I got a Cattleya as a gift and need help!

[Msuskie]

I received a Cattelya as a Christmas gift and definitely need some help. I am by no means a seasoned plant-grower, and am afraid I may have done damage. I definitely overwatered it in its first month of being with me - I have since backed off, but could I have done damage that can't be undone? I've had it since the end of December and it has not bloomed. The buds have gotten bigger and more color, but within the last 7-10 days the buds have drooped and now have brown spots on them. Is there any hope?

[Suresh Kalyanpur]

Pictures of the plant will help members to guide you on what is to be done.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Without a picture it's hard to say whether the brown spots are pigmentation or disease.

Spotting on a plant can be the result of several different things. Often times, in order to tell the difference between one cause of spotting from another cause, some of the subtle characteristics of the spotting must be taken into consideration.

Those subtleties are often very difficult to properly describe in words. Describing the subtleties of spotting using words alone is difficult for growers of all levels in all walks of life of all varying degrees of intelligence. Sometimes it's not good enough to just say something to the degree of, "my plant's got spots" or to describe them as being "black" or "brown".

Furthermore, I don't think any of the members here want to be responsible for misdiagnosing a healthy plant for a plant with disease or vice versa.

A picture goes a long way. You'll often get a much more accurate answer to your question much, much faster by providing a pic.

Providing a photo also offers up more clues about the condition of your plant. Often times many different people will each spot various different problems that sometimes you or other members will not necessarily be aware of or don't know anything about.

It's also common for an ailing plant to be suffering from quite a few different problems at the same time.