Orchid problems (Please help or wife will kill me)?

My wife brought home an orchid last year it bloomed until early summer then the spike just died suddenly. I tried to save it by clipping it repeatedly but the spike completely died. Now it has never resprouted another spike but the leaves have doubled in size. Also there are some odd looking things growing out of the soil they look like pea pods. Can I cut them off and plant them in thier own pot for another orchid?

Orchid problems (Please help or wife will kill me)?
It's difficult to give advice not knowing the type of orchid you have but if it's the common phalenopsis then it's just patience you need. It will not flower on the same spike. It sounds like a healthy plant,ie. the leaves are doing well and that is where a new spike will sprout, at the base of the leaves. The odd looking things are probably roote which prefer the open air. Do not cut them unless they look brown and shrivelled. Orchids teach one patience; they will bloom when they are ready. Make sure it sits in a bright but not too sunny window, and day temps are warm, night cool.
Reply:Those pea pods are the roots. If you cut them off, the orchid will die. One of our customer's at work gave me an orchid. She told me that even if the orchid die, you can still cut the top part off, right above the graft and it will eventually grow back again. You can always buy a new orchid and replace the one that died.
Reply:The spike that had the orchid flowers naturally brown and harden as the flowers die. You should leave the spike until it is completely dead and clip it off from the bottom. Orchids like moisture but dont like to be watered thru the roots as they'll rot. I have about 30 cymbidium pots outside in a greenhouse and they bloom twice a year depending on the type you have. Dont trim anything off the plant, they dont need to be transplanted often either. From wht it sounds like you may have a Phelanopsis type of orchid, those are indoors and after their flowers die, place them in the bathroom so that they may collect moisture from your showers and have time to regenerate for the next bloom. I have 5 of those types in the bathroom window sill and they do just fine. You may want to add a little miracle grow or some sort of orchid nutrient about 3 or 4 times a year.