Note to flower growers: how to water indoor flowers if you go on vacation?

Preparing house plants for a short trip

First of all, flowers need to be prepared for a long absence:

1. 
   Avoid feeding 2 weeks before the expected time of departure. Since after fertilizing, flowers require more moisture to improve the absorption of minerals.

2. Reduce the usual amount of watering.
3. Trim flowers and buds, inspect for the possibility of thinning the leaf mass. These measures will reduce water consumption.
4. Move the flower to a shaded place where it will consume less water.
5. Collect all the flowers in one place, this way you can increase the humidity in the room.
6. On the day of departure, water the flowers generously.
7. Place the clay pots in plastic ones and fill the space between them with a thick layer of wet expanded clay.

When going on vacation, it’s a good idea to give your flowers a hot shower, with a water temperature of 30 to 50 degrees. This event will strengthen their immunity, get rid of pests, and help them survive for a long time in extreme conditions.

Where to begin?

The first thing to do, regardless of which of the six methods is best for you, is to give your potted plants their best watering a few days before leaving: fill pots, containers and hanging baskets with water, releasing a stream from the base of the stem or trunk until the water rises above the soil. Allow the liquid to be completely absorbed (at least 24 hours), then repeat one more time. Approach this matter responsibly and study in advance which of your plants are contraindicated for overwatering - they should continue to be watered as usual.

To water down garden plants, use a hose - leave it in beds, borders and flower beds for a few minutes, then touch the soil to make sure that at least five to ten centimeters of water have been absorbed. Only when this happens, move on to the next plant. Take your time for this; if necessary, set aside a separate day. It is better to spend several hours and a reserve of energy on this painstaking process than to find a dried-out garden when returning home from a long vacation. Secure the hose so that an abundance of water does not fall on the foliage - in hot weather it will evaporate very quickly and will not only dry out the leaves, but can also cause illness or diaper rash.

Simple and affordable ways to water while away

To ensure that your flowers receive the necessary moisture while you are away, you can organize homemade automatic watering systems for your home flowers, which will not require any special expenditure of money.

Using a plastic bottle

It will be enough to stock up only:

• plastic bottle;
• awl;
• scissors;
• a piece of gauze.

Step by step steps:

1. We cut off the bottom of a plastic bottle and make a kind of funnel into which water will be poured.
2. We make holes in the cork with an awl.
3. We wrap the gauze around the neck of the bottle so that it fills the thread.
4. Turn the bottle upside down and carefully insert it into the pot.
5. We hang the bottle so that its lid touches the ground.
6. Fill the bottle with water.

The number of plastic bottles should be equal to the number of flowers. For small pots you should take small bottles.

Using ropes

To water flowers this way, you should stock up on:

• a rope that will be used as a wick;
• plastic bottle;
• a peg to secure the rope in the pot.

Step by step steps:

1. Place one end of the rope in a bottle of water.
2. We fix the other end with a peg in the soil.
3. Place a container of water above the plant pot.

If the plant is large, then the number of ropes can reach 5-7 pieces. Before installing the wick, you need to water the plants abundantly in advance, otherwise they will “drink” half of the water in a short period and there will not be enough moisture for the holiday period.

Hydrogel

Today there is a hydrogel on sale - a polymer that can absorb a large volume of water and slowly release moisture to plants; 2 g of hydrogel absorbs up to 500 ml of water.

Step by step steps:

1. 2 weeks before the holiday, the flower is transplanted into a mixture of soil and hydrogel, at the rate of 2 g per 1000 g of substrate. In this case, it is important to evenly distribute the pieces of hydrogel in the soil so that there are no areas of land left without a backup water storage device.
2. Carefully plant the flower in the mixture so as not to damage the root system.
3. You can add hydrogel to an already planted flower by making small depressions in the soil for this purpose and pouring the hydrogel into the hole.
4. Water the plant generously.
5. If after watering a hydrogel is squeezed onto the surface, then it is necessary to sprinkle it with soil a couple of centimeters on top.

