BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Orchids stressed orchids

I recently bought a Dendrobium orchid that had already bloomed from a warehouse chain. Its leaves were pale and wilted looking. I put its pot in standing water for a few days to see if that would help. The leaves are now yellow and turning black. Now that I have thoroughly stressed the plant, what can I do to save it? Is it too far gone to try and save it?

I'm afraid it sounds like your plant is probably pretty well dead. The biggest problem I've seen with plants purchased at the chain stores is that often the managers of the orchid areas don't understand the plant's needs. The major problem is that they are overwatered. Orchids generally need to dry out between waterings, not stand in water.
If you want to try to save it (and of course there is no guarantee), take the plant out of its pot and take all the potting medium off its roots. Let it dry out for about 3 days and then put it in a clear plastic bag (leave a little opening for air). Put the bag in an area that gets light, but no sun. If the plant's going to survive, you should see some white and green roots starting to grow in a couple of weeks.

Karrot I would suggest a similar method to Susan's. I would suggest removing everything from the root area and clipping off all the brown and rotten roots. Then take some sphag moss and dampen it and place it loosely around the root area and place it in the bag. I wouldn't put a hole in the bag, but you will need to open the bag every 2 days. If there is a dormant eye it may be awoken in the high humidity environment. I have had luck with this method. As Susan said do not place in the sun but put it someplace that it will get light.

Josh