store and then waited there for a bit before you picked them up.
Orchids drop their blooms after a couple of months. Most orchids bloom once per year, for an extended period of time. The natural blooming cycle for a Phalaenopsis orchid is only a few months. The flowers are falling off because they are done blooming. Also at this time the bloom stems dies back as well.
If this is your only concern then your orchid is fine. It’s not dying… it just preparing for next years flowers by growing new roots and leaves once all the flowers have dropped and the stems have died back.
When you get your orchids on your own cycle and the bloom again it should last much longer then two weeks! So that is something to look forward to.
Hannah
nellie
August 4, 201311:32 am
Should I cut the stem back it only has 2 and half inches that is brown and the rest is green. At the end of the stem it looks like if there’s another bud that wants to come . You have been a great help. Thank you
Nellie,
Hi again 🙂
You don’t want to cut the stem back if it looks like a bud will open.
You want to wait to cut all the stems back until there is no trace of any flowers left.
This is because it won’t bloom again for a year so you really want to enjoy the blooms for as long as you can.
Hannah
nellie
August 4, 201312:10 pm
Thank you so much for your expertise. Great help
Nellie Kirchhoff
August 6, 20139:05 pm
Hi Hannah very concerned about my phal. Orchid all the leave frm the bottom fell off they were all green is it dead. Please help
Leigha
February 28, 20147:47 am
Hi Hannah,
I have a Blue Phal. Orchid. It is supposed to be under low light. It was shipped to me on Tuesday. The flowers are now wilting. It seemed like the moss was dry so I slightly watered it. It is also sitting at my office and we have bright lights. Should I take it home away from this lighting? Is this affecting the orchid?
Hi,
I would love to help! Your orchid is not suffering from the lights at you work it may be suffering from the lack of natural light though. So on that note I would bring it home and place it near a window.
As far as flowers falling off – a lot of things could be happening.
Click on these links –
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/orchid-bloom-dying-naturally/
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/bud-blast-2/
Is it dyed??
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/dyed-orchids/
Let me know if you have further questions about how to water it etc… Or click on those links on the blog.
Hope that Helps,
Hannah
A Christy
September 6, 20145:48 pm
My orchid lost its yellowed bottom leaf but the next 3 leaves are turning yellow. What to do?
Hi,
Is it by any chance potted in pot without a drainage hole? Some have inner plastic pots with drainage and outer decorative pots without drainage.
Hannah
Ann Christy
September 9, 20141:38 pm
Thanks… just found it. Yes, it is a phaelenopsis potted as you describe in a plastic pot with drainage holes that is inside a crockery pot without holes. The inner pot sits a couple of inches above the bottom of the outer pot. I should mention too that this is a large plant that I’ve had since last Nov. and it has been in bloom almost continually since then until the past month.
Wow that is a long time for it to be in bloom!
Well the yellowing leaves are probably do to it’s pot situation. As shown here… http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
I would potentially repot it in a pot with complete drainage or remove it from the outer crockery pot without holes. It can’t not be placed back in the outer pot. It needs to completely dry out and then be watered like this…
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/
Does that help?
Hannah
A Christy
September 10, 201410:05 am
Thanks. I’ve taken it out of the outer pot to dry but I see the roots are white, suggesting they need water, not green as pictured. I’m thinking of repotting it in moss rather than the bark it came in.
Are the roots that you see aerial roots? If so they tend to look white and never really look green – here is my link on that…. http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/aerial-roots/
You can totally repot it in moss but it needs some time to adjust. Once repotted keep it out of direct sunlight for a day or two.
Hannah
Trudy
October 11, 20148:18 am
I have an orchid I just want to know why some of the leave are crinkled on the tips?
Trudy,
I would love to help! Wrinkly leaves could happen for a lot of reasons.
How long have you had it?
How do water it how much and how often?
Is it potted in a pot with a drainage hole?
Is it near natural sunlight?
