Hi Carol! I will definitely take that advice and leave him alone for now. I'm building my collection and usually have one that I can care for to feed my addiction! I have 24 orchids right now (with 3 more arriving today, which will bring me to 27), plus a variety of odd houseplants including eucalyptus & patchouli. I started my orchid obsession with Phals, which is probably typical. Then as my comfort with them increased, I added Catts, Dendrobiums & Oncidiums. More new additions include the Miltonia Raspberry, the Vanda, and a baby Jumella... at least it looks like a baby! I have read that those bloom when they're very small so I have NO IDEA what stage it's at. It arrived as a bonus gift with one of my purchases. I should probably post about that little guy.
Perhaps you can help set my mind at ease. I'm going out of town for a week and I'm near panic worrying about the orchids. It's mostly just separation anxiety on my part. My husband will be home to take care of them but he doesn't know the regime I have in place for their maintenance. Do you ever leave them for a full week without watering? I was going to just pick a day and tell hubby to water all of them. I don't want him to be overwhelmed or do something potentially damaging to them. I'm a bit stressed out about it. I love these plants so much, they are a huge part of my life. Second only to my son & family really....as crazy as that sounds. I work full time from home so I'm constantly interacting with them in some way. I hope that doesn't sound psycho.....lol!