A gardener has created a ‘no-nonsense’ guide to keeping plants perfectly watered during holidays. The advice was shared by blogger @gardening.with.ish on his popular TikTok account.
Ish regularly shares gardening tips with his 70,000 followers. In a recent post, he tackled a common conundrum faced by plant lovers. He said: “If you’re away this summer and you want to keep your garden watered then my no nonsense step by step plant care guide is for you.
“My gardening tips for beginner gardener will show you how to keep your plants and grass hydrated in the summer heat – whilst you’re away on holiday!” The blogger said equipment is required to help look after your garden while you’re away from home.
“Now, to get started, you’re going to need a couple of things. First of all, you’re going to need a water timer,” the enthusiast explained. “Now, these come in so many different brands, but I’ve just got a little cheapy one from Screwfix for about 25 quid. And all you do is connect this to your tap, you set the time and when you want the water to come on and off and the duration too. And that’s it, that’s what it does. Easy as that.”
Ish added: “Secondly, you need to find a sprinkler, and preferably one that covers the whole of your garden. I’ve got two options that I use here, which is my Gardena sprinkler spray, which is fantastic because it gives a light rain throw all throughout the garden and it works really, really well.
“Then you’ve got the hose lock here, which is a little bit more extreme. This will shoot a staggered jet all the way around the garden, which covers a vast amount of area. With the timer now set and the sprinkler now in place, you can leave it be and go on holiday.”
Next, the blogger covered specific problems gardening fans could encounter, reports Wales Online. “If you don’t want a hose line creating a nice yellow patch on your lawn whilst you’re away, take two canes and make a little criss cross, and you can rest the hose over the top. That way the light can get to it and it won’t kill your grass,” he suggested.
Ish also shared advice for people with hanging baskets. “If the sprinkler doesn’t quite reach your hanging baskets, don’t worry. Just put them on the gravel or on a deck where they’re in range. It might not look very pretty right now, but you’re on holiday. You’re not gonna see it, so let it get watered.”
Lastly, he had a tip for people with large gardens. “If your garden is too big for one sprinkler, don’t worry. You have two zones on the timer. And if you only want one zone, remember, each one of these sprinklers that I’ve suggested has a little cap here where you can extend the circuit and just add another sprinkler.”
In the comment section, someone praised: “This is GENIUS.” Another viewer had a question. They asked: “What about a greenhouse? We have 2 small greenhouses that will need looked after when away at some point.”
A commenter replied: “Get a soaker hose and attach it to the timer. That’s what I have in my raised beds.” Ish added: “That’s exactly what we did in our borders, but this method is fool proof.”