How to Keep Your Garden Pots Watered While on Vacation

Keeping plants watered while away on vacation or a long weekend is something that is easy to forget about, but important so that your plants stay alive.  Whether you have many pots or just one, you do not want to come home to find the plants you spent time and money growing have dried out and died.  There are a number of options to keep your plants healthy when you are away.

• Purchase a plant water holder, which can be found at most home improvement or gardening stores.  These water holders are filled with water and inserted into the soil in your pots.  The opening is small so water trickles into the soil slowly and can last for a week or more. 


• Make your own plant water holder using a one or two liter soda bottle.  Remove the cap and make a small hole in the middle, then fill the bottle up with water.  Place the bottle, cap side down, into the soil.  The water will slowly trickle out and keep the soil most while you are away.


• Place about 1 or 2 inches of peat moss in the bottom of a larger pot and moisten it with water.  Place the potted plant into the larger pot.  The peat moss will stay moist and keep the roots of the potted plant watered.  This works well for a weekend away, but any longer than a few days and the peat moss will dry out.


• Ask a friend that you trust to come by once a day to water your plants.  This is convenient when you are already having a friend come over to bring in mail or care for pets.  Before leaving, have your friend come over so you can show him or her the process for watering your plants, including how much and when.


• Use a shoe string or piece of rope as a water wick.  Place one end deep into the soil and place the other end in a bowl filled with water.  The shoe lace or rope will soak up the water and stay wet, which will keep the soil moist.  This works best for smaller pots, but you can always use as many wicks as appropriate.


• Water the plant thoroughly and then cover the pot completely with a large plastic bag.  Puncture a few holes in the bag and put straws in the holes to keep air circulation flowing.  When the water evaporates from the soil, the plastic bag will create a greenhouse effect, collecting the water and allowing it to drip back into the soil.