How to Keep Outdoor Plants Watered While on Vacation

You’ve spent hours and perhaps significant sums creating the garden of your dreams. Hanging baskets, window boxes, and large and small containers abound in your beautiful oasis. But like mostly everyone in the summer, you enjoy taking a break from home and go on vacation for a few days or more.

So how do you maintain that beautiful lush garden while you are away? Read on to learn how to keep outdoor plants watered while on vacation when you cannot be there to do it yourself.

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Prepare Your Plants One Month In Advance

Like how you make a list and prepare for a vacation in advance, you should do the same for your plants. Here is a list of 6 things you can do to prepare your plants before leaving:

1. Scratch the surface of the soil in your pots with a scratcher to allow for better water penetration.
2. Fertilize your plants with Jack’s Classic Blossom Bloomer or a good liquid fertilizer one month in advance of your departure. This will ensure your plants are extra robust and healthy. You can also add organic matter like compost or manure directly to the soil. Follow the instructions on the container for amending the soil.
3. Trim back the healthy growth of the plant one week before leaving. In addition, cut out any dead stems and diseased or dying leaves. Contour the plant into a particular shape. Do not overcut it, just give it a nice trim. A smaller plant will require less water.
4. Place shredded leaves, stems, twigs, or other organic material (but not grass clippings) from your yard around the base of the plant ensuring you do not touch the actual plant. This will help retain water. You can also use organic mulch in place of the organic material. Upon returning home, remove the added mulch to prevent rot.
5. Water your plants well and deep before you leave. When watering with a hose or watering can, add water to the base of the plant and use a more gentle shower type watering. Do not sprinkle the foliage with water because the water will not fully penetrate the soil to the roots and will evaporate more quickly. Wet foliage also encourages disease.
6. If you choose to use a self-watering method, experiment beforehand to determine whether or not it is appropriate for your plants.

Traditional Ideas

Traditional ideas for watering plants are usually cheaper and simpler than purchasing water-drip irrigation systems. Here are a few suggestions.

Ask A Neighbor

A traditional way to water your plants while you’re away is to ask a reliable neighbor to do the task. If you are fortunate enough to have a good neighbor close by, it is best to provide some instruction on how to provide for your plants before you leave.

1. Show them which plants need to be watered.
2. Model how to determine if water is needed by using the finger method by sticking your finger in the soil. If it is dry down to the first inch or to the first knuckle, it’s time to give it a good watering. If it is not, wait a day and check again.
3. Give the plant a good soaking to at least a slow count of 10 to 20, depending on the size of your container.
4. If the water runs quickly out of the drainage hole, poke the surface of the soil with a stick or screwdriver to break open the top crusted layer of soil.
5. When watering hanging plants, continue watering until the water seeps through the bottom in many spots. Again, the water may just flow off if the soil has hardened.
6. Forewarn your prospective waterer about rainfall. It can be deceiving. If it has rained, your neighbor may think the plants were sufficiently watered. However, most rainfalls do not do a deep, steady watering so your neighbor should do the finger trick to determine whether the plants need a dousing.
7. Window boxes close to the house rarely get enough water from a rainfall unless the rain is slanted from the proper direction. Consequently, they will need to be watered regularly.

Hiring A Watering Service

There are many sources from which to hire a watering service. Try one of the following:

• Nextdoor (app in your community where you can ask advice on obtaining a particular service)
• Home Advisor powered by Angi
• Vacation Plant Watering through TaskRabbit

Things To Consider When Hiring A Professional or Neighbor

There are many factors to consider when hiring a professional or neighbor to water your plants. You should determine which plants will be serviced, how they will be serviced through either pruning, misting, fertilizing, and/or watering, the frequency of watering, and of course, consider your budget.

It is far cheaper to hire a neighbor or a teenager to water your plants. A common rate for a teenager is between $10 and $15 per watering. If your neighbor does not want any money, you may want to give them a small gift to show your appreciation.

Professional services charge by the day, by the hour, by how many plants you have, and/or the services needed to keep your plants alive. This is obviously the most expensive choice. They may also tack on a special fee for travel expenses.

Generally speaking, professional plant-sitters charge between $10 and $50 per day.

Strategic Placement of Plants

Place plants together in a full-shaded area.

If you choose to hire someone to water your plants or even if you do not, you should place your container plants, including hanging baskets, close together to retain as much moisture from the surrounding plants as possible. Plants release water vapor. Clustering them together will create a humid environment surrounding your plants and keep them more moist.

The plants that require full sun will survive in the shade for a week or so.

Also, gather all window boxes if they are not attached to your home and put them close together in the shade. Separate into groups those plants that need less water and those that need more if you choose to hire someone to water your plants. Instruct them as to which group needs more and which needs less water.

Fill a large, flat waterproof container with a lip that is filled with pebbles. Then place the planters on the pebbles and add water to create natural humidity from evaporating water.

Do not place them up against your house because the eaves will prevent rain water from penetrating the pots.

Methods For Self-Watering

There are many methods you can utilize for self-watering. They range from easy DIY projects to complicated and expensive water drip systems for containers and hanging baskets. Below are a few examples of how to keep your outdoor plants watered using water drip systems.

TIP: Try out these methods a week or two before your trip to be sure they are working properly.

Water Drip System Using a Plastic Bottle

Poke a few holes into the lid of a plastic bottle using a heated needle.

Fill the bottle with water almost to the top and replace the lid on the bottle.

Invert the bottle and place it lid first into the soil of your pot, immersing it in the soil by a half an inch. Do not place it too close to the plant. You do not want to damage its roots.

You can secure the bottle using a bamboo stick taped around the up-side-down bottle. Force the stick into the outside edge of the container and it will keep the bottle standing straight up, allowing the water to seep into the soil.