Dead (?) / Dying Orchid - any hope?

[SEE123]

Been looking a little sad and dry of late. Time to bin it or is there hope? Any advice on how to care for it better?

Thanks

Oh I think it'll come back lovely. Lots of green leaves. It'll probably grow new shoots soon. Don't give up hope yet!

Oh and I read to put them in clear pots as the roots use need some light. Not sure how true but give it a go.

That doesn't look too bad, it's the leaves that are important not the flower spike.
Cut off the dead flower spike for a start. These are native to rainforests so what I do with mine is drench them in tepid water once a week but let the water drain freely away, they hate standing in water.
Ideally they would be in a clear pot rather than an opaque one. Don't repot unless absolutely necessary, a bit pot-bound is best.
They can take a while to reflower, it's hard to see in the second picture but that small shoot at the base of the plant could be a new flower spike or it could be a root.

It looks healthy than mine! I've had one lose all it's leaves & still come back from the brink. The flower stem needs cutting off, but it's absolutely fine.

We keep ours in the bathroom as it loves the steamy air from the shower being on. We also bought a little bottle of orchid feed which we give a few drops to every month.

I agree with half. Take it out of its outer pot - hopefully it's sitting in a clear plastic pot inside, which will let the roots get light.

You can snip the dead stem off.

For some unknown reason I have success with orchids. I have a couple which I water approximately once per week by standing them in the sink and giving them a good soak for half an hour. I sometimes forget but they don't seem to mind.

Otherwise, just leave them too it with plenty of light and the roots exposed, and be patient. Sometimes nothing happens for several months and then along comes a stem.

Thanks so much for the replies. It is in a clear pot! I will post better photos once the ice cubes I've chucked on there have melted more fully, and I give it a tidy up as suggested.
Putting it in the bathroom is a great suggestion!

Noooo don't ice it! Tepid water, cold water is too much of a shock. It's the opaque outer pot you need to either take it out of or replace with a clear orchid pot.

Thanks again for all the replies. Have given it a bit of a tidy up, and will buy some orchid food when I'm out today. Have taken the bigger outer pot off, and will find a nice sunny ledge to keep it on for a while. Oops to the ice cubes! Probably why it died a death. It was looking beautiful for so long! Will come back an update if I get anywhere with it!

It honestly looks in pretty good nick, plenty of nice fat healthy roots. The flowers don't last forever and it can take them a long while to produce the next flower spike.

That’s a healthy orchid. They do prefer room temperature water. Ice cubes seems particularly harsh. They are tropical plants.

aaaargh no, no ice cubes! I read that advice a few years back on an American orchid forum and whichever stupid person came up with it should be shot! Tepid soft water, rainwater (or the cooled water from a condenser dryer) if you live in a hard water area. Don't get water into the centre of the leaf rosette or it will rot.

I have collected several lovely 'rescue' orchids from the bargain bins at the supermarket over the years as well as bought colours I fancy and have quite a collection now. If the compost is dry, give it a good soak for about half an hour then drain, feed every two weeks when you water. You could repot yours into a pot the next size up and use coconut/coir mix for orchids (ebay) or orchid compost. Plant at a slight angle in the pot with the compost upto, but not covering, the top root emerging from the stem.

When it's settled you'll see new air roots (these will have a blunt tip and be pale bluey-green as they emerge) and eventually in a few months or more, another flower spike will appear - these look almost like a tiny hand with the fingers and thumb pressed together - be careful with these as they are very delicate (hard lessons learnt!) and carefully attach them to the stake as soon as you can with soft twist wire or orchid clips.