have mounted orchid, but leaving town

[kewpie]

hi all....

im leaving for five days, and im wondering what to do with my one mounted orchid. its a bulbo ambrosia, mounted on some cork.

should i soak the cork really well beforehand, and then let the whole mount dry for five days?

or should i leave the cork floating in some water so that water is constantly available to the bulbo? the mount floats on top of the water, and the plant+roots arent in the water at all. will the cork soak up too much water and drown the roots?

there is some sphag wrapped around the top of the roots, but montana is pretty dry. theres practically no humidity to speak of. what do yall think i should do?

thanks in advance!

[dahlia_guy]

I would soak it really well and leave it in a shady spot. Maybe in the bathroom??? I think the plant would do better w/out very much light than being bone dry for 5 days. I let my mounts go 5 days without watering only because they are in the GH in 75% humidity. I think I also heard of someone soaking their mounts, spraying them w/ physan, (letting the leaves dry), and putting them in shoe boxes for a few days while they were gone to conserve moisture. Hopefully someone who has been in this situation before will reply. Good luck.

Travis

[Liz]

I don't have anything mounted, so this may be worth just 2 cents, but what about a humidifier in the bathroom? Maybe that won't work since they only run about 24 hours. How about putting it on an on-off timer so it only runs a couple of hours each day until you get back?
Liz

[kewpie]

thanks for the good ideas, travis and liz!

i think that the bathroom humidifier idea will work out just fine. im not sure about this whole mounting thing in my growing environment, but im giving it a try. im especially worried about the winter. right now, the bulbo is happy as a clam...new (really thin) roots and everything. who knows whats gonna happen in a couple of months from now, when winter sets in.

[dosal]

I've put my mounts into a larger pot with moist medium all around the mount. For that matter at present I have one mount in the house where I don't water daily. I put the mount upright into a decorative pot and watered over the roots. There is enough moisture in the bottom of the pot to wick water to the rootzone, but this is a branch and absorbs water much easier than cork ever will. Presoaking cork won't work. Floating is what I would do in your place.