Let me know,
Hannah
Trudy
October 11, 20142:58 pm
I have had Orchid a year in Feb. Water from the top. it is when the soil is dry so not sure how many times. It is potted in a pot with drainage hole. It is not near natural sunlight but not in the dark. Trudy
Hmmmm…. Can you send me a picture at myfirstorchid@gmail.com? If not we can try to figure it out here.
Most people overwater orchids – this can cause the leaves to wrinkle. There are so many reasons it can do this.
Let me know about the pic
Hannah
Joan Wheat
January 16, 20237:52 pm
My orchid have large white spot on them , is this from direct sunlight?
John
November 8, 201411:36 am
I took down some of the shades on my window, and turns out window light overheats my Phal. 🙁 Had to move it away.
And I have another Phal by the same window and it’s fine without the shades
I guess orchid light requirement vary even within the same species?John
Hmmmm that is strange. Normally they would take the same amount of light. Maybe it’s just more sensitive?
Hannah
Jennie
April 18, 201511:50 am
What a great site this is, just what I need as am over fussing first time orchid owner!
I have two Phalenopsis, and they have been in bloom since January. The flowers on both are just beginning to drop, so would this mean they are both entering a resting period? They are kept together on an east facing windowsill, it isn’t filtered light at all, so is this ok for them? One of them has had one leaf turn yellow and I have removed it, I was wondering if that was due to too much sunlight. As I keep reading conflicting advice I had moved them away, but seeing your orchids flourishing on an east facing windowsill, I’ll move them back again!
I’m watering with tepid rainwater which they seem happy with, and I feed every couple of weeks with a proprietary orchid feed suitable for orchids in bloom which they have every couple of weeks. I also have some mist which contains feed as well, do they really need this too? I don’t want to kill them with too much feed!
Thanks for your help!
Hi,
Orchid blooms falling off and moving on to the next cycle pretty quickly after you got them is normal…
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/orchid-bloom-dying-naturally/
Now that the blooms are gone you want to cut the stem back to the base bc when it grows a new stem it will be from an entirely different spot.
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/252/
The bottom leaves turning yellow can be normal…
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/orchid-leaves-turning-yellow/
Was it a bottom leaf?
Basically with the sun light issue you just don’t want them in direct hot sun all day or the leaves will get burnt.
I am not a fan of misting in general and especially misting fertilizer on leaves and any part of the actual orchid bc it can burn it. I pour my fertilizer through the mix.
Hannah
Hannah
Jennie
May 17, 20156:25 am
Thanks so much Hannah, that’s really helpful. Both have lost all their flowers now and I have cut the stems as you suggest. When might I expect to see new shoots? I’m in the UK by the way 🙂
Typically once a year but if you got a new orchid that may have been forced into bloom from a nursery they it may take longer and or shorter amount of time. Typically Phalaenopsis orchids bloom in the Fall.
Hannah
Jennie
May 17, 20156:44 am
And, having looked elsewhere on your site, have discovered that one already has a tiny new shoot 🙂
Jennie
May 30, 20155:48 am
The one with the new leaf is doing really well, but the other doesn’t look so good. I had to remove a top leaf which was yellowed, but nothing is growing in its place, there is just a black space, it isn’t mushy just dry. But the roots all look healthy it just doesn’t appear to be doing anything!
It sounds like it experienced some rot. If the roots look healthy then I would not worry too much. You can treat it within hydrogen peroxide as states in the Root Rot blog post and make sure to water it only when it’s very very dry.
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/root-rot/
I assume it has a drainage hole?
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/
Jennie
June 3, 20152:42 am
Thanks Hannah, yes it does have a drainage hole. I’ll get some hydrogen peroxide as Physan has been banned in the UK! Should it then eventually produce a new shoot? What sort of timescale, roughly?
It typically blooms once a year and in the fall. You will have to wait and see what it’s natural cycle is.
Hannah
Meagannmf
May 13, 20159:50 am
I wondering if I keep my phal on the kitchen table that it will be enough light. I do not have a windowsill, but the room gets plenty of indirect light since it has a large sliding glass doors. Just nervous, because I don’t want to kill it and haven’t had it long enough to notice if the leaves are too dark.
