A great summer getaway requires reservations, transportation, packing, and planning for plant care. After a wonderful vacation, it's never fun to come home to dead plants. However, with some before-you-go planning, plants will be thriving upon your return.
Before the trip arrange for a reliable neighbor or plant-sitter to water indoor and outdoor plants. To help reduce their workload, group plants together with easy access to water, if possible. For indoor plants, place them out of direct sunlight, place saucers underneath the plant containers, and provide a watering can. For containers with a fast-draining potting medium, consider placing them in a sink or bathtub to avoid damage to surfaces underneath the containers. For large potted plants that are not easily moved, mulch can be added to the potting medium surface to help water retention. Also, avoid raising the indoor thermostat to a higher temperature to delay more moisture loss in container-grown plants.
In the absence of a good neighbor, plastic water bottles can be used to irrigate indoor plants for a short time. Use a thin-diameter nail or another sharp implement to poke a few small holes in the lid of the bottle. Also, puncture a small hole in the base of the bottle to avoid forming a vacuum. Next, fill the bottle with water and insert the lid in the potting medium to hold the plastic container upright, or use a small stake to hold the upside-down bottle in a vertical position. Alternatively, watering spikes and decorative vessels inserted into the potting medium can be purchased.
Water-retaining crystals or hydrogel products are marketed for use in container-grown plants to help keep the potting medium moist for an extended period of time. When mixed into moistened soil or potting medium before planting, the crystals absorb water and swell. Over time, the crystals degrade, and water is slowly released. However, these products are not always reliable and do not conserve water.
For outdoor plants, move containers to a shady location. Providing a hose or watering can with easy access to an outdoor spigot will ease the burden of watering. Mulch will help retain soil moisture and moderate the root zone temperature in vegetable gardens or landscape beds. A soaker hose can also be used in gardens or a simple drip irrigation system with a timer can be effective. For small, young trees, tree-watering bags, which are filled with water and placed around the trunk at the soil surface can be used to slowly irrigate the soil. However, these watering bags only wet the soil in a one to two-foot radius around the base of the tree and must be refilled periodically. Large trees are best irrigated when the water is applied at the drip line, directly below the branch tips.
Automated sprinkler systems are ideal for irrigating lawns. However, lawn sprinklers that are attached to a hose and strategically placed with good coverage can also be used. When hot, dry conditions are forecast, ask your neighbor to turn on sprinklers to apply 1 to 1-1/2 inches of water per week if a green lawn is desired. Otherwise, cool-season grasses, such as turf-type fescues, Kentucky bluegrass, and perennial ryegrass with go dormant when moisture is limited. However, most lawns will re-green when adequate rainfall occurs, or water is applied.
Although watering seems simple, it is one of the most difficult tasks to master when cultivating plants. It's always a good idea to ask your plant-sitter to take a tour of the plants that need to be watered and review the watering needs of indoor and outdoor plants. Also, before you lock the door, give your plants a deep, thorough watering as a kindness to your plant sitter.