Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Tips For Automatic Plant Watering While You Are Away

By Leslie Ball


When you leave your home for a vacation you and you have pets it is important that you either board them or find someone to care for them while you are away. If you have house plants, you will need to make sure they do not go without water. You can keep your plants hydrated while you are gone by following these tips for automatic plant watering.

Replanting in large nonporous pots will keep your the soil from drying out and damaging your plants. You will need more soil to fill the bigger pots. Larger amounts of soil hold more moisture so plants stay hydrated longer. Additionally, there are a number of products on the market that help to keep soil moist.

There are synthetic soil additives that will help the soils ability to hold increased amounts of water. Using the additives will improve the holding capacity of the soil to as much as 50 percent. Visit your nearest department or DIY store find out what brand they can recommend.

Before leaving on your vacation, be sure to give the plants a thorough soaking. This can be done by putting each container in the sink or a buckets of water. The plants should be left sitting in the water until the top of the soil is good and moist. This practice will ensure your plants will remain moist while you are away.

In addition, purchase a watering stake for each pot. In large pots you may want to insert more than one. As the soil becomes dry, the stakes will automatically release some water that is held in a reservoir. Some of the stakes come with a reservoir already attached while other will require you to attach a glass or plastic bottle.

People are also able to create their own drip systems with plastic bottles. This is done by poking several holes on the bottom of a bottle. The bottle is then stuck on the top of the soil. The bottle is then filled with water and monitored to make sure the water is dispensed at the correct rate. You should test these systems before leaving to ensure there are no adjustments that will need to be made to the number and size of the holes.

A wicking system is another way to ensure your plants are watered while you are gone. Using yarn water is wicked into the soil. A pot containing water is set at a higher level than the soil. The yarn is completely soaked with the water. One end of the piece of yarn is placed in the bottom of the container of water and the other is buried in the soil.

If you follow these suggestions you will not need to ask anyone to look after your plants when you are gone. You can create your own irrigation systems to keep your plants healthy. If you would rather buy the watering stakes, you can choose from several decorative designs. No matter what you select, you will be able to keep your plants hydrated in your absence.




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