How to Water Outdoor Plants While on Vacation

By April Sanders
 

While many aspects of planning a vacation create a sense of anticipation, others create a sense of frustration. For example, you may need to make arrangements to care for your pets, your home and your outdoor plants. The latter can be especially important during the hot summer months, when many people have plants that are at the peak of their blooming season. Summer is also the most popular time of the year for vacations, leaving a quandary for gardeners as to how to water their plants while they are gone. Luckily, there are some ways to keep your flowers in bloom, even while you are away.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You'll Need:
Watering globes
Misting system
Large, deep trays
 
Step 1
Ask a trusted friend or neighbor to water your plants for you. The key word is "trusted," of course. You need to find someone who is knowledgeable about your plants. You might want to consider leaving written instructions and even a small token of your appreciation, such as a gift card or even cold, hard cash.

Step 2
Put your plants in the path of water. If you have timed, automatic sprinklers, set your potted plants near them or aim the sprinkler heads in the direction of your plants.

Step 3
Use watering globes. A watering globe is a glass bulb, filled with water, that has a long, narrow, hollow spike at one end. Fill the globe with water, then insert the spike in the soil near the plant; the water will move slowly down the globe, through the spike and into the ground. You will need a lot of globes if you have a lot of plants, however. Each globe holds around one cup of water and takes about four days to empty.

Step 4
Give your potted plants a bath. Potted plants can be set in trays of water. The water will be absorbed through the holes in the bottom of the pot. The water will eventually evaporate, so if the weather is very hot, this method only works for trips that are only 3 to 4 days long at the most.

Step 5
Invest in a misting system. There are many misting systems that are made for cooling an outdoor porch. These can easily be set near plants and placed on an automatic timer so that your plants will be misted once or twice per day.

How To Water Outdoor Plants While on Vacation originally published on Travels.com

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About the Author:
April Sanders has been a writer and educator for 11 years. She is a published curriculum writer and has provided academic content for several subscription databases. April holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Psychology and a Master's degree in Information Sciences and Technology. April lives in Oregon with her husband and three sons.