Watering Your Plants While on Vacation

Summer is quickly approaching, bringing with it dreams of the perfect summer vacation, lying on a beach, trekking through Europe or visiting exotic locales. This may sound relaxing and revitalizing but your garden may have different ideas about your dream vacation. Even a short span of neglect can wreak havoc on your garden if the weather decides to go haywire or your plants are high maintenance, but fear not. You can have your vacation and your garden too.

Houseplants
Most houseplants can survive a little neglect, but why stress them out, while you relax on the beach? If the weather is warm, close the blinds and move them away from windows. Heat multiplies their need for water. Cooling them off a bit will reduce their water needs.

Providing them with water while you are gone is a breeze. A simple watering bulb can provide enough water to keep your houseplants happy for weeks by slowly releasing water, as they need it. You can also create a mini greenhouse. Thoroughly soak the soil, drain and place four skewers around the perimeter of the pot. Place your plant into a plastic bag and close shut, locking in moisture. The skewers will provide support for your little greenhouse and will prevent the plastic from suffocating your plant’s leaves.

Containers and Baskets
The best part about plants in containers and baskets is that they are moveable. Thoroughly water your plants before you leave, drain saucers, place them over gravel or double pot to allow moisture to drain and place them in a shaded area to retain moisture. You can also use self-watering pots or a watering bulb to provide extra watering.

Garden-Bound Plants
If your plants are unmovable, some extra precautions need to be taken to keep your garden healthy while you are away. The best way to provide consistent moisture is to install a drip hose or a timed sprinkler or irrigation system. Some of these can even monitor moisture levels, providing water only when needed. You can also dig irrigation trenches between rows to capture rainwater or use two liter bottles and milk jugs as watering bulbs. To do this, just drill a few holes into the cap, fill with water, and place upside down into a small hole in the soil near each plant. A store-bought or homemade watering bulb can be great to use while on vacation, but should not replace your usual watering routine when you return as this type of watering works well for some plants and not so well for others.

Even with all of these efforts your plants may need a little help. If you are lucky enough to live near a gardener or have a friendly neighbor that wouldn’t mind dropping by, ask them check on you beloved garden and to water your plants if needed. You may also want to think about hiring a landscaping company to take care of your gardening chores while you are away. This may be the most carefree option of all for diehard gardeners. If you return to a few wilted plants, do not fret. Grower’s Secret 521, is a natural fish emulsion fertilizer that allows plants to take in more nutrients. Give your plants a good dose of water and they may just perk right back up! Bon Voyage!