Watering Plants While Away
A week’s vacation at the beach might be a welcome break for you, but the absence of a doting gardener can wreak havoc on your indoor and outdoor plants. Here are some tools, tips and techniques that will help plants thrive while you’re away, so you can come home from your trip to healthy gardens and happy houseplants.
 
Outdoor Solutions:
As you plan your departure, consider the following-
How long will you be away? If you’re going away for a weekend, most garden plants will survive if you give them a good soaking just before you leave. Any longer and you may need to take action to keep plants healthy.
What types of plantings do you have? Newly seeded vegetable beds and lawns, hanging baskets and small pots may need daily watering and will require more preparation. Established plants in garden beds and those in large planters are more resilient.
What’s the weather forecast? If predictions call for a spell of hot, sunny weather, you’ll want to make sure your plants are especially well prepared.
Plants in different growing situations will need individual watering plans. If you don’t have a trusted gardening friend to visit your plants once or twice a week, try these tips for keeping containers and gardens happy.
Pots and Planters:
Move pots and hanging baskets to a spot that’s shaded most of the day, especially in the afternoon. If no other shade is available, move them into the garage. A week or so of reduced light may temporarily cause leggy growth or reduced flowering, but plants will recover. Be mindful, however, that removing planters from their usual location, combined with accumulating newspapers or mail, could signal that you’re out of town. Group containers close together to create a humid microclimate that helps conserve water. Applying a layer of bark mulch to the soil surface of containers also helps hold in moisture. Consider moving plants into self-watering planters. These planters have a water reservoir that can provide plants with a source of water for several days to several weeks, depending upon the size of the planter and reservoir, the age and type of plants, and the weather.
Water plants thoroughly before you leave. Soak pots and hanging baskets in a bucket of water to ensure that moisture penetrates to the center of the pot.