Thank you all so much, you have been very helpful! It's looked this way for about eight months. When I first got the orchid, I had never had one before and I'm CERTAIN I overwatered it, I probably watered it every other day. I thought the potting mix needed to be WET.
It somehow survived, until we left for vacation and I don't think it was watered at all in the two weeks our house sitter was there. Temperatures in the house exceeded 95 degrees as well, it was at least that the day we came home. It's looked like this ever since. The black spots developed about a month later, so probably around the first week of August. Strangely, it demands almost twice as much water as my other orchid, which I water about every three - four days and is as happy as a clam:
The sick one needs to be watered every other day, period, or it drops flowers (there's only two pathetic ones left, but it's flowered non-stop since august). I cut off one stalk about six weeks ago (treated the end with cinnamon), and was about to get brutal and cut off this one to try to save it until I discovered the keiki.
Is a foot away far enough for this plant from the sick one? It does NOT have the spots that even the new leaf on this one has, it's been about that distance for 6 months and seems fine. I just am careful not to touch it after I've touched the other one.
I'm so excited! I've felt just so awful about this poor plant, and thought then I'd have to kill its child. I bought some physan that should arrive with the new potting mix, but I will try the dish soap and cinnamon for the next few days. These spots certainly didn't look like anything I had seen on orchid websites at all. I'll see if I can get a better, tight photo of the spots on the new growth and post, that's where it's clearest.
Thank you all again! My husband (horror) has been trying to get me to throw this one away, but I really want to save it. I think orchids are lovely, and now that I've had success with the one, I'd like to make it more of a hobby.