Garden, balcony & Co.
Holiday watering for plants: This is how long absences are bridged
With the right holiday watering, your plants will easily survive longer absences
© AleMasche72 / Getty Images
In summer, many plants thirst for fresh water almost every day. There are special watering systems for window sills and balconies, terraces and gardens so that you can be sure that your green roommates are taken care of even if you are away for a long time, for example when you go on vacation.
While outdoor plants have the advantage of being automatically watered on rainy days, sensitive indoor plants are at risk of drying out if they are not watered for a long period of time. Unless, for example, you only have cacti or succulents that easily survive dry periods. However, if your green housemates need to be watered regularly (especially on hot days), both indoors and outdoors, you should arrange for automatic holiday watering. Unless you can find someone who could water your potted and tub plants every day. In the following, we will present the various systems to you in more detail.
Holiday watering for indoors and outdoors
1. Water flower boxes
This fully automatic Gardena irrigation system should be able to supply several flower boxes at the same time. According to the manufacturer, the set is sufficient for a maximum length of six meters. Thanks to the integrated mains operation, the “City Gardening” model has 14 individual watering programs that can be selected via a transformer with a rotary knob. A pump (with dirt filter) is also included in the scope of delivery, so that even an outdoor rain barrel can be used as a water source, for example.
2. Water potted plants
Also from Gardena comes the Holiday watering with integrated timer and pump for up to 36 potted plants: According to the manufacturer, the encapsulated low-voltage transformer (14 V) is activated for 60 seconds every day to supply your green housemates with water. And since not every plant always needs the same amount of moisture, you have the option of distributing the amount individually via three different distributors (each with twelve outlets): either 15, 30 or 60 milliliters in the said minute.
3. Water raised beds
As beautiful as raised beds may be, they still have one major disadvantage: the plants cannot use the natural water reservoir from the ground. Although the soil in the box stores moisture, this is usually not enough for a longer vacation. You can use a solar powered irrigation system with 15 sprinklers: You can use the positionable drip outlets to decide how much water your plants should have (twice a day). You can choose between 30 seconds and twelve minutes.
4. Water the planter
Whether in the garden, on the terrace or on the balcony: large planters have the same problem as raised beds. Here, too, you can use a solar holiday watering system – alternatively, a special one is available Plant container made of stable, weatherproof and easy-care plastic, which supplies your plants with moisture independently. It holds eight liters of water and therefore has its own irrigation system as well as a water level indicator. Thanks to the integrated rollers, the bucket can be moved individually.
5. Water vegetable beds
There is also a practical holiday watering system for large areas in the garden, such as the vegetable or flower bed – again from Gardena: in the Micro Drip Starter Set everything you need for installation is included. According to the manufacturer, the system can simultaneously distribute water over an area of up to 40 square meters. You can control how high the spray nozzles should be using the extension tubes. And the selective watering can also be adjusted (per plant): between zero and ten liters. But for automated watering you need a special one watering computer.
Dos and don’ts for holiday watering
Of course, there are many more ways to water your plants when you’re away for a long time. For example the following:
- Place your potted plants in a paddling pool that you fill with water and clay granules beforehand. The small balls absorb the moisture so that your green roommates don’t get “wet feet” – and release the water to the plants again when the time comes.
- Alternatively, you can place the houseplants in a water-filled tub or shower to keep them from drying out while you’re on vacation. However, you should keep in mind that not every plant likes wet roots – so this variant is not always the best choice.
- To prevent your plants from drying out quickly, you can put them in the shade. As a result, they can store water for longer – but this is no guarantee that the green compacts will survive longer absences without the addition of moisture.
- Avoid watering your potted and tub plants too much before you go on holiday. Even if you mean well, too much water can encourage mold. In case of doubt, waterlogging can cause more damage than helping your plants through the dry season.
- Don’t over-fertilize your plants before you leave. Because the fact is that the nutrients it contains are supposed to stimulate growth – which would inevitably lead to your plant needing even more water. For this reason, you should only dose sparingly here.
You might also be interested in:
This article contains so-called affiliate links. Further information are available here.