Watering plants while on holiday

Hi Guys

This is my first time on this forum.

I go away on business about once a month and i am looking for a way of keeping my house plants hydrated while i am away.

I have found a product online and wondered if anyone had used it before and if it worked. It's called Holiday Mat and Rainmat supplied by

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They claim it holds 8 pints of water. You lay it on a draining board, add water to it and place your plants on top.

If you have any thoughts on this or better products, i would be very grateful

Cheers Mark

Reply to
Greenerdigits
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ww.plant-watering.com/

If you buy this, be sure to give it a test run before you go away. However, its efficacy will depend on the kind of soil mix you use and the number of holes in the bottom of the pot. A much surer and cheaper solution for most plants is to tie a plastic baggie over each one. If you have a number of small plants, place them together in an empty fish tank with a cover. Do not leave your plants where the sun will shine on them. If you can leave them under a fluorescent light, that will be perfect. Iris

Reply to
Bonsaisr

How often you're away isn't important... what's important is how long you'll be gone. Most healthy plants when properly watered can survive quite nicely for up to ten days with no care at all. Many plants, like succulents and cacti don't require watering but *lightly* once every month or even two months. With most plants less is more.. many folks kill their plants with kindness... they over water and just as bad they over fertilize. Of course some plants, like orchids, violets, etc. require special care and rreally shouldn' left more than a day or two. Without knowing what kind of plants you have, their ages, size of plants/pots, type of pots, type of potting mix, room temperature, etc, it's really not possible to give detailed instructions.

Reply to
brooklyn1

I either ask my son or a neighbor to water my house plants once a week when we are on an extended trip. The potting mix that I use retains much moisture without getting soggy. Thus, the plants only need watering once a week.

See my for a do-it-yourself recipe for my potting mix.

I also have potted plants in my back yard. I arrange them in a spot where the automatic sprinklers will water them. (The sprinklers are controlled by a clock to run just before sunrise.) This is on a walkway between my lawn and rose bed, in an area shaded by a very large ash tree. I surround the area containing the pots with several strands of copper wire to keep snails away from the plants.

Reply to
David E. Ross

There's a variety of drip irrigation systems available at your local big box home improvement stores, add a $20 timer that can be set for up to weekly watering. I've seen patio kits in the $20 range. That may be more than you need.

Jeff

Reply to
jeff

Hi

Thank you all very much for the advice. I go away for two - three weeks at a time, and I live too far away from family to ask them to come and water them for me.

We are heading in to winter so putting them outside is no longer an option.

I think I will give the Holiday mat a try and I will let you know how I get on.

Thanks again Mark

Reply to
Greenerdigits

Try using your bathtub. It's capable of holding a low level of water and because of it's natural shape to flow to drain, you can put your plants that need the least watering at one end while the plants that will need water setting in or near the water line.

Your plants, at a minimun, will have moisture around them. But like another poster, it depends on how long you're gone. I wouldn't leave a pot standing in water for very long....but some can take that.

Donna

Reply to
DEM

I put plants inside dry-cleaner bags for many unattended weeks. Some plants can be left for a month this way without any watering. If you travel a lot, get plants that thrive well on neglect. With temperatures down I have not watered any of my plants in 2 weeks except for the Aftican violets. A month or 2 ago, many were being watered 2-3 times a week. Maybe you can get a friend to water once a week?

Reply to
Phisherman

Hi again

Just wanted to update you.

I got a my HolidayMat a couple of weeks ago week the service from

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was excellent.

The Holiday Mat is incredible. When I first opened it I was a little dubious, but I placed it on a large tray and added about 3 litres of water and it absorbed the lot. The mat swells to about 10 times the thickness. It?s amazing!

My plants have been on it now for two weeks and are doing fine. I will definitely be using it when I go away next week and will use it my hanging baskets in the summer.

For any one with a green house they sell it in 5m rolls.

Great Product.

Thanks again for the advice.

Mark

Reply to
Greenerdigits

Mark,

I too have had the problem of having my plants die on me while I am away.

The rainmat seems like a good option but I would check others out. There are so many to choose from. My personal favourite is AQUADRIP. You get 6 bottle top watering spikes in a pack and it supports Oxfam.

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is where you will find it.

hope that helps.

Reply to
EcoCharlie

ww.plant-watering.com/

Expect roots to grow out the bottom of the pots into the mat. You can make a wick system for next to nothing, with as much water capacity as you need.

Whatever, pruning plants back will reduce transpiration, reducing water intake.

Reply to
Frank

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