Holiday Tips for Keeping Your Plants Alive While You're Away

Relax on your holiday while your plants remain happy at home, with these simple tips to keep them watered while you are away.

Holiday Tip 1:

Ask a friend.

Ask a friend or family member to water your plants while you are away. This is the best way to keep your indoor plants happy while you are on holiday as a fairly normal watering routine can be arranged.

Holiday Tip 2:

If you are going away for a week or less; water your plants thoroughly, completely soaking the soil before you leave. Then move them into a lower light (keep in some natural light but away from hot direct light right by a window) and a cooler position. 

They should survive for a week to 10 days without watering if the space is cool and the soil has been soaked.

Water again as soon as you get home.

Holiday Tip 3:

Glass and string watering method.

If you only have a few plants, you can use the glass and string watering method. Fill a glass (or any other open vessel that can hold water) with water and place it next to your plant. Cut a piece of string and place one end into the glass of water (long enough to reach the bottom of the glass) and the other end into the soil of your plant.

This simple watering method allows water to be transported from the glass to the soil of your smaller houseplants through the piece of string, ensuring constant hydration to your plant.

The longer you will be away, the larger the vessel of water will need to be.

Holiday Tip 4:

Plastic bottle watering method.

For bigger plants, you can use the plastic bottle watering method. Fill a plastic bottle with water, close the lid and then poke two holes in the lid of the bottle. Submerge the bottle upside down, into the soil of your plant - with the lid and top of the bottle facing downwards and completely submerged in the soil. The water in the bottle will seep through the holes in the lid and keep the soil moist and watered.

You can do this with as many plants as you have that have big enough pots to submerge a bottle into without damaging the roots, stems or leaves of your indoor plants.

Holiday Tip 5:

Bath tub or shower watering method.

Fill your bath tub with 2-5cm's of water. You can also seal the drain in your shower and fill the shower with 2-5cm's of water or the kitchen sink or bathroom basin - depending on how many indoor plants you need to water this way. Place your indoor plants into the shallow water, ensuring that they all have pots with drainage holes at the bottom and are without their decorative pot covers or saucers. With this watering method your plants can take up water from the base of the plant through the drainage holes in their pots.

This method also helps you to keep all your plants together which increases humidity and helps to keep them moist and happy.

You can also read this great resource with detailed tips on how to keep your plants watered while you are on holiday.