First, a Cautionary Tale
Epic . Fail.
Last year when I went on vacation I knew I was going to be gone for the better part of two weeks, and I didn’t want my poor houseplants to die without me, so I did a little research on how to make an automatic plant watering device. Then I proceeded to waste hour after hour on some McGuyver-like watering contraption that turned out to be an epic fail.
So here’s what NOT to do:
- Waste time fashioning a Frankenstein monster out of a 2-Liter bottle, a miter box, duct tape, and a snare stand.
- Try to use a screw to control the flow of water from the bottle.
- When the screw doesn’t work, replace it with a piece of pipe cleaner.
Proud as I was of the system at the time, it had a nasty habit of dripping for about 15 minutes and then “clogging”. The pipe cleaner that I used rusted and broke off, while hardly any of the water was dispensed over the 10 days I was gone. Incidentally, that plant seemed to survive the drought, but then dropped leaves consistently for a few months until it finally kicked the bucket.
Better Solutions
- Wicking systems are a great option. They are more reliable than home-made drippers, in my experience, and SO much easier. All you need is a wick (shoelaces work great; I used bits of cotton yarn) with one end in a bucket of water and one end in your plant’s soil. It really is that easy! Because the capillary action of the wick sucks water into the soil, your water source doesn’t even have to be above your plants—it can be beside them or even underneath of them!
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A simple wicking system with cotton yarn.
If you still want to use a bottle, the smarter thing to do is to fill a beer bottle or water bottle with water and quickly turn this upside down and poke it into the soil. If you get it stuck in the soil well, it should take a couple of days for all the water to infiltrate into the soil, leaving your plant well-watered enough to make it a few days afterwards. Still, this is not a long enough watering window if you are going to be gone for much more than a week. Enter the Aqua Spike. This ingenious device screws onto the top of a 2-liter bottle, stakes easily into the ground, and slowly drips water into the soil, keeping your plants watered for a week or more. Aqua Spikes are great for potted plants indoors or out.
After 3 days, this vase had pumped more than half of its water into the plants. This means that the system will water well for about 6 days. My plants should be able to survive those other few days just fine. If you have more plants, use more pitchers. If you will be gone longer, use larger vessels for each plant.
- Okay, this one is slightly tricky, but it holds in moisture wonderfully. Take a clear plastic bag (ziplocs are good if your plants are small enough) and put it over your plant’s foliage. Use large rubber bands to attach it snugly to the pot. This creates a kind of mini greenhouse that locks in the moisture that plants would otherwise lose to respiration. This is a great solution for tropical cultivars that need moist air to thrive, but could actually be harmful to plants that are susceptible to foliar diseases. You can help avoid that by putting bamboo stakes or something similar in the soil to create a structure that holds the plastic bag up off of the leaves. You should also beware sealing up your plants TOO tight. If there is no ventilation, the bag can fill with Oxygen and slowly poison your plants.
- A method that I’ve heard people swear by is to keep all your houseplants in the bathtub with an inch or two of water at the bottom. To keep the plants’ roots from rotting, raise the plants up above the water with bricks or a wet towel. The benefit of bricks is that they are porous and can wick the moisture up (a bit like a terra cotta pot). Keep the shower door or curtain closed to try and hold the moisture in. Keep the light on so that your plants don’t completely pass out.
My attempt at a bathtub watering solution using plastic shelving in place of bricks.
- For plants that are too big to move, just give them a good, thorough watering and then cover the soil in damp newspaper to help hold the moisture in.
Don’t Forget the Garden!
Mister Landscaper Timer
For outdoor plants, nature will (hopefully) keep your plants moist enough. In the winter, dormant plants shouldn’t need much water. In most of the US, the spring brings plenty of rain. If you’re traveling in the summer or early fall, though, your plants might need some help. A sprinkler system with a timer is the best solution to automate your watering. Not only will this save you time throughout the week, but it is an absolute lifesaver when you’re gone! Another thing that can help plants in the garden or in pots is Soil Moist, an additive that lets soil hold water like a sponge.
Other Tips
- Move plants away from windows and to lower-light spots. This keeps them cooler, which slows evaporation, and more importantly it stops the growth which makes more vigorous plants “thirsty”.
- Ask a plant-sitter to help. If someone is looking after your home or pets anyway, ask them to water your plants, too.
- Fill a tray with a few inches of rocks and a couple inches of water. Put your plants on the tray. As the water evaporates for the next few weeks it will keep the nearby air moist so that your plants don’t dry up so much. This can be used in conjunction with other methods.
Happy Holidays!