Who/What cares for your 'chids when you're on vacation??

[Plodde]

Wondering what orchid growers do when on vacation. Does someone come over and water them? If so are u lucky enough to know someone that can water them properly? Do you just risk it and leave them unattended?

[AussieVanda]

Automated water system for me.......runs on its own battery power so if I get a mains blackout it keeps going.

[Plodde]

Wow! Very nice! Do u have a greenhouse?

[DweamGoiL]

This is a very timely post. We are going on vacation in February for 14 days and I was worrying about this myself. I have done a bit of research and I am going to try a wicking and reservoir system while we are away. Then again, I don't have that many 'chids, yet. By then, I will have a bit under 20, but I don't want to have to move them or to disrupt their lighting situation while we are away.

[Ferns Daddy]

Vacation I haven't had one of those in years, I use to have a girl come and take care of my orchids and other house plants but she went off and got married. lol

[RJSquirrel]

I don't know if I could trust anyone else to kill my plants properly.

Vacations are not on the top of peoples list when they start stackin orchids up on the patio.

This is where Orchid Societies come in handy when your gone and you have a friend in the society who will look after the plants. That is if you dont have too many to tote around.

Otherwise, water them before you leave, cut the lights off or down real low and make sure they are not left heated or cooled but with a small fan for air circulation...A week gone by they wont even notice your gone.

[AussieVanda]

Originally Posted by Plodde

Wow! Very nice! Do u have a greenhouse?

Yes.....of sorts......no walls, roof only.

[Raqsharqi]

We've had our greenhouse for a month, and have finally gotten the heating/cooling sort of worked out. We'll be taking a long vacation, though, one we planned long before the greenhouse. I don't feel confident leaving it on autopilot since I haven't seen what needs to be done in the spring. I have a friend who said she'd stop by, and I hope that works. I'll have to look into our local orchid society and see if I might find help there.

[desertanimal]

I grow indoors in s/h and the person who stays with the dog and cat can do the minimal that the orchids need for any length of time my wife and I are both gone.

[weederwoman]

What a timely post for me too. I'm going away for a week at the end of Jan., and I've been putting a lot of thought into how to handle things. My first long trip since I started growing orchids. What is this wicking system?