Can this one be saved? Help!!

[MJ5150]

So we bought an orchid at least a year ago from our local Home Depot. It was labeled as a Cymbidium Orchid. As we were taking it out to the car, someone from the garden department started telling us how difficult they are to care for, how picky they are, and how they were not great plants for where we live in the Pacific Northwest.

We already bought it, so we decided to bring it home and see how we do. It was bright and full of life at Home Depot. It had flowers all over it. I found a so-so sunny spot in our house and put it there. Direct sun sometimes in the morning. I slowly watched this orchid fade away. The flowers came off, and it just started looking bad. We paid $35 for it, so my wife did not want to throw it away. We moved it to other rooms in the house, but it just kept it's downward spiral. It finally was put in our den which gets only a little sunlight per day. It rarely got watered, and it has never been fertilized or anything else done to it. I think it's a goner, but the green leaves make me think it can be saved. Keep in mind that the sun is hard to find for most of the year here where I live.

Can someone have a look at these pics and let me know if this orchid can be saved, or if I am just wasting my time trying. Thank you!!!










-Mike

[camille1585]

Cymbidiums need alot of water and fertilizer when they are growing. They also need lots of light to bloom. I think you might have identified a part of the problem: rarely watered and no fertilizer.
I don't grow Cyms much, but here's my (just have one since they take up so much space) If that were my plant, I would unpot and check the roots. Anything that is firm is good, if it's mushy it's bad. If it had good roots, I think you should repot it in fresh medium, increase watering and add fertilizer. Depending on the amount of good roots, you may need to put it in a smaller pot for a while. If the backbulbs have any energy left in them, you should get some new growths. In the spring when frost is no longer a problem, you can put it outside and gradually put it in full sun. Bring it back in before first frost.
If it has no roots left, bringing it back to health will be very difficult but not entirely impossible.
Like I said, I'm no Cym expert, but checking the roots is definitely the first thing to do! Hopefully other members will be able to help you out as well.

[BikerDoc5968]

Camille has given excellent advise. I have several cymbidiums, but that doesn't mke me an expert, either. There have been several threads addressing the topic of cymbidium culture so do a search on this site and you'll find lots of reading material. Also the AOS has culture sheets on many genera (www.aso.org). As for your plant: the brown pseudobulbs do not appear to be viable. It appears you are beginning to get some new growth (4th pic). So give it LOTS of light, some food (20-15-14) hgher in nitrogen and some water and by next year you may have some good looking pseudobulbs that just might flower. I also agree repotting almost always gives plants a new lease on life! For this plant select a pot about an inch or two larger in diameter than your current pot depending on the roots and just how much you have to remove. If you remove lots of stuff, then a smaller pot is more appropreiate. Also here is a pictorial on repotting cymbidiums...I trust this link won't upset anyone as it makes reference to another forum. A cymbidium repotting (56k warning) -