When vacation time rolls around, one of our biggest concerns is usually our houseplants. Unlike pets, which can accompany us almost anywhere, plants usually stay at home until we return from our time off.
Here at Culmia, we’re offering you a series of tips to keep your plants well-watered at all times and prevent them from drying out due to a lack of water while you’re on vacation. Keep reading to find out all the details!
DIY Irrigation Systems for When You Go on Vacation
When no one is home and your plants need to be watered, having a home irrigation system is one of the best ways to keep your plants in top condition while you’re on vacation. Some of these systems include:
- Homemade string irrigation system: This is one of the most commonly used automatic watering techniques while on vacation. All you need is a piece of string, a container to hold water (such as a vase or a Tupperware container), and the plants themselves—that’s more than enough for automatic watering. First, place the container of water near the plants. Then, insert one end of the string into the plant’s pot (so it touches the soil) and the other end into the container of water (placing the string at the bottom of the container to make the most of the water).
- Homemade rubber tube irrigation system: similar to the string irrigation system, but in this case, you must replace the string mentioned above with a rubber tube or hose that is properly positioned so that the water container is higher than the plant pot, creating a sort of arch through which the water flows.
- Plastic Bottle Irrigation System: Also known as the upside-down bottle irrigation system, this method is ideal for garden plants or for watering plants that need a lot of water. Simply take a bottle and poke a few small holes in the side near the cap, then bury the bottle near the plant you want to water. Once it’s buried up to the neck, fill it with water. This way, the soil will absorb the water the plant needs.
Other techniques for watering plants while on vacation
Although they aren’t as practical as the previous homemade watering systems, there are other —slightly more complex—techniques for watering your plants and keeping them from drying out.
Some of these options are:
- Build a small homemade greenhouse: by wrapping each plant in clear plastic that lets light through, and placing a damp cloth at the bottom of the pot, we’ll ensure that all the moisture released by the plant stays inside the bag. This creates a “cycle” in which the moisture falls back into the pot.
- Gel-like water: It’s also very effective at preventing our plant from drying out completely. The plant thrives thanks to this gelified water, since the potting soil will gradually absorb water, and the gel will provide exactly the amount it needs.
- Self-watering planters: You could say they’re the perfect solution for a plant, but it’s also very expensive to provide a self-watering planter for each plant. The system is simple: it has a water reservoir that waters your plant as needed.
It’s clear that, thanks to the incorporation of these techniques and automatic irrigation systems, your plants will always have the water they need while you’re away from home. It’s such a luxury to have these automatic irrigation systems!
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