Away for 2 weeks--keeping the 'chids alive

[irrka]

Hi, i am finally going on vacation and going to be away for 2 weeks.

I've 8 'chids and a few regular house plants. Most chids are in S/H, one is in moss and in bud, and one's in bark. Because it's so dry i've been having to add water pretty frequently to the S/H pots so i know i won't be able to leave those for 2 weeks straight with nothing coming.

I was thinking of putting all the pots into plastic bag(s) a-la sphag-n-bag and out of the sun for two weeks.

Can i do the same with my catt in bark and my budding phal in moss?? i bought a misting machine online but it's not here yet and i'm starting to doubt it'll get here on time.

[Ray]

Move them to a shadier location, water them very thoroughly just before you leave, and stop worrying. Orchids are extremely hardy, and two weeks is a "walk in the park".

[irrka]

Thanks!!

[Gwenchanter]

LOL yeah I went away for three months over the summer and just hid my phals in the bushes. I wouldn't reccomend it because some kind of bug ate a bunch of holes in the leaves but they are still alive and re-blooming as we speak. I think people don't realize that orchids are not as delicate as they seem.

[cb977]

If there's one thing I've learned about orchids, it's that they are not the fragile sissy plants I once thought them to be!

I know of folks who've ignored theirs for some time and came back to find all kinds of interesting stuff growing!

Enjoy your trip...give us a status report when you get back

[irrka]

I'm going to Thailand, do you think i could smuggle some plants in? yeah right, considering i get drug searched every time i go anywhere.... it's me and the 80-year-old-grannies with purple hair--we're very suspicious looking.

[*Trouble*]

Hi irrka,

I'm just back from Thailand, where I bought orchid seedlings in glass bottles. They're even available to buy in the airports.

If you go to a good orchid farm out there they will send full grown orchids to you at home.

[irrka]

oooh it's a good thing i didn't have the link for this while i was travelling. i thought we weren't allowed to bring plants in?
Anyway, came home and found most of them ok, the only one that looked a bit sad was the one in bud--except for two buds all of them fell off (got too dry i guess), but i'm hoping for the tip to make some more. No flowers yet, keeping my fingers crossed. And my other (big) phal made a spike!! woo hoo!!
P.S. can't believe these things grow almost like weeds in thailand!!!! (and thank god no one offered to ship them home to me from the orchid farm--i wouldn't have had money left for diving probably!)

[irrka]

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