Vacation Findings
I was worried that leaving my orchids for a whole week during the Summer unattended would surely end in disaster. I did, however, make a few adjustments to their usual routine just to ensure they would not overheat while we were gone. Basically, we turned off all the growing lights, filled all the humidity trays, left their fans on and the AC on to about 75 F. I did leave the vertical blinds half closed so they would get some light, but not a lot of sun. The morning we left, I gave them a good watering and off we went.
I watered them this morning and although they were due again, they weren't overly dry or dessicated. They actually did quite well. Some of the cooler growers actually look better than when I left. I hope they don't get too used to the AC being on all the time because that is cost prohibitive, but since we weren't here to switch things on and off, I would rather err on the side of caution.
This was definitely a learning experience but it's good to know we can go away for a week or two and the 'chid babies will be just fine!
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