Hello,

I have read many of the other threads that describe similar issues but none specifically fit my situation. I received a Phalaenopsis as a present a little more than a week ago. It had five beautiful flowers in bloom and about twelve buds. I believe it was purchased at a box store.

The first mistake I made was misting the plant, which I did for several days on the advice of an ignorant employee at a local flower/plant shop. I then placed it in a Southwest window on a tray complete with gravel and water to humidify it. I watered the plant 5 days after receiving it. On the 7th or 8th day I noticed that several of the flowers were wilting. When I got home from work these two flowers had died and several of the buds were shriveling up as well (could this be caused by the placement and should I remove these flowers and buds?). On the 10th day (yesterday)I noticed that several of the leaves were splitting down the middle and had grown a bit brittle. When I researched this I found information that recommended searching for a black sooty mold resiulting from an aphid infestation. Though I did find something that resembles this mold, I could find no aphids and dont believe this insect to be the cause. The black spots i found resembled the dying leaf pictures posted on this site under the heading "Phal-anormal: What a phal should look like" and not the pictures i found on image searches for "aphid damage".

Do these problems sound like they stem from a lack of humidity? Too much sun? This is my first orchid since falling in love with the species several months ago and I would hate to see it die. It is already painful enough watching this. Any help would be greatly apreciated.