Thanks
Hi,
It just need shady sun. So it needs to be close enough to a window that some sun hits it.
Make sure it’s potted in a pot with a drainage hole and only water it when it’s super dry.
Hannah
Meagannmf
May 13, 201510:20 am
Ok thanks. I think I’m just going to have to keep a close watch. I think all of my windowsills get too much sun. About how long does it take to start noticing the color change? Day, weeks, hours… ?
For too little light maybe weeks. For too much – days.
Hannah
Yuli
August 5, 201512:50 pm
Hi!
I have my orchid for almost a year. It bloomed twice- the first time when i got it-September, and the second on April. A month ago I accidentally tore off one of the roots, and afterwards the bottom leave started to turn yellow, and finally fell apart, and now, another bottom leave turn yellow-starting from the edges.
Do you think I killed it?
For the protocol, i cut the stalk after the blossom because its turn brown, so now it has just one stalk. (May)
And another question… the temperature in the room can be 30 celcius for some hours, could it effect?Thank you very much!
Hi,
I would not worry about knocking a root off. Leaves at the bottom turning yellow can be normal as shown here…
Orchid blooms falling off naturally
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/orchid-bloom-dying-naturally/
Make sure it’s potted in a pot with a drainage hole and only water when it’s VERY dry.
No Drainage
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/How to water
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/Hannah
niecee60
August 6, 20159:59 am
My daughter bought a orchid, and her hubby said it needed more light because the flower died. She put it out only to leave it for a little bit on porch and it got too much sun. The leaves are burned, it has about 4 on each side but not all turned white. Can those be removed or just wait to see if they come off by their self? Can it be saved? 🙁
Hi,
The flowers dying soon after you got them is normal as shown here…
Orchid blooms falling off naturally
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/orchid-bloom-dying-naturally/
The sunburned leaves should be left alone bc the non sunburned parts are still giving the plant sustenance.
It should recover but just make sure it’s not in direct sunlight – you want shady sun.
Hannah
Alyi
August 22, 20151:20 am
My stems on my mini orchid are turning yellow/pink I thought it might be a lack of sun so I places it in a sunny spot and its getting worse. The stems are hard and lacking in moisture, I would love for it to grow, but it is not. If you could give me some advice as to help my poor orchid that would be wonderful. I think it needs to be repotted but I’m afraid if I repot it now it will go into shock but I really dont know
Hi,
Do you mean the blooming stems? If so that is normal…
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/orchid-bloom-dying-naturally/
You can always send me a picture at myfirstorchid@gmail.com
Tom
October 8, 201511:32 am
Hello. At the beginning of August I purchased 10 orchids on a sale from home depot. I have placed 6 in very big and bright windows – southern exposure. 3 of them get direct sunlight for probably 6 hours. The other 3 for about 4 hours. The last 4, are in low dark, no direct sunshine spot. I find that the ones in the most son are losing their flowers. The other 3 that are in direct sunlight, but less, also lost a lot of flowers, but not as many. I thought that that it is just their time, since they have been blooming for at least months now. However, the ones which are in the low light, are as nice as when I picked them up in August. The big windows do have a filter on them, and they are not hot to the touch. The leaves look healthy, cool to the touch. New leaves keep growing. I will send you some pictures to your email. I love having them in the large window. However, now I don’t know if too much light is killing them, or if it is just part of the cycle.
Hi,
They can’t handle direct sunlight. They need indirect light.
Also do your orchids have drainage holes?
Most of the time they don’t from Home Depot: Make sure it’s potted in a pot with a drainage hole and only water when it’s VERY dry.
No Drainage
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/orchid-disaster/How to water
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/Hannah
carolynnescoffield
October 26, 201510:50 pm
If some leaves and the odd bloom have a visible “split” in them, does my plant have a fungus? The leaves are quite dark so I started putting her in good morning light by the window, and now the back of her flowers are green too? Any help you can give would be awesome
Hi,
Sometimes split leaves are caused by damage before you got the plant and have no physical harm to the continual growth of them then looking off.
I have a few that have split leaves. I leave them alone unless I start seeing yellow or have rotting spots.
