possible oncidium with unhappy spike

[deathofregret]

hey everyone,

i am a brand new orchid owner and i have some questions about what i think is an oncidium. (so i guess the first question is: based on the attached photo, is that what she is?)

i live in northern california. i purchased the plant on 21 april. i water my plants weekly, on saturdays. the plant has been watered 3 times now and fertilized once. about a week ago, she began losing blooms - now all but one are left - since i don't know if i was at the end of the bloom cycle, i was only slightly worried. however, the spike also began turning a yellow-brown color, starting from the top and working its way down.

the leaves all look healthy, and there doesn't appear to be root rot. i've attached photos (let me know if you need more). should i be worried about the health of my plant? should i trim the spike? (and is that actually the spike, or am i using the wrong nomenclature?) i could find lots of information about trimming phals, but very little on oncidiums. help! i'm afraid i accidentally killed her!

thanks for your help!

- h