How do I water my plants while on vacation?

Indoor plant lovers leaving on a long-awaited vacation are very worried about their pets, even when there is someone to look after them. What if they forget to water or overmoisten the soil in flower pots too much? What if they accidentally damage a flower or a container for a plant? And what can we say about the feelings of flower growers who have no one to leave their favorite flowers. In such cases, it is recommended to use proven methods and methods of watering plants in the absence of their owners. True, before the trip, all systems must be carefully checked and made sure of their effectiveness and quality of irrigation. Each method can work for a certain number of days, so you need to choose one that will last the entire period of your absence. Some methods are long and last for a month, others for several days, and still others for 1-2 weeks.

Using pallets

On average, this method lasts 10-15 days. A few hours before departure, all indoor plants must be watered abundantly (until the earthy coma is completely moistened), and then the flowerpots with flowers must be placed in wide plastic containers or flower trays. All these additional containers need to be filled with water about 5-7 cm or abundantly moistened river pebbles. The bottom of the flower pots should touch the surface of the water or be in it at a shallow depth. This method of watering in the absence of hosts is only effective for plants such as geranium, fat woman, palm, chlorophytum, balsam... They are unpretentious and steadfastly survive lack of water, drought and waterlogging.

Automatic irrigation system

This system works for about a month, so you can safely go on a long vacation. You can buy "automatic watering" in specialized stores. It consists of a water tank (sizes vary), several small diameter tubes and a system that helps determine when and how much to supply water to plants. You just need to set the watering mode and you can go on a trip.

Watering with plastic bottles

First, a bottle with a volume of one and a half or two liters must be prepared. To do this, you need a long nail or awl heated on fire, with which you need to make two holes: one on the bottom of the bottle, and the other on the lid. The bottle is filled with water, the cap is screwed on and the neck is turned upside down. In this position, drip irrigation will be carried out, which is well suited for large indoor plants. It is advisable to use it before the trip and observe how much water comes out of plastic containers of different volumes and for how many days it lasts. It is important to note how much water the plant receives per day. This will help you to choose an irrigation vessel individually for each flower, in which there is enough water for all vacation days. This method can solve the problem of watering for 15-20 days.

Wick irrigation

This method of watering is widespread, but it is most suitable for different types and varieties of violets.True, to implement it, you will first have to transplant the plants into a flower pot with a wick at the bottom. A wick or an ordinary cord, which absorbs and retains moisture well in a short time, is placed in the form of a small ring at the bottom of the pot under the soil substrate (one end of it). The other end of the cord is passed through a hole in the bottom of the flower container and dipped into a vessel with water, which is located under it. The entire wick gets wet and seems to draw water from the lower vessel into the soil with the plant. This method is only suitable for small plants.

Temporary wick watering is possible with a slight change in this method. As a wick, you can use a cloth rope or a cord made of synthetic materials. The main thing is that it can absorb moisture well. With one side it must be lowered into a container with water (for example, in a bucket or jar) located on a table or pedestal, and the other must be placed on the surface of the soil in a pot with a plant. A mandatory point in this method is the location of the container with water at a higher level than the flower pot is. You can put all the plants directly on the floor, and place sources of moisture on a stool nearby.

It is recommended that you try this irrigation method in advance and decide on the number of wicks. For a small flower, one wick will most likely be sufficient, and for a large indoor culture, several copies may be required. Such watering is enough for an average of 7-10 days, if the wick does not dry out from too high summer air temperature.

Nowadays, you can buy ready-made modern irrigation systems with a wick.

Hydrogel

Hydrogel consists of polymeric materials that can absorb water in large volumes, and then give it to indoor crops for a long period. It can be mixed with planting soil or laid out on the surface of the soil in a container, covered with a small layer of moss. This material is sold in granules.

Watering indoor plants while on vacation (video)