Dendrobium Keieke flowering

[edgy]

Hello Everyone!
I just wanted to share some pictures of a Dendrobium keiki that just bloomed this morning. I bought the Den back in Oct. Shortly after it lost all it's flowers and I trimmed the spike, It sprouted three keikis. One of them went immediately into spiking. I have a question though, As you can see the bottom leaves are yellowing. I don't think I'm over watering but maybe I am. Does anyone have any advice on how often Dens should be watered and how to tell when water is needed?

[digitalgate]

the mother cane is a goner but don't cut just yet. You can try tie some charcoal to the
small keiki and let it grow more root and let the keiki mature. Oh, the top will be heavy.
you might need to support the plant with a stick.

[berkeleysgr8]

Many dends drop their leaves after flowering. I disagree that the "mother cane is a goner". It is not uncommon for older canes to end up leafless and shriveled. Even if they're ugly, they're still supporting the newer canes by acting as a reserve for fluids and should not be cut. I'm unsure whether you have a true keiki where the flower growth is. I see the roots, but I don't see any leaves!

[edgy]

This is my first and only Den, for now. You're right, there are no leaves on it. At the base of the plant there are two others. Both are growing leaves. This one just started spiking.

[patticake]

How bizzare...It's pretty cool looking, though

[kmarch]

A couple of thoughts:
1) I too disagree with digitalgate that the mother cane is a "goner." A dendrobium cane can lose it's leaves and still be a viable storage unit for moisture and nutirents that continues to benefit the whole plant.
2) I believe I posted this in your other thread on the same plant (which Imay combine with this so people can see the progression), but I am still not convinced you actually have a keiki. Yes you have roots but I still don't see anything that looks to actually be a keiki. As I said in the other thread, odd things can happen in hybrids, the more complex the more likely. I suspect that this rooted inflorescence will probably not grow on to be a keiki. Lets wait and see. I'm curious to see if I'm right or not.