Will they live???

[Bolero]

Hi guys, sorry I haven't been in any forums (especially this one) much lately. I have been very busy with life.

Which brings me to my question. I have several hundred paph hybrids and species. I am flying overseas in a few days time and need to leave them behind.

The ones I have grow cold (except for a few that grow inside). For two weeks they will be outside in temps between 40F and 65F. They won't be watered......will they live without water for 2 weeks being small plants? My larger plants I believe will be ok, but the smaller ones (in 50mm pots) I am concerned about.

What do you think??? Someone suggested sitting paphs with the bottom of the pots in water so they draw up the water to the roots until I return but this could also cause rotting. Most of the are chinese type paph species and hybrids.

Note: I have many others as well but the paphs are my main concern.

 

[biothanasis]

Hmmm.... this can be very tricky...! Can you provide them with at least a misting system till noon, so that they have humidity?

Could you use containers fiiled with water with cotton ropes in the pots so that the plants drain adequate water so that they do not dehydrate? You could put them alltogether in bigger pots so that you do not get messed with many ropes etc...! A friend used it and it worked...

Well I do not have any other ideas, but if the plants are getting dry air they should be getting some water... Any friend nearby to water them?? Good luck...!!!

 

[Bolero]

Yeah I might have to find someone fast. Thanks, I guess my thoughts on just keeping them dry for two weeks won't work out.

 

[Ernie]

Are they established well (rooted)? You have a chance if you hydrate them well before you leave and keep them a bit shaded. 65 F, is that the daytime high? That'll help out too because cooler temps slow plant metab down, requiring less water. Cool and dim is better than hot and bright in your case here. Water them very well two or three days in a row before you leave then cross your fingers. If someone can water them about a week or so later, even better, but maybe not necessary. Parvis (you mention Chinese paphs) are pretty good at conserving water too- Barbata types, not so much.

-Ernie

 

[valenzino]

You can put them sitting in water but water must be running water all the time.I suggest big trays and make water circulate with acquarium pump...semy hydroponics.Before go away treat all plants with Phyton or similar.

 

[John Boy]

Get a Slipper Sitter! Not worth to gamble it!!! I'd come....if you get the ticket.

Serious, ask your nearest neighbour, anything's better than nothing.

 

[Shiva]

Paphios are much tougher than we think. Water them well before leaving, find a cooler, shadier place for those inside to put them in and they'll last the two weeks or maybe even three. And have a nice trip.

 

[Ross]

I agree! Saturate the pots with water before leaving and they should be OK, especially if it is cool and shady where they will be.

Upon thinking a little more, how fast they dry out will be dependent on the mix the plants are in. How quickly do your small pots dry out normally?

 

[gonewild]

Stand them in water that will last about a week. Maybe that is a half inch or so?
If the water dries up in a week the roots won't have been damaged and the the media will only be drying out for one week until you return.

 

[John Boy]

so many brave people!!! Did you guys read the 5cm Pot bit?

NO, I would not work that way, certainly not if there'd be a chance to do it a better way.

 

[NYEric]

I wet mine and let friends house-sit to water them. Good Luck.

 

[smartie2000]

I'd try to get a plant sitter...
Good luck

 

[biothanasis]

If you put the small ones in bigger community pots then the water sitting thing might work, if you add the circulation factor.....

If the plants are used to bright light (because of the temp conditions), putting the plants in shadier conditions needs some "aclimatization". There might not be any good time for it and we won't know how the plants will react. So watering them heavily and leaving them in low light, might cause problems.

You might need he help of another person indeed, for watering them when you are on you trip. Whatever happens, have a nice trip and good luck!

 

[Ernie]

so many brave people!!! Did you guys read the 5cm Pot bit? .

Yep. 5 cm =~2 inches. I still think it could work, especially if daytime highs are 65 F and they are well shaded. I'd hesitate to leave plants sitting in water because the temps will decrease at night. Soggy roots plus cool temps could be worse than dry roots at cool temps IMO. If they are seedlings that aren't established, they probably will need some additional consideration (humidity dome, babysitter, etc).

-Ernie

 

[Bolero]

I could leave the blinds closed and water them the day I leave. The roots don't go all the way to the bottom of the pots so if leave the trays in containers and allow water to touch the bottom of the pots. They are in small bark and perlite and with the central heating on they need watering twice a week even in winter. However the heating will be off while I am gone.

I will see if my brother in law can come and at least water once, that could make the difference. I should have thought of this earlier.

What will I do when we go to Europe for 3 months in a few years time? I will need a committed person then......

The plants inside the house are sitting in trays which are again sitting inside storage boxes. As most of them have been deflasked in the last couple of months they are the ones I am mostly concerned about. Here is my list of plants:

