Going on vacations - What do you think of my solution?

[rbarata]

A very simple solution to fight low humidity and some thirst.
These are my Laelia lundii and Laelia harpophylla.

Even if the plant get some minor thirst, my goal is to give some moiture to the new roots that are growing now (especially in the lundii).

I'll be out for a week only but humidity is lower than 20%.
Do you think burying the pots in the sphagnum might cause some problems due to low air circulation? I plan to saturate the lower layer of the sphagnum with water but just enough to keep it wet.

[Roberta]

I don't think one week with less-than-wonderful air circulation will be a problem. Also, as the sphagnum dries out, air replaces the water. Orchids are tough, especially members of the Cattleya tribe, these little guys are among the toughest. These will hardly notice that you're gone...

[jcec1]

I've done this a few times and the plants loved it.

[rbarata]

Originally Posted by jcec1

I've done this a few times and the plants loved it.

So I'll keep this solution even after the vacations.

Thank you!

[Roberta]

Long term, it may be too wet for these plants. both like to dry out. For one week, not a big deal to deviate from the ideal to make sure that the plants stay hydrated. But milleri can be either an epiphyte or lithophyte, lundii pretty much an epiphyte. Your low humidity should not be a problem if you water at least once a day (in the summer heat, evening is ideal for everything, so that the plants have the cooler night to absorb water before the daytime heat dries them out).

[rbarata]

Roberta, one of them is not a milleri...it's an harpophylla.

[Roberta]

Sorry... Harpophylla definitely an epiphyte. But same conclusion... I don't think that it wants to be that wet in the long term.

[rbarata]

No problem...one detail is that harpophylla don't have pbulbs. They look pbulbs but are not, they don't store any water so one must be continuously watering them.



It would be a shame to let these die.

[SouthPark]

To help with air circulation --- could possibly use some digital-timer (with battery-backup) to switch on a fan every once in a while.

[Roberta]

I don't think that for just a week that the orchids would object to slightly-less-than-ideal situation. Extra air circulation would dry things out faster, and maintaining hydration, especially with the heat that Europe has been experiencing, is the most important factor.