Close to blooming Paph and travel (also other plants)

[RoseSD]

Have you used wick method? It works well for my SM with LECA. You can use it with barks too.
Keep your plants watered while away for the holidays. Here's how - CNET

[naturalistSean]

Thanks RoseSD! I'd forgotten about that method.

[Burgos]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Products designed for plants that grow in soil I don't think I'd use on orchids... a good soaking, plus some water in a dish under the pot, should be plenty of hydration for a little over a week.

Mine have done well so far during the two week holidays I'm away in August

[WaterWitchin]

I'd do just as Roberta says for the paph and oncidium. A week away isn't long, as long as it doesn't happen frequently. And they both look more than a week away from blooming. The den, it's so small I'd likely box it and take it with me. But that's because unwatered mounts make me nervous. Just throw it in the glove box until you arrive.

[RoseSD]

Do orchids generally need more or less water while in.blooom?

[Roberta]

I treat them the same in bloom or not. Same watering, same fertilizing. Just keep the plant healthy, blooming is part of the natural cycle. The only thing I do differently is to bring them into the house to enjoy them. Though sometimes that shortens the bloom. The plant is happiest having nothing different, but the flowers are my reward and so I do compromise a little to enjoy them.

[WaterWitchin]

Same here! If it’s blooming, it joins a display!

[naturalistSean]

Thanks again for the help everyone! I'm back and, behold the results for the plants I inquired about.

The Paph has really come along nicely, just a little more to go. I took the advice to water is well and leave it sitting in a bit of water.
The Oncidium has a bit of bud blast but otherwise the buds are more plump. I watered it well before leaving and left it sitting in a bit of extra water.
The little Dendrobium has survived, but the new psuedobulbs have shriveled a lot. Where they used to be convex they are concave. Maybe the stress will prompt it to flower? I soaked it for a few hours and left it hanging in a cool stairwell near a window.

I also left a lot of other plants alone. The mounted Haraella retrocalla I put in a large (a 1 liter Maß) beer glass with some water. It seems to have fared well.

Thanks again!

[estación seca]

Noch ein Maß, bitte!

I don't know what to say about the tetragonum. I suspect it wasn't hurt at all, and will plump up soon. The Aussie Dens that people report trouble flowering generally need quite cool winter nights to flower, not water restriction. An example of this is how Den. kingianum and speciosum flower well when kept outdoors in southern California, even though they get winter rain.

[Roberta]

I'm sure that Den. tetragonum will be fine whether it plumps up or not. The canes on mine mostly look like that, and they bloom repeatedly - canes with no leaves are where the blooming mostly happens.