Paph Armeni White (2)
Paph armeniacum x hangianum
Paph barbigerum (2)
Paph bellatulum “Good Dorsal’ x villosum ‘Naeshan’
Paph Chocolate Shot 'Hot Dip' x (Kimberley Szabo x Kerry Ann) 'Birthday Present'
Paph conco-bellatulum 'Ching Hua' x hangianum 'No. 24'
Paph Deer Lake ‘White Cloud’ x Stone Lovely “Green Angel’ – (30)
Paph delenatii ‘NV’
Paph delenatii x Golddollar ‘Tetragold’ (4N)
Paph delenatii x Pine Glow
Paph druryii ‘The King’ x ‘Charles’ (2)
Paph esquirolei ‘W.O.C’ x self
Paph esquirolei ‘alba’ (2)
Paph F.C. Puddle x In-Charm ‘Hsiao’ (3)
Paph fairrieanum – (23)
Paph fairrieanum ‘Yu Tong’ x sibling
Paph Fanaticum 'Landsdale' AM/AOC x micranthum 'Foxy
Paph Fanaticum x vietnamense ‘Hsiao’
Paph Fumi’s Delight (4)
Paph Fumi's Gold x micranthum 'Red-n-Gold'
Paph Fumi’s Gold ‘K&H’ x micranthum ‘Darkest’
Paph Golddollar
Paph Golddollar (primulinum var album x armeniacum var album)
Paph gratrixianum
Paph Hamana x Golden Acre
Paph hangianum (20)
Paph hangianum x delenatii (25)
Paph hangianum 'Nancy' x S. Gratrix 'Hsiao'
Paph helenae (2)
Paph helenae ‘Crown’ x Yosemite Moon ‘C.H. #4’ – (22)
Paph Hellas ‘Westonbirt’ x Stargate ‘Blumen Insel 11’ (3)
Paph henryanum x sibling (4)
Paph hermannii (2)
Paph Ho Chi Minh ‘Pink Cloud’
Paph Iantha Stage
Paph In-Charm Handel (2)
Paph insigne
Paph Irish Fair Lady x Stone Lovely (3)
Paph Jade Dragon (20)
Paph Kevin Porter
Paph leucochilum x hangianum (2)
Paph Liberty Taiwan
Paph (Lisa Olivelees x Golden Key) x Paph hangianum semi-alba
Paph Lynleigh Kooperwitz
Paph Magic Lantern (3)
Paph Magic Lantern ‘Hsiao’ x hangianum ‘Big Pouch’
Paph malipoense x hangianum
Paph Mem Rolf Bolin
Paph micranthum ‘Newbold’ x micranthum ‘Kerry Way 4’ (4)
Paph micranthum x armeniacum
Paph micranthum x Elise Lauren
Paph micranthum x hangianum (2)
Paph micranthum ‘Fatso’ x superbiens ‘Monster’
Paph micranthum ‘Red ‘n’ Gold’ x Fumi’s Gold (2)
Paph Mint Chocolate
Paph niveum (2)
Paph Norito Hasegawa (2)
Paph Norito Hasegawa 'Playfull' x micranthum 'Foxy'
Paph Pinocchio 'Dressden' x hangianum 'No. 26'
Paph Psyche ‘Perfect Circle’ x Conco-bellatulum ‘ys 8936 White’
Paph Quirola ‘Virginia’
Paph Rex
Paph Ruth Curran x Magic Mood 'June'
Paph spicerianum
Paph sukhakulii (4)
Paph thaianum x armeniacum (24)
Paph tigrinum (4)
Paph Tonsuk
Paph venustum x self
Paph venustum x self (‘Credo Montagna’ x Hsinying’) (11)
Paph venustum ‘alba’ (3)
Paph venustum alba x venustum alba ‘Flat Petals’ (4)
Paph vietnamense
Paph vietnamense x malipoense
Paph Wenshanense x bellatulum (3)
Paph Wenshanense 'Yellow Tiger' x hangianum 'No. 21'
Paph Wossner Vietnam Love x vietnamense 'Yip San' (2)
Paph Yerba Buena ‘White Cap’ x Todd Clark ‘Greenlight’ (11)
Phrag Green Hornet
Phrag Lyn Evans Goldner

Which is approximately 300 plants to lose......but I will get someone to water them, as you say something is better than nothing.

Thanks to everyone who responded.

 

[paworsport]

Hi Bolero

for my experience, your plant could be well one week for sure if you water them just before you leave and if you reduce the amount of light.

It is important to let some humidity around them. For my part in february I let all my 110 paph for 2 weeks for vacations and all is ok with this practice. But in february t° is low and light is not to strong.

In may it could be tricky for the second week in May...

For my part when I am in hollidays during hot days in Summer, my plants need water every week, they are a little stressed but it is ok.

 

[cnycharles]

one thing you might try is make a bed of sand in a box or tank that can hold some water; put all of the small ones into this tank so that the base of the pot just makes contact with the sand. you can do this with the larger ones as well. if you had a weekly electric timer you could set it up to water once a week (or twice) and the water can saturate the sand.

normally this type of setup would have an absorbent (wicking) fabric on top of a metal bench, and plants like african violets would sit on top; a timer turns on water that comes up from a tank, and after a few minutes it turns off and the water returns to it's tank (works very well for things that are in soil-less media like violets that don't like water over the top and you don't want to damage the flowers with overhead watering) and the water absorbed by the fabric will water the pots for a few hours, then dry eventually.

 

[etex]

Recently deflasked seedlings,hmm..
I would think it best to get a sitter and provide written and verbal instructions(a few bucks wouldn't hurt,either). When my daughter watched my plants last year,she also had to watch me give a ' correct way to water orchids ' demonstration.
If you can't get a sitter, perhaps a shallow bin(like a 6" deep sweater bin) of wetted bark that you can nest the small, watered, orchid seedling pots in. Not a clue if this would work,though.

 

[Ernie]

As most of them have been deflasked in the last couple of months...

That's a crucial piece of information that was missing from the original post. We have seedlings in 2" pots that are established and chunky with root-filled pots that would do fine, BUT freshly deflasked seedlings certainly won't appreciate a 2 week vacation.

 

[gonewild]

Recently deflasked is a different story. In this case it is better to keep them too wet rather than too dry.
Put a timed mist system over them so the foliage stays moist but not to soak the media during the day.
If you don't already know a sitter it's not likely you will find one that will take the care you want.