Is my Dendrobium okay???

[kittyfixer]

Hello! I am an orchid newbie, and to be honest, most house plants and I don't get along so well. I got three orchids from a big box store 90% off sale - this one was $4.99. It is happy (I think) in my low-light family room, getting only indirect sunlight. It has perked up since I got it one month ago, and the leaves look stronger and healthier than before. But, the top of the plant (the shoot?) where the bloom is, is now turning brown and the bloom is fading. I expected the bloom to fade, but thought the larger stem it was attached to would keep growing. Am I doing something wrong? I read enough to not cut anything!

Please help!

Here are my pics:
http://gretchensorchids.shutterfly.com/

[WhiteRabbit]

Hello!

The cane (the part with the leaves) is done growing, but should live on for some time still (a few years, at least)- new growth will come from the base of the cane - this type of orchid is sympodial - meaning it sends up new growth from along a rhizome, rather than continuing to grow upwards - blooms generally come from mature, or very nearly mature canes. The canes will with time drop their foliage, but should remain green and plump (wrinkling a bit with age) and firm, and continue to support the plant to grow more, so you don't want to remove old canes unless they are dead. You can cut off the bloom spike when the flowers are spent.

The plant looks good - will most likely need more light to rebloom -some of this type MAY rebloom on previously bloomed canes, but more likely, won't bloom again til new growth has matured - likely around the same time next year.