What's the best way to water the orchids while on vacation?
 

Hi everyone!
I'll be leaving for 2 months so I got a hose faucet timer to program the sprinkler to water my orchids.But now I don't know how offen should I set? Water every day or 2 per week? I have some on mounted some in pot. My orchid are Cym.Cat.Phal.Neo.Den.......
I am zone 6b. Thank you!
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If you use an automated sprinkler system on a timer, the chance of you being happy about your orchids when you come home is minimal.

I suggest you send your plants to summer camp. If you can't find a friend who's good with plants, you may find a nursery that boards plants for people on vacation.

If you insist on using the sprinkler system, I would take the plants out of their pots, and mount them. (Not the Cymbidium.) Mounted plants do better with frequent watering than do plants in pots.

Take the Cymbidium to a friend who has a lot of house plants. Don't tell them it's an orchid. Tell them to water when it's almost dry, and not to let it sit in water. It will be fine.

I find even going on a week vacation is a challenge. I would second the idea of sending them to a "boarding camp". When I go away I have a wonderful sister that takes care of my (oh, about...) 70 orchids. What I do is group them according to watering needs, i.e. the mounted ones go right nest to the cat food with a spray bottle and a "give me a drink every day" note, the paphs and other orchids that like to be moist are put together on a tabletop with a watering can and a note asking to be watered twice. The rest I do right before I go and first thing when I get back. I expect to lose one or two, usually seedlings.

My cymbidiums are outside and they are watered with my windowboxes and planters...whenever she has a chance or God sends a shower.

I think your idea has merit if the sprinkler is used just for the plants that would normally be in a once a week watering routine, but two months is a long time and many other variables come in to play...think "pests".

I am looking forward to hearing other responses and to knowing what you ultimately decide. Good luck and enjoy your vacation.

Find a friend or even someone you can pay to bring in your mail, check your home, since insurance likely requires it, and also water the orchids.

We hire a house sitter as we have 3 cats that need to be looked after. So he moves in, tends to our cats and waters my orchids as per my instructions. We pay him for this service.

I would say call in a favor, and offer up some cash to have someone who you trust to come and water and love them once a week.

Two months is a long time, much different than two weeks. If you will be away two months, surely there is someone cutting the grass, weeding flower beds, checking on things and watching the home (wouldn't want to risk a pipe breaking or a break-in....) so maybe, for some extra money, you could teach the person to use the timer to ask them to check on the orchids (and other plants). The plants will need fertilizer during the growing season and, if PA's conditions are anything like Ohio's you can get unexpected weather extremes over such a long period. If you hire an extra person to take care of your orchids, it will also provide more security for your home. Good luck and have a great vacation!

Thanks estación seca!
I'll check if I can mount any of them.
And will bring my Cymbidium to my friend and let her take care of them :)

---------- Post added at 02:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:46 PM ----------

Thanks Leafmite!
My next door neighbor will be cutting the grass and watching the house for us. That all I can ask for :biggrin:
All my friends live very far away the closest one will take 1 hour diving.

Tellmewhy, I see you are located in Pennsylvania. I don't know exactly where zone 6b cuts off but maybe look up Little Brook Orchids in Lancaster...they do plant boarding at very reasonable prices and they are fantastic!

Thanks everyone!
Just came back from my vacation. All the orchids are fine . Some of them bloom while I was away( saw some dry spike on the Taiwanese bulbo and still have some flower left on the encyclia)