Going on vacation - how do I best care for my mounts

[crazy4bengals]

Hi. I am going on vacation for 8 days and I was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions, or advice for caring for my mounts while I am away. I do not have anyone to water the mounts during the week. One idea I have is putting them in a 10 gallon aquarium with an air stone bubbling in a small container of water and hydroton. My test so far is yielding a RH of 94%. I have a small PC fan running to circulate the air. Should I keep the lights off or will an overhead T5 be OK? I plan to soak the mounts the morning I leave. Will they be OK for this amount of time while I am gone? Thanks in advance.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

What exactly are you growing on mounts? Different plants will behave differently. It's not possible to make an accurate assessment without taking into consideration the specifics.

[RobS]

RH of 94% could mean fungus and bacterial problems. Be carefull of that. Most plants with hard / thick leaves like cattleya and Encyclia do better without water then such a high humidity.

[RosieC]

As Philip has said I think it does depend on the plant. I had the same dilema just a few weeks back for my mounted Miltionia... I was so close to taking it with me for the 8 days

My solution was not at all ideal, although my plant survived. I put the mount inside a large glass pot, draped a small amount of damp sphagnum arround the mount, then left water in the bottom of the pot (below the level of the plant).

I was quite worried until I got home, that it either may have dried to much (if we had had hot weather it would have done) or would be too wet. In the end I think the weather was coolish and it was kept too wet with alge starting to grow in places. It did survive though and I washed if off when I got home and left it in a breazy spot outside to dry and it now (just under a week later) is fine.

[britbloke]

If you could put your mounts outside, I'd use a simple drip/mist system on a timer.
I've given this a lot of thought, and although I know it's less than a perfect solution, it's what I intend to use when I'm away for two weeks. I recently left mounts outside in Florida for 5 days (no rain) and 90 sunny days, without any losses, but a couple of mounted Phals were a little dehydrated when I got back.
Tony

[Izzie]

As mentioned, depends on the plant. I've heard of some people just soaking their mounts and then chucking them in a big rubbermaid with the lid vented to keep them humid. With out air circulation, it might pose some problems over time, but it worked like a charm for a few people on here.

[crazy4bengals]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. These are the mounts. Phal. Timothy Christopher, Cirr. Elizabeth Ann, Oncidium Variegatum, and Encyclia cordigera. I will probably put them in the aquarium without the air stone, and run the fan with the top closed. I'll post how things turn out.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I think these plants will be alright in high humidity.

But you must be careful and watch how they do before you leave for vacation. In other words, do what you plan to do before vacation, and see how that works out for you in your presence.

[Miyuki]

I recently had to be away for a week without much time to plan or prepare my mounts for my absence. As a quick solution, I soaked each mount, and then put them in a "Green Bag". These bags are sold for storing fruits and vegetables and are supposed to be able to "breath". It worked really well.

[britbloke]

I think Phillip's suggestion to make sure everything works before you leave is critical...
I can't tell you how many times my 'best ideas' just didn't deliver when I tested them...

The green-bag idea is interesting, maybe I'll try that for short absences.
Tony