How to Care for Plants When You Are Away
When you go on vacation, it is essential to have someone take care of your plants. And can be done in a few ways. You can get another person to take care of them for you. You can leave detailed instructions for their care.
That person could be your friend, neighbour, or even a family member. If not possible then you can take help from a nearby gardener.
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Water Thoroughly Before You Leave
Are you leaving for an extended period? Make sure your plants have a good water supply before you go. You don’t want to come back to brown plants. If you’re moving houseplants away from warm windows and direct sunlight to a place where they only receive indirect sunlight, make sure to water them well beforehand not to shock their system.
For plants that need more water, or large groups of plants, use your bathtub as the saucer–just be careful not to overwater!
Move Your Plants Out of the Sun
When the sun is out, it can quickly dry out plants. If you can, try to move them into a shady spot. Indoor plants can also benefit from dim conditions—placing them near a window with a sheer curtain will help keep them moist.
Keep Them Together
When planting your plants, be sure to group them close together. This will create a microclimate that helps to keep the air moist and can buy you an extra day or two before they need to be watered. Sun-loving plants can tolerate shade for about a week or so.
Asking a Friend or Neighbour
You might need to ask someone to water your plants while you’re away—maybe you’re going on vacation, or you have to go out of town for work. No matter the reason, it’s essential to make sure your plants are well taken care of. You can either use a watering timer or ask a friend or neighbor to help. Depending on their type, it’s also essential to know how often and when to water your plants. Make sure you have all the supplies you’ll need before asking for help!
Low Maintenance Plants
There are a variety of low-maintenance plants that you can choose from to help liven up your space. Air plants, money trees, orchids, and succulents are all great options that don’t require care and attention.
Low maintenance plants will suppress your focus on plants when on a trip. If you travel often, then these plants are best suitable for you.
How Do I Keep Plants Alive When I’m Away?
Watering plants is one of the most important things you can do to keep them healthy while you’re away on vacation. There are several ways to water your plants, depending on your situation. You can use a timer to water your indoor plants or ask a friend or neighbor to water them. If you have outdoor plants, you can either water them yourself or hire a professional to do it for you.
Water Drip System
To water your plants while away, cut the cotton ropes into pieces and fill a gallon jug with water. Tie each piece of twine around a plant’s stem, making sure that the string can hold water.
Not put the other end of the rope into the jug or other water source. You can use this method on multiple plants with a significant water source.
Also, water your plants before you leave so they don’t get dehydrated during your trip.
If you have a few plants that don’t require a lot of water, such as succulents, you might be able to use a single jug for 2 or 3 plants. Just make sure the string is out of direct sunlight and fill the pitcher with water. If needed, add fertiliser to the jar. Finally, cut the cotton ropes to the appropriate length.
Also, keep the water source at a higher place than the potted plants. This system works well for many plants.
Use A Bathtub
Fill up your bathtub or sink with water. Depending on how many plants you have, put them in the bathtub or sink together and fill it with 1 to 2 inches of water. Fill the bathtub or sink with water and place the plant in the center circle made by your thumb and fingers.
With a top cover on the bathtub, your plants in the tub should survive easily for a week or some days more.
This works great for a lot of plants.
Glass Bottle As a Dripper
To care for your plants while on vacation is to use a glass bottle with a cap. Fill the bottle with water and place it in your planter or pot. The bottle’s design can also be used as decoration in your planter or pot. Refill the bottle after the plant drinks all the water.
One or two small holes in the bottle cap will do. And make sure to dig a small hole where the neck of the bottle can be inserted.
If you have lots of plants, you will need a lot of bottles.
1 Saucer 1 Plant Setup
To take care of your plants while on vacation is to set them up in plant saucers. Saucers help retain water for your plants, so they don’t have to be watered as often. This method is excellent for those who have multiple plants.
You should have a durable saucer that can fit and hold the weight of the pot. Also, since a saucer can not have an unlimited amount of water, you might want to add a water supply.
If you have multiple pots and plant to use multiple saucers, you should add a cotton rope or water pipe that runs through the saucers.
These Saucers setup is somewhat hard to do for multiple plants.
Plastic Bag Greenhouse
This is a simple and easy way to care for your plants while on vacation. You will need some small plastic bags, potting soil, and plants. Put the pot in the bag and tie the bag around the pot.
Use sticks to keep the plastic bag away from the leaves, and you do not give excess water to the plant before you leave.
Ensure not to put this in direct sunlight since the plastic bag can get hot.
The plastic bag will not let the water escape, so your plant should always have water.
Plastic Water Bottle Planter
Reusing plastic water bottles is a great way to care for your plants while you are away on vacation. You can set them up quickly, and they are easy to reuse.
In this case, make a place in the pot to fit a bottle. And then place a bottle there, but before that, make some small halls at the bottle’s body.
Fill the water bottle and tighten the cap. This way, the water will not evaporate from the top.
A full bottle will last almost a week.
You can water the plant before putting the bottle in as well. This should help to run the plastic bottle system for some more time.
While this is a low-cost option, it might not be suitable for some.
Where you have less space in the pot or have tree roots all over the pot, this system will not work.
Water Automatically Using a Sprinkler
Watering plants while you’re on vacation can be a hassle. However, there are a few ways to make it easier. One way is to install a sprinkler system that automatically waters your plants. You can also use drip irrigation kits, which are easy to install and customise for your container plants. Another option is to use a water-wicking cord, an inexpensive, simple system that slowly waters your plants for up to two weeks.
Conclusion
Everybody loves beautiful plants and flowers when they are on holiday. If you go away to a vacation location, you will want to keep those trees alive. The main part is to solve how to give them water. We have outlined some ideas which you can try next.
Tell us which plant-saving idea you liked the most.
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