Watering your potted plants while you're away
Going away on holiday will mean that your plants will be left unattended. If you want to make sure that you don't return to wilted or dead potted plants. Fortunately, there are a number of handy tricks you can use to keep them happy. If you are not sure which one will work best for you, you could give them a try before your planned trip.
Bottle of water
This method lasts for about 5 days. All you need to do is puncture holes in the bottle cap and fill the bottle with water. Dig a hole in the soil of one of your potted plants and turn the bottle upside down. Refill the soil around the bottle to keep it neatly propped up.
Water bath
This trick lasts for about 1 week and is particularly great for tropical and well-draining potted plants. Fill your bathtub or sink, depending on how many plants you have, with a couple of inches of water. You can protect the sink or bathtub by placing a towel at the bottom for your plants to rest on. Add the plants and take your time to make sure that they are properly anchored before you let them go.
Water wicking
You can use this for several potted plants. All you need is cotton rope and a vase or bucket. Fill your vase or bucket with water and place one end of cotton rope in the bucket with the other in the soil of the plant. Repeat this for as many plants as you have.
Plant saucer
This is good for keeping your potted plants happy for 2 to 3 days. The first thing you need to do is find a saucer that is close to the same size as the pot. It can even be slightly larger. The saucer should be deep enough to hold the pot along with a fair amount of water.
Greenhouse effect
For longer trips, you can place plastic bags over each of your potted plants. You will need to prop them up with wood stakes. Water your plant as you normally would and make sure that it receives plenty of indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight is not good for plants in this case because of the plastic bag. Your plant will be just fine for as long as 8 months when you use this method. This method is best for non-succulents.
As you can see, there are a number of excellent ways in which you can keep your potted plants happy and looking great even when you are not there to give them the care they need on a daily basis. Remember, if you have any plants that require special care, you might like to have somebody you trust take care of them while you are on holiday.
