I'm going away in late May for 2 weeks, and I'm absolutely terrified it won't rain at all when I'm away, and my plants will all die like they did when I did the same thing in 2023 (which absolutely broke my heart). I have a balcony, NE facing, get about 7 hours of direct sunshine total) and hence can only grow in pots. Apart from repotting everything into larger pots (out balcony is tiny!), or a timed irrigation system (which is really loud and our neighbours complained about it), does anyone have any tips and tricks/tools to keep plants hydrated….or simply alive while away on holiday? Will be EXTREMELY grateful for any advice!
*Photo from last year for attention!*
by higuysit-sme
6 Comments
Get someone to water them
2l bottle fill it with water put a drawing hole one in the cap from the inside out and one on the base dig a lil hile so it won’t fall over ir attach it to a stake make sure a few inches of the bottle is in the ground and leave it.
Or buy a time or app connected sprinkler system that you can use
So I’ve just gone through this, about to head back to the UK. I didn’t trust my personal plumbing to attach a whole system to the outdoor tap and leave it open, so..
50L cheap swing bin
Submersible water pump
Either
10m cheap hose pipe & Irrigation connection bits
Or Irrigation kit on Amazon.
Rigged it all up and put the pump onto a smart plug which was set to run for a minute every other day – did a fair amount of testing on this prior.
I did this for less than £50 and saved all of my saplings through an early growing period!
Moved my bird camera indoors just in case things got out of hand and could call a friend, but wasn’t required!
https://preview.redd.it/pemp2rno6zwg1.jpeg?width=2556&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1a8ee7b23951bb832cb09183f2a5e2a0718c63a
I saw a trick on TikTok where you can create a sort of drip irrigation system using empty plastic bottles and cotton buds. The guy made a small hole in the lid with a heated screw driver and a small hole near the bottom of the bottle (on the side) with the same heated screw driver. He then put a cotton bud in each of the holes he had made then filled up the bottle with water. He then placed the bottle standing up on the soil or I think he said you can bury it a little in the soil. The water drips slowly from the bottom cotton bud.
Now the only issue with this is people were saying the bottles may get hot and start a fire as he had them lined up against his garden fence.
I say all that to say…maybe have a look on YouTube for some ideas as I’ve never tried this method, I just remember seeing it the other day lol.
Good luck and I hope you find a solution. ☺️
No advice but those flowers are beautiful!
Why you taking them on holiday? Would they not be better off just left in the garden?