Vacation is always exciting! However, the plant parents always take an extra bit of worry while planning one. The reason is obviously the plants. Who will take care of those little green babies when they are away? Most of the plant parents avoid vacations just to think about them. However, if you are one of them, then don’t worry!
Here are some hacks that are helpful enough to keep your plants alive and unharmed; even when you are away. It may sound like a lottery for the plant parents by which they can meet both ends and travel without any worry on their minds. After returning; they will find them thriving and green with the help of the following hacks for house plant care on vacation.
Hack #1: Keep them in shade.
There are mainly two types of plants on their light requirements; sun-loving and shade-loving. Just like that; there are a few plants that love humid weather and others just love to stay dry for days. The first thing you need to do is identifying all the plants you have and know about their preferred condition. You can segregate the plants depending on those factors. For example, you can keep snake plants and ZZ plants along with your succulents and cactus in the direct sunlight area without any worry. They can stay happy without a single drop of water even for a month.
These hard to kill plants should not be your list to worry about while vacationing. However, there are some sensitive humid loving plants and keep them hydrated is the biggest challenge while you are not at home. So, to make sure that the topsoil of the planters does not get too dry; you need to keep them in the shade. You can also keep them in the bathroom so that they will get a humid atmosphere. Before living in the house; keeping the plants in the right spot is of great importance.
Hack #2: You can call it Bathtub Trick.
If you are going for a week and you have a limited number of plants, then it is a great trick that will surely help you to keep the plants hydrated. The house plants that love to stay humid like pothos, sygnoniums, philodendrons and spider plants, you keep in the bathtub in your washroom. You can also use the kiddie pool as well for the purpose. Fill up the tub with 2 to 3 inches of water and place all the plants together. However, to keep them safe, you need to place a towel or soft clothes on the tub and keep the planters on the wet towel. When the water of the soil dries up, it will soak the moisture automatically. However, this system is good for a week or a maximum of 10 days, otherwise, the plants may suffer root rot.
Hack #3: Wick for a week.
Wick water is quite popular nowadays. It is because there is no risk of root rot in this watering system. You can easily set up the system without much investment. You just need a big container full of water for the plants. Along with that, you need natural fibre like jute or cotton rope. Before starting the process, you have to make sure that the soil of the planters must be airy and loose. Now take as many ropes as your planters. Bury one side of the rope for at least 3 inches in the soil. The other end will be in the container. Now the rope will work as the wick that absorbs and transport water from the container to the soil. It is a great way to maintain the moisture of the plants. Through this process, you can water the plants for 1 to 3 weeks. However, you should not use one rope for multiple planters as each of them should get a unique wick.
Hack #4: Hassle-free Drip System
If you are away for a week, then you can water your plants without removing their position. You need plastic bottles as many as the planters. Now you have to drill small holes near the top of the bottle. Now before going to the vacation, fill up them, turn them upside down and finally insert them into the soil so that the holes are under the soil. When the soil will dry, the water will come out of those holes and keep up the moisture level.
Hack #5: Ask for help
You can ask someone you trust like your house help, neighbour or friends, to water them at least thrice a week. You can also hire plant sitters who professionally take care of the plants when the owners are away. However, you must keep all your plants and watering arrangements to the outside of your house to keep it safe from any sort of accident.
Whenever you go, you need to keep in mind these rules for house plant care on vacation. Before you left for your destination, make sure to water well all the plants so that they can sustain and stay hydrated as long as possible.