You can see fungus. It looks gross.
Hannah
Shoshana
December 26, 201511:51 am
Hello!!!
I am the proud new owner of my 1st orchids.
I chose an oncidium twinkle. A beautiful phal. And one lovely paphiopedilum!
The 2 later need low- medium light I’ve read…and oncidiums are medium- high?Question: I live in Ohio now. It seems dreary a lot. But the spot I picked for the phal and paph is right next to the sliding glass door —east facing. Just vertical blinds there. When open its bright to me…but is it bright enough? Should I get supplemental light above them in the form of an LED or CFL grow lights?
( plan to put the oncidium in the east windowsill…looks dreary now in winter too…so same question as above)
Thank you sooooo much for any input!
**Shoshana**Hi,
I got our email and answered it there. I think you should be fine.
Hannah
anna maria banderwick
January 10, 20163:47 am
Why has all my leaves on my orchid turned yellow. Is it dying because it was left in a cold house for 11 days?
Hi,
If the heat was total turned off then yes that may be it.
You can always send me a picture at myfirstorchid@gmail.com and I can take a look.
If you do please copy you questions and answers to that email.
Make sure it’s potted in a pot with a drainage hole and only water when it’s VERY dry.
No Drainage
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2015/09/06/orchid-disaster/How to water
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/hello-world/Hannah
Julia
February 9, 20165:35 am
I have had an orchid constantly in bloom for 3 years .it has reflow erred from every nodule on the stems! Is this unusual and have you any advice for when the blooms eventually die?
Hi,
Yes it is unusual!
Make sure it’s potted in a singular pot (not two pots) with a drainage hole and only water when it’s VERY dry.
No Drainage
https://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2015/09/06/orchid-disaster/When the blooms eventually die you want to cut the bloom stem back,
Cutting a stem back
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2011/11/26/252/
Does it have any keiki’s
Keiki
http://myfirstorchid.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/basal-keikibaby-orchid/Hannah
Lauren Delp
June 20, 20166:28 pm
Hi Hanna, thank you for sharing your wonderful knowledge. I have six orchids (5 are in 3″ pots, one in a 5″ pot), almost all of them rescues from friends. They seem to be doing okay (not had them long enough to worry about reblooming yet). I have them in front of a west-south-west window where the California sun can get pretty intense in the afternoon. I keep my bamboo shades closed once the sun is shining on the orchids, but am wondering if they get enough light. So my question is, would sheer or lace curtains be enough/better protection? Moving them is not an option other than moving them away from the window altogether. Many thanks, Lauren.
Hi,
Great job rescuing them! My attitude about light is if they are getting hot to the touch then it’s too much light. If sheer curtain would produce shady light then go for it. You can tell pretty quickly if they are getting sunburned because their leaves get splotchy yellow circles/ovals on them.
Hannah
Windy Neff
July 3, 20162:52 pm
I was away last week and my husband put our orchid in direct sun for the week, thinking he was helping, now all the leaves were yellow and came off and one of the two stems are completely yellow. Any chance it can come back or it it gone? 😭
Hi,
I am sorry this happened to you. As long as it has any leaves it can comeback. If all the leaves are gone then it can’t survive.
Hannah
Robert C Anderson
January 29, 20185:14 pm
Hi i live in dry part of Australia and have the plants getting indirect afternoon sun. One from a Supermarket has medium green leaves and the brown stem has spread to all but main stem. It’s a white and about meter high. Phalaenopsis says tag and to avoid direct sunlight and water 10 to 14 days and liquid fertiliser every second watering. The last two leaves have a couple dry patches at edge and several died as went yellow. I looked at its roots and there’s a bit of green algae growth. … maybe a tenth of space. The roots seem very crowded and its sitting loosely in clear plastic container. Do roots need sun. We have local group but any helps appreciated as very hot for last two weeks so hard to contact them in Albury NSW.
Hi,
Any chance you could copy this question and send picture of it to myfirstorchid@gmail.com – it’s hard to diagnose with out seeing it.
Also how much and how often do you water it? How long have you had them?
Hannah
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