Is my orchid dead?

I have a small orchid plant, it's maybe ten inches tall. It has three big green leaves on the base, a healthy looking stem, and then it hits where the once pretty white flowers were, and they are dead as is the top of the stem. At least I think they are. The stem is brown and icky, the flowers are dry and wilted and hanging. It's recently gotten really hot, but was being watered once a week. Is it dead? Should I cut off the flowers and "dead" stem? :( It used to be so pretty.





Thanks.

Is my orchid dead?
well dear, i was once like u - bought an orchid cos it was so beautiful and then didnt' know what to do with it. but then i learned. ocrchids are the easiest plants to take care of. forget everyhting what anybody ever told u or u read about them. so what they grow on trees. now they have to live in a pot. u buy a glass transparent pot for them, bigger than it already is. then u take whatever soil isin the pot (which is mostly tree bark) and mix it with bottle corks (made from tree, not plastic ones of course) AND SOME SOIL. it should be 3 parts bark and corks an 1 part soil. that way u do not need to fertilize it that often and it will get nutritions from soil and soil stay little longer moist. of course u should water them with fertilizer once a week or seldomer. i water mine just occasionally. then they always say do not put it under direct sun. that's bull''sh''it. mine are standing in the south window, of course cos i have a tree in front of my window it doesn't get that much and that long of direct sun. guess what - now it started really growing in spring - leaves and roots and they re so healthy looking and i saw both of them started flower buds. i have 2 orchids. good luck








ps. just read what previous wrote. NEVER EVER, ever put potted plants on a tray with pebbles filled with water. NEVER. it rottens roots - whater goes up. espeially orchids cant' stand in a water. that's why u will notice they have pots with very shallow trays - that water does not stay there
Reply:These loveley plants are grown for gifts. When you get them they are georgous.Most people cannot take care of them after they bloom,the simple fact is that they are hard to get to re-bloom. What you can do is cut the stem to the base of the plant .Make sure that it is not being overwatered, make sure that the plant is not in the sun. These plants love humidity, to inhance it you can put a small tray under the plant with pebbles on it. You fill the tray with water so that it doesn't overflow. While the plant is sitting on this tray the water will evaporate causing the air around the plant to humidify.





Thes plants are usually found on trees.The arial roots weave inbetween the bark.





A good all purpose fertilizer is key, use every two weeks.Also visit your local nursery for some good tips as well. Make sure its a straight nursery and not Home Depot, they don't always know all the perticulars....Good luck
Reply:i think your plant is still alive, but I dont know how to keep it alive.





I dont even know why im answering your question, except maybe to tell you what *not* to do. When mine got into the same situation as yours, I watered it really good and put it outside in the sun. Anyways, then it totally died. It was sad, it used to have really beautiful white flowers too. ='(





Orchids are not for me... *sigh*
Reply:You have a phalaenopsis orchid.





What you see is perfectly normal. Cut the spike off all the way.





See source for more info
Reply:the flower is dead but the plant is not