What do you do when you are away on vacation?

[TwoStems]

For those orchid enthusiasts who grow at home and don't have a staff to care for their plants, what do you do when you are away for an exteded period of time? Do you have a trusted friend to watch after your plants? Do you have everything in S/H and water thoroughly before you go? What's your strategy?
I'm always nervous about being away from my plants for too long, but maybe I'm a control freak
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[Kmac]

Ali,

I do grow at home, and faced this last summer...but it was only a 1 week trip. I left the catts outside (they summer on my patio, and Texas in August is HOT), and watered them well before I left...also pulled them up into a place where they got a bit more shade. They were fine. The things that needed more moisture, I left indoors, watered well, and had my son water once, mid-week. They were also fine. I guess it would depend though on what you have and how long you will be gone...

[TwoStems]

I was gone for a week recently. Lucky for me, all my orchids are in the office and I work with another orchid enthusiast. I left her a note on what plants needed what and they did fine, but I wonder how people handle having their plants at home. I have always had bad luck bringing indoor plants outside; they always get some kind of bug infestation and I invariably lose plants. I would like to keep some more orchids at home since they're so lovely, but I wouldn't want to bring them all to work prior to a long trip haha. I don't think I'll be going anywhere else for awhile, but I thought this would be a good resource for those who grow at home
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