Is this orchid dead

[wherecanwego]

Looks it but not sure

No absolutely not dead! Chop the stalks and wait. It’ll grow more. Mine look like that often and have lived for 10 plus years.

I've got one the same. I'd forgotten to water it for weeks! I've watered it now, and am hoping for the best

Looks perfectly healthy to me. Just chop the stalks and it should bloom again in a few months.

It's very healthy!

Dormant in between flowering.

It’s definitely not dead, just finished flowering. Just chop the stalks, as @Snowdropbulbs says, and it will grow and flower again.

Gosh no. The flower spikes are but if you trim them down and mostly ignore the plant for a few weeks (well that's my orchid care technique...) more flower spikes will grow.

No, it just goes through cycles of losing/ growing new stems.

People always say to me they can’t keep orchids alive, I’m rubbish with plants and find them so easy and low maintenance. Is this why? People think they’ve died because the flowers have come off and chuck them away when they’re perfectly fine?

I have one like that. Do we cut the entire stick or just the dry bit?

@BeanieTeen yes!! This thread is a revelation to me. Mine always “die” ie loose the flowers and I bin them.

so where exactly should I cut? And how much off?

I have 2 like this. Where do we cut down to? Just the dried up ends or mostly down to the bottom?

I always cut the whole stalk off, quite low. The orchid will produce a whole new stalk, but you will need to be patient.

Mine regularly flower again. I can’t keep them going forever, like some of my other house plants ( one peace lily is over 25 years old), but they definitely will go for a couple of years. I suspect that I get them too wet when I kill them.

I think the cutting rule is four 'nodes' up the stalker (from the bottom)

Stalk even

I didn't know this. Is there a reason?

I have one that needs cutting off as the flowers have died, so will try this.

Does anyone know what it means if the leaves start to wilt?

Your stalks are actually about to produce flowers! So don't cut them off

By all means snip the dead/dry bits off.

But if you look further down there is a new branch and it's about to flower.

Soak the pot in water with a drop or 2 of feed in, drain to help it along

Does anyone know what it means if the leaves start to wilt? What do you mean by “wilt”? If one leaf at the bottom, that’s just the plant’s process of getting rid ofthe oldest leaf and replacing it by a new one.

If you man all leaves are floppy,then they’re not getting enough water, either because you’re not watering, or, more likely, because you’ve watered too much and the roots have rotted.

I didn't know this. Is there a reason?

Hmm I guess so but I'm not sure! Having googled it, there's reference to cutting a little above the node below the lowest flower.

I have followed the four (or is it three?) node cutting rule and some of my orchids have lasted four or five years so perhaps there's some science behind it.

Thank you, this is interesting, I will investigate. However, this is an orchid which I have had for three years and which has successfully reflowered several times. Perhaps I am losing my touch 😔

Sometimes you can see if one of the lower branches has any buds on ready to flower. If not, chop the whole thing off and forget it for a few weeks.

I have an orchid in my kitchen that looked like yours at Christmas. Chopped the stalks off and it currently has 3 incredible branches with 13 flowers on

I have 3 orchids, one sadly died recently after 8 years. The stems came off and the leaves, nothing new grew back for ages and then some flies started buzzing so I figured it was a lost cause. But I reckon if I’d intervened earlier and re-potted it then maybe it would have been ok, also we just moved house so I guess it didn’t like it’s new window sill. Anyway, unless the flies come buzzing I would always hang on 😄

I don’t tend to snip the stalks, they just dry up and break off then new ones grow. Same with the leaves.
My mum told me orchids don’t like wet feet 🤷‍♀️ So I fill the pot with water and then just leave to soak for 15 minutes and take it back out. Just once a week. That’s my kind of plant, I don’t do daily watering - the only other type of plant I have is a cactus. 8 years isn’t bad going I guess, so it seems to work.

Cut the stems to the base.

Once a week take the inner pot out and either soak for 10 minutes or use a jug to pour tepid water through the pot a few times.

You want the roots to go from silver to green. Don't allow the roots to sit in water through the week.

They like the leaves to be misted with either water or an orchid spray.

Change the location in your house, a temperature change triggers new growth-I cycle mine round the house.

There are some brilliant YouTube videos on phalaenopsis orchids.

I agree don't let them sit in water, just soak for a few minutes then let them drain, do every week or so. And bright but indirect light. I was gifted an unexpected moth (can't spell phalen...?) orchid and YouTube saved it.