Summer at last, sun and beach at last! You're going on your well-deserved vacation and you're having a really good time - but what happens to your plants in the meantime? Depending on the length of your absence, there are various options for watering the plants. We'll explain the tricks they use to survive your vacation without dying of thirst.
The nurse you trust
The easiest way is of course to ask other people in your area to take care of the plants. Give your chosen grower a briefing on the needs of your plants so they aren't over-watered or moldy when you return. However, not everyone knows their neighbors or friends and their parents are lying in the sun themselves. So there has to be another way.
The simplest variants to make yourself
Plants usually survive a short vacation if they are watered again before departure. But please not too much! Too much water is also not good for the plants, otherwise their roots will rot. The water in the plant pot should be no more than 1 cm high.
The thread trick
You can actually water with a wick that goes into your plant from a water container! A thick cotton wick, in contrast to a sheep's wool thread, has the necessary properties to really transport the water to the plant. You need a container with water and bring one end of the wick to the bottom. Put the other end in the drain holes of the plant pot. The drainage openings in your pot must be large enough for the diameter of the wick. So you have connected both vessels together. Now place the water vessel on a higher level so that the water can be transferred to the plant.
The bottle in the ground
Another tip is to use a plastic bottle stuck upside down in the potting soil. Depending on the water needs of the plant, several small holes are made in the neck of the bottle or the lid and the bottle is closed again after the water has been poured in. You shouldn't try using it without a lid - if the soil is permeable, the water will empty too quickly and if the soil is less permeable, it will build up and the roots can rot. In larger tubs you can also use several bottles for watering. Depending on the temperature, your plants should get by with this alternative for 5 to 10 days.
More space
Another trick is to repot the plants before you go on holiday. For one, you can remove strong roots that need a lot of water. On the other hand, there is then more earth mass available, which can also store more water. If you use a larger planter after repotting, this effect is even greater. Your plants should be as healthy as possible and free of old flowers and leaves before your trip. Pests should also be eliminated. You should rather give a very sensitive plant specimen to care.
The location
The location of your plants can also help with survival. Shade your plants, but not too dark. This reduces the water requirement of the plants. If you have automatic roller shutters, you can use them to regulate the light supply per day. Please don't draw your curtains - the plants starve without light, turn yellow and their leaves die off. You can also move your plants closer together, so the soil stays moist longer. To speed up water evaporation, it also helps to put a bag over the plant and support it with a wooden kitchen skewer. You can also cover the surface of the earth with bark mulch, gravel or grass clippings.
Two is better
You can construct a double-walled plant pot yourself by placing a larger vessel over a clay pot as an additional planter. B. uncoated perlite or expanded clay. This should soak up water for a while and then be inserted into the gap. Incidentally, this also works with a plastic pot if its bottom openings are large enough.
I will survive
One or the other plant didn't survive the watering on vacation? If they are too dry, you can put them in a bucket of water for a few minutes and let them soak completely as an SOS measure. If they are too moist, it is best to remove the plant including the root ball, rinse it off to avoid the risk of germs and place it in new, dry soil.
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