going away for 2 weeks vacation
by
Gynarchy B
+13
any advise on how to keep my plants alive? should i over water them before leaving?
16 answers
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Inside plants or outside plants?....when we leave for more than a week we have a house sitter person stop by...every thing in our house can go a week...outside stuff about 3 days ( my new flower boxes on the sunny deck) nothing beats "hands on care" There was a post here last year about an older couple who left a few plants in an upper bath sink with a very slight trickle of water going...well that turned out to be a disaster as some of the soil overflowed the pot clogged the drain and flooded two floors and buckled all the hardwood in the house and created a huge mold farm. I think the insurance estimate was in the 20 K range....hiring some kid to swing by would have been far cheaper.
KMS Woodworks
on Jun 10, 2012
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I have found a trick in using milk jugs and 2-litre bottles. Hopefully you have some around or time to ask friends/family for some. First wash thoroughly-then turn upside down and cut a hole about 3 in.-this is where you will fill it with water. Next you want to poke holes or make slits near the cap area. Take your bottles outside and decide where you want them to be and put them in the dirt-cap side down. (slts/holes should be buried) Before you leave water your plants well and fill your bottles. I know this works for at least a week and depending on the weather it may work well for you. Hope this helps and have a wonderful vacation, Send a postcard! ;-)
Dee W
on Jun 10, 2012
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Fill the bathtub with a couple inches of water and set all your pots down inside and they'll absorb what they need. Also, some of the glass watering globe balls with spikes that you put down into the dirt. If outside, maybe a relative, or neighbor who also vacations, and trade off to water their plants when they go away and they do yours while you are gone?
Jan C
on Jun 11, 2012
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If you don't have a timed irrigation system outside, two weeks is too long for your plants to go without water no matter what you do first, especially for those in containers. I've gotten some indoor plants by by watering well and then wrapping plastic over the top of the pot and around the trunk, creating sort of a mini terrarium.
Douglas Hunt
on Jun 12, 2012
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inside plants - I have watered them heavily and then using the water globes, they have made it thru the two weeks I was away. They are dry when I get home, but alive.
Melissa L
on Jun 12, 2012
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What kind of plants are we talking about? Some can easily survive 2 weeks with no water
Val L
on Jun 12, 2012
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In the GA heat about the only thing you can do is to enlist the help of a trusted friend or neighbor to water for you! It would be adviseable ot move house plants outside so they do not have access to your house. Place them in the shade. Get some extra spinklers and hose "y" connectors to split the pathway so all they have to do is turn on the faucet.
Jeanette S
on Jun 12, 2012
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I bought a plant irrigation kit from Home Depot that had a timer. It was great and easy to install!
Parvin L
on Jun 12, 2012
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irrigation system is needed for more than just a few days away during our summer in So. Oregon. Inside, in the bathtub or grouped in basins of water usually works. If you are going away for more than a week or so it may help to cover them with plastic to help create a greenhouse environment with condensation. A helpful neighbor is the best though!
Sharon V
on Jun 12, 2012
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I gave my neighbor across the street $20.00 to water mine for a week. It was well worth it.
P R
on Jun 12, 2012
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I would think the bathtub would be a great way to keep them together and keep them moist while gone for a vacation. Outside, ask a neighbor. Thankfully, my son lives across the street and I water for him when he is away and he can ret urn the favor when I am away.
Liz H
on Jun 12, 2012
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Here are the plants i have indoor: Majestic palms, white lily, dwarf dracena and snake plant. Out door: roses, day lily , hydrangeas, coleus, petunias, hosta, marigold, and some plants i dont even know the names. some herb plants rosemary, cilantro, apple mints. Thank you.
Gynarchy B
on Jun 13, 2012
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By the way, majority of my plants are on pots or containers, even the roses.
Gynarchy B
on Jun 13, 2012
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Gynarchy-I need to agree with everyone who thinks you should have someone watch over your plants. With them being potted my idea doesn't help you...I hope you have someone you can trust.
Dee W
on Jun 13, 2012
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If they're in containers, you definitely need to have someone water. If not, you will have a very unhappy welcome from your vacation.
Douglas Hunt
on Jun 14, 2012
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With a mix in and out...and considering the containers...you should find a plant sitter...I have been watering my outdoor flower boxes about every other day...we have not had any rain for weeks. This has not helped in our wildfire situation. The big wild fire here in Colorado is pushing close to 47,000 acres. While the REALLY big fire in SW New Mexico is close to 290,000 acres. Keeping plants watered is a good thing.
KMS Woodworks
on Jun 14, 2012
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