How To Keep Houseplants Alive While On Vacation?

Vacation is a wonderful time, right? No cares or concerns, just lots of rest and relaxation… But wait! What about the houseplants? Lots of people wonder how to keep houseplants alive while on vacation, so we thought we’d set it all out for you, step by step!

How To Keep Houseplants Alive While On Vacation

Going away is a lovely, relaxing, fun thing to do – but not if you are worrying about your plants dying while you’re away!

You can take steps to ensure that they are alive when you come home, even if you do not have a friend or family member to pop in and water them.

• Move them away from direct sun. A sunny position will dry your plants out faster, so keep them in a cooler area while you’re away.
• Give them a good watering on the day you leave. This means that they will have had a good drink before they are left to fend for themselves!
• Feed them a few days before your vacation. Adding some fertilizer to the soil will help them to stay healthier for longer.
• Check for insects and bugs. You don’t want to come home and find that creepy crawlies have decimated your green jungle while you weren’t there!
• Use a wick system. Place a container of water near your plant with a  cotton wick or rag in it. Place the other end on your plant’s soil, and it should be able to absorb the water.
• Use a self watering container. If you are away for a long time, or if you go away a lot, a self watering pot can help your plants survive your absence.
• Try a watering globe. These nifty little things are not only pretty, but they can help your green babies survive a fortnight without you.

Obviously, the best solution is to ask someone to keep an eye on your indoor jungle for you, but if you don’t have this option then at least there are things you can do!

This is a useful video with tips to help you keep your plants alive while you are away:

How Do I Keep My Soil Moist For A Week?

If you are going away for a week, you will want to make sure that your plants don’t keel over and die in your absence. There are a few things you can do:

• Use watering bulbs. These attractive glass globes will trickle water into your plants’ pots over time, as they need it.
• Use a self-watering pot. Self-watering pots are becoming more and more popular – because they really work at keeping soil moist!
• Use a humidifier. Adding moisture into the air is a good way of keeping your soil moist and stopping your plant from turning into a desert plant.
• Cover the soil. Using mulch, cardboard or bark on your soil can help to retain the moisture, plus it will help to modify the soil’s temperature as well.
• Use a reticulation system. If you have the time and resources, you can set up pipes with a timer, to ensure that your plants are getting regular water.

Keeping the soil moist means that your plants will stay happy, and that you won’t come home to a house full of parched, crispy plants!

How Do You Make A Self Watering Bottle For Plants?

Keeping your plants watered when you’re on holiday doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to invest in self watering pots or watering globes.

You can make your own self-watering system using just a plastic bottle and a few things you have lying around your house!

1. Take a plastic drinks bottle (2 liters is good, but you can use a smaller one) and wash it well and remove the label.
2. Poke 4-5 holes in the lid of the bottle – you can use a thin drill bit, or just hammer in a nail to make the hole, then remove it. Screw the lid tightly on the bottle.
3. Cut off the bottom of your bottle – you’re going for removing around the last inch or so.
4. Dig a hole in the soil, to a depth of about half the length of the bottle, making sure that you avoid damaging the plant’s roots.
5. Place the bottle in, cap side down, and gently firm up the soil around it so that it is stable. Ensure that at least 1 inch of the bottle is sticking out of the soil.
6. Fill the bottle with water, and invert the bottom cut-off piece of bottle onto the end, to prevent debris falling into the water.

And there you have it! A homemade, inexpensive self-watering system that will keep your plants hydrated until you get home. Here’s a great article, explaining a few different ways to make your self-watering bottle.

How Long Do Watering Bulbs Last?

A watering bulb is a very handy device, used for keeping plants’ soil moist when you are not there to water them.

They are ideal for the average length of a holiday, as the smaller ones last for around a week, while the larger ones can last for a fortnight.

Obviously, how long they last will depend on your individual plant’s water requirements and the conditions they are in, so bear this in mind!

Watering bulbs are a great solution for when you are off on a short trip, and in many cases they mean that you won’t even have to water for a couple of days after you get home.

You can reuse these bulbs for years and for many different plants, as long as you do not drop or damage them!

Always ensure that you insert them into the soil away from the main roots, to avoid damaging them.

Final Thoughts

Now that you have the best ideas on how to keep houseplants alive while on vacation, you can jet off to that holiday without a care in the world.

Coming home is almost as lovely as going away – and now it will be even better, because you can be sure you won’t be coming home to a bunch of dead and dying plants!