this Coming 4th of July with a ?mark
 

My vacation is coming up next week for the Holiday & just pondering.....

I have two Phals & a Catt on the job and trying to decide whether bringing the plants with me or watering them well and letting them stay where they are now would be more beneficial for them. I will be gone 14 days.

By taking them I will run the risk of transport damage and their placement readjustments as they have been doing well at work on the window ledges that have smoked out glass panes.

Just asking!

I give mine a good soak and leave them. They’ve all weathered 14 days fine.

Phals and Catts are rather hardy and will tolerate a dry spell better than other orchids (at least in my experience). Mine often go 10-14 days without water in the summer. I usually give them a good long soak before leaving and move them away from the windows. They're fine when I get back, just really thirsty!

But since your orchids are at work, couldn't you ask a colleague to water them once for you? When I had orchids at work in the past I always found someone who was happy to help.

My work room windows have been replaced awhile ago with cloudy glass panels that filter light pretty well, think I might be able to leave on the sills?
I can always move them back further on surplus shelving if need to.

You must work in a better place than I along with friendlier peeps ;).

I'd suggest moving them back from the windows - with less light and heat, their water needs will be reduced. Depending on how warm and dry your office gets, you could even set the pots in a shallow saucer with water - it's opposite of what these plants want on a regular basis, but the extra water, which will be soaked up in a few days, will buy an extra few days of hydration, which should be sufficient. A few days with wet roots, which will then dry, is not enough for rot to set in.

I do that as well, but didn't bring it up since it goes against all the usual advice of not letting the pots stand in water. I do that when going on vacation, and in the summer I water all my orchids this way since it allows the plants to go a few more days without watering (I dislike watering more than once a week due to the time it takes!)

I’ve probably got close to 30 orchids (Phals, Paphs, and a intergeneric) crammed onto my windowsill at work. There’s really nowhere to move them and they do fine. They don’t get any direct sun though. If I’m going to be gone for two weeks, I’ll often leave a little water in the saucer with the Paphs and the intergeneric.

I also water my co-workers’ orchids which include nobile type Dendrobiums and Cattleyas in windows that do get morning sun and they also do fine going 14 days. I’m kind of in charge of watering all the office plants so I’ve gravitated towards orchids and Christmas cactus because they’ve been the only ones that can survive if I take an extended absence ;-) The folks in my office mean well but when we get busy sometimes things slip a week so any plants that make it long term have to survive some neglect.