Heading off for the holidays but feeling guilty about leaving your garden? Here are our top tips to water plants while away on vacation.
Whether they be big or small, indoor or outdoor, our tips have you covered. And they’re all pretty simple!
How to water plants while away on holidays
Ask a neighbour
Arguably the most low-tech option of this lot. Why not ask your neighbour? Perhaps you could trade them free access to your garden produce or a holiday hamper in exchange for keeping your plants wet while you’re away?
Either way, asking is a community building activity that helps to grow trust in your neighbourhood.
Indoor plant bath
Got a bevvy of indoor plants that like to stay cool? Here’s a simple tip that will keep them watered for short trips away.
Put plants in your bath tub. Then pop in the plug. Fill with water to about 2cm up the base of pots. But, make sure your taps are turned off really tightly! Even the tiniest drip could lead to a filled bath that floods over.
This trick isn’t really suitable for plants that don’t like constant moisture, so for those, see our tip on self-watering pots below.
Link Tap
Link Tap is the awesome watering system that you can link your smartphone to. So long as your wifi stays on while you’re away you can communicate with Link Tap remotely and switch your watering system on (and off).
You can even set it on auto-mode and connect it to your local weather station, and let the gods of the internet do all the hard work.
Self-watering pots
Oh how we love these self watering pots from Mr Kitly. Made in Melbourne in collaboration with Decor, these pots are a classic design. One that has been going (growing) strong since 1987.
The pots use wicking action to draw water up from their reservoir base to hungry plant roots. And they come in a range of chic colours to match any interior.
While they make caring for plants super easy year round, they’re especially good when you’re heading away on holiday. Simply keep the reservoir topped up and she’ll be apples for at least a week.
Ollas and water bottles
Fabulous ollas are a great way to water plants in the ground with their very own reservoir. These large terracotta pots sit in the ground in your garden and slowly leach out water into the surrounding earth. You can also make your own DIY olla using a few terracotta pots.
The old upside down water bottle trick is another great way to give your outdoor plants a slow drip drink while you’re off enjoying the sunshine.
To do this, simply fill an old water or milk bottle with water. Screw the lid on lightly. Then invert it into the soil close to the plant you’d like to keep watered. The lid will slowly drip water out over a few days or so.
