How long can orchids go without watering?
 

My family is going away for 3 weeks and I'm wondering if my orchids will be okay if they're not watered all that time. Help?

The tolerance of an orchid depends on a lot of factors. One genus may do extremely well without water for an extended period while another genus may need quite frequent watering. How the particular plant is grown also effects watering need; mounted orchids need daily watering in most cases, those in bark can go a bit between waterings, and those in sphagnum can last longer because it retains water longer. The temperature where the plant is growing will effect watering needs; the hotter, typically the more often the plant needs watering. And humidity is an important factor, as the water evaporates far more quickly in low humidity.

A year or so ago I ordered a couple of Psychopsis hybrids, and misaddressed the order. It took the Post Office about a month to figure it all out. When the plants arrived they were dry, but were shipped in spike and began blooming a couple of months after arrival. I'm happy to say that one of them has been in almost constant bloom since and both are growing and healthy. However, they were also well-packed and are exceptional plants.

I personally wouldn't go away from my plants for anything close to three weeks without provisions for their care. Many of mine are mounted, so I wouldn't leave them for a day! My guess is that if you leave the plants for that long you'll come home to some very, very sorry plants, though a few will likely get through it OK.

Do you have anyone who can come by your place and do a bit of orchid-sitting? If you're anywhere near Atlanta, I'd gladly do it for you.

Hi Ruthanne,

I'm an orchid novice, but I can give you my experience from a recent vacation away from my orchids.

I was gone for eight days, and the lack of watering for that time affected each orchid differently. As you might expect, this depended on the type of orchid and the type of medium. My phals and paphs in sphagnum-based mix were fine; not surprising since the moss holds moisture well. My various orchids which reside in bark (oncidium, oncidium intergenerics, zygopetalum, miltoniopsis, dendrobium, etc.) were a little wilted, and some showed new wrinkles on previously smooth pseudobulbs. The orchid which fared the worst was my encyclia, which is potted in an inorganic medium which does not hold moisture very long- it was wilted and several flowers had turned brown.

Overall, each orchid perked right up after a soaking watering, even the encyclia, although the wrinkles on the pseudobulbs are here to stay. That was my experience after a week, and for my collection and watering habits, I would arrange for someone to water my plants if I were to leave for three weeks. Good luck, and have a great trip!

Yeah - really depends on what type of orchid, climate, potting media and size of pot - anything without pseudobulbs tho likely won't make it that long without watering. Catts in larger pots in moisture retentive media stand a chance if it's not excessively hot and dry. Some types of Dens the same.
It would probably be a good idea if someone can come over and water at least a few times while you are gone - or if they can go to someone else's home to be taken care of.

you could put them in a clear storage box in the bathroom maybe put an inch of water in the storage box or a wet towel.

If you have them outside, you might consider bringing them indoors. If this isn't possible, move them to a shady spot or patio. They will slow down and their need for water along with it.