Houseplants: Orchid - dead?

[BlunderMifflin]

Someone gave me this orchid as a present a couple of months ago. I watered it only when it felt dry. Kept it out of direct sunlight yet a bright and draft-free position. I don't know what kind of orchid it is but it had small pinky-purple flowers along the top of these stems which all started going dry and falling off a couple of weeks ago. The stems now feel dry and brown and a bit twig like. The leaves are still green and fine.
Is it dead now? Will the flowers come back? Tbh I don't really like it as I prefer fuller, leafier plants. I'm not good with houseplants at all but did feel obliged to the gift-giver to try with this one!

The leaves look fine and it will make new flower stems when it's ready - meanwhile, snip off the old ones.

It looks pretty healthy - just chop the dead flower stems off. But to be honest if you don’t like the look of it without flowers then get rid of it… it could be next summer by the time it flowers again.

OP I snipped my dead stems off inDecember. I’ve been using a drip feeder for a couple of months (around June) and mine is now starting to grow a new flower stem, along with a couple of new leaves.

I've got one that I snipped the 'seeds' off one bit, left the other, only to realise they were flower buds. So I've got two again when I could've had 4. But if no buds then snip them down. My other orchid is growing a new frond slowly, it takes more than a year! Make sure you don't give too much water.

As others said, it’ll come back, snip off the stems but also transfer to a clear pot will also help.

Mine just reflowered after a year, it looks healthy to me

Ok if you all think it looks ok and just needs a snip then I'll give it another chance (I didn't really want to throw it away just because I'm not keen on it, it is a living being after all!)
So do I snip the stems off as close to the leaves as I can?

It's a phalaenopsis or moth orchid.Apart from the winter months mine are sprayed daily, may they go outside in hanging baskets under a tree in shade. Their natural habitat is the rain forest. I have about 25,so it's much easier for me to feed and water them like this. They dislike dry air or sunlight.If the stem is completely brown and dry,chop it off near the leaves. If it has any green,there will be little nodules cut just above one. At this time of the year, I put mine in a cooler room for a month or so,to give them a rest and encourage re flowering. I used a liquid feed,diluted,rain water only. But if you don't actually like them, I wouldn't bother doing any of this.

Don't throw it away though, ask if anyone you know would like it.
I'd take one if it was otherwise going in the bin.

Good to know what it's called - thanks! I don't have anyone to pass it on to so it's stuck with me. I have just chopped the brown stems off and noticed this brand new leaf, which is encouraging  I might not like the plant itself much but I do love seeing new green leaves.

Take out the stakes and let it grow how it does in the wild. They tend to trail rather than grow upwards. Lovely new leaf and I hope you get some new flowers stems soon

Oh wow I didn't know they trail! I've only ever seen them with the stakes. I do like trailing plants so I'll see how that goes. Thanks for the tip!

You saved me typing all this out.

Exactly this ⬆️⬆️⬆️

Same here with my daughters orchid.

We have new leaf growth.

It will grow new stems, potentially quite soon. They like quite a bright position - not burning-hot direct sunlight as that can scorch the leaves, but plenty of light, and that will encourage new flower stems sooner. I don't fuss about mine much, they get watered a bit once a week and orchid food once in a blue moon when I remember 😂but they keep going, and when the flowers finish I just keep half an eye and sooner or later see a new stem (or a shoot from the old one) starting to appear. And they are beautiful when they flower!

I have 5 moth orchids that I've kept going for over 3 years. Snip off the flower stems below a 'node'. Place is a cool space. Water infrequently and come spring you will have at least 1 new flower stick growing.

I have had some of mine quite a few years. I find the ones with the big white flowers, flower longest. I had one the last flower fell off in may,it had been flowering 2 solid years. I don't re pot them into larger pots,I have so many,it would cost a fortune, and they have different colour pots in different rooms. I do replace the bark every few years.I have never had one actually "trail". The stems are really thick. I remove the sticks when they go outside, and the thick stems just grow out sideways.

It looks really healthy. They like a north facing window so indirect sunlight, clear spot to let light to the roots. Don’t overwater.

@Nannyfannybanny you are right, they don't trail as such, but growing them up the stakes is unnatural for them.
I used to spend ages tying them onto stakes and getting frustrated when they didn't flower for long. The one I have currently my dh bought for our wedding anniversary last year and it has pretty much flowered the whole year, probably more due to the type rather than growing method. But I think it looks much better growing down over the edge of the pot
photo is a few months old and it now has lots of flowers on it, but it seems to love its wider flat pot and is growing lots of new leaves

Hello longtompot, I've got in excess of 25, it wouldn't be practical for me to have them in pots without stakes. They would all be tangled up.I see you have yours in what looks like a shallow glass dish. Mine are very top heavy. I know they are usually sold in transparent plastic pots,I live quite near mcbeans very famous orchid breeders, they show at Chelsea and the like, and they say you should never grow orchids in transparent pots, because the oxygen on damp roots promotes algae and root rot..

But... but.. that may be true of other orchid species, but Phalenopsis orchids have aerial roots that don't need to be in soil like other plants. They have chlorophyll in them that they use to photosynthesise and for that, they need light. They are sold in clear pots for a reason, and the pots are filled with orchid bark only to hold the plant secure in the pot. The bark is in large lumps that lets some light through. In the wild, they live in trees, and the roots dangle down in the fresh air, getting the light and moisture they need from the atmosphere.

I've grown them in clear pots for years, so I am very puzzled by what those growers say.

If you don't want it, take it to a charity shop. They often sell donated plants.

Yamadori,yes, I know all that. As you see I put mine outside in the summer months,under trees in the shade. This is what I was told by orchid experts of many years and is what I have always done. I am waiting for someone to come on here and say they keep their orchids in a south facing window and never water them.. the one that flowered for 2 years solid outside, the flower stems was over 2 feet long. Of course I appreciate different strokes for different folks👍

Phalaenopsis orchids live in trees, but as I understand it, they live on the accumulations of debris that gather in forks between branches. So I can quite see that they’ll have some roots anchoring into the debris and some aerial roots. So both arguments may be true. What everyone agrees on is that you shouldn’t take the roots waving around in the air and try to push them into the soil/bark.