After 2-3 weeks, the root system of the flower will grow through the hydrogel capsules, from where it will be able to absorb moisture without waiting for the next watering. The hydrogel is a backup source of water that will prevent the plant from withering when there is no watering.

For the hydrogel to work, it is applied to the soil in the area in close proximity to the root system.

Bath

To preserve flowers during departure, you can use a bathtub or other container that can easily accommodate all your house plants.

Step by step steps:

1. Pour a thick layer of expanded clay, at least 5 cm, onto the bottom of the container.
2. We place flower pots close to each other on the bottom.
3. Fill the expanded clay with a few centimeters of water.
4. The gaps between the pots can be either sprinkled with damp expanded clay or damp moss.

The disadvantage of this method is that if at least one flower is affected by a pest, it can easily spread to other plants.

Before placing flower pots in the bath, you need to remove the trays from them. To prevent the root system of plants from freezing from contact with water, they should be in a bathtub covered with a layer of expanded clay.

Droppers

To water flowers this way we stock up:

• plastic bottle;
• rubber band;
• droppers according to the number of plants.

Step by step steps:

1. Remove the needles from the tips of the droppers.
2. We check the integrity of the tubes by blowing.
3. We connect together, tying the ends of the droppers together with an elastic band so that they settle at the bottom of the container and do not float to its surface.
4. We lower the droppers into the bottle.
5. We raise the container as high as possible to organize pressure in the irrigation system.
6. Open the dripper regulator to start water through the system.
7. We stick the ends of the droppers into the ground.
8. Use the wheel to adjust the required watering rate.

For the design to work, you need to make sure that the dropper tubes are not pinched.

Using hydrogel

If you are interested in information on how to ensure watering of indoor plants in the absence of owners for a long time without the use of any structures, then a hydrogel will help here. 1 g of such a polymer material can absorb about 250 ml of water, and then gradually release it into the soil.

The hydrogel can be placed in a pot when planting instead of a drainage layer, or buried at a depth of 2 cm from the surface. You can also soak it for 8 hours - it will absorb water and swell. After this, it is laid out in pots and covered with damp moss on top. This is necessary so that the hydrogel does not turn into dust, since it is believed that in this form it is toxic to the body.

There are several ways to provide indoor plants with moisture, so you shouldn’t burden your friends with your problems, or refuse to go on vacation or leave the flowers to die. You just need to choose a convenient system for watering your home flowers during your vacation and go on your long-awaited trip with a pure heart.

Devices and devices for automatic watering on the market

If desired, you can purchase a ready-made model for automatic watering of flowers, which is capable of irrigating plants at a specified frequency. Moreover, it is possible to program the day and hour of watering.

Green Helper ODS 70

Fully automated drip irrigation system . Capable of simultaneously irrigating up to 24 plants in pots of different sizes. It is possible to program the amount of water for each plant, frequency and time of watering. No water connection required. Cost 3900 rubles.

Drops system

It is presented in the form of a dispenser plug, which is connected to a plastic bottle. The sharp end of the device is inserted into the pot. The system works by expanding air against the background of temperature changes.

Due to this, in hot weather there is an increase in the intensity of watering, and in cool weather - a decrease. Irrigation lasts for 20 days. The set contains 4 dispenser plugs. Cost – 630 rubles.

Foraworld 27 x 6 cm

The device is attached to a water bottle . It is possible to regulate the water supply. Includes 2 pieces. Cost – 1130 rubles.

For your information, there are “smart pots” on the market that can independently regulate the level of soil moisture; they come complete with a reservoir from which water flows to the root.

Shady side of the garden

Never forget the power of shade to protect your favorite plants from drought. Moving potted plants to the dark side of a windowsill or even darker rooms while you're away will help them stay hydrated and slow the rate at which the soil and roots dry out.

Do the same with outdoor pots and movable flowerbeds - find the dark side of the garden or place them in the shade of the house. But you should not move them under roof slopes, eaves and other protrusions of the house to prevent excess moisture from entering in case of rain.

Once you've given your plants plenty of water and shade, choose one of the following methods to keep them hydrated.

What should you not do?

In order for flowers to survive their vacation in the most comfortable conditions for them, you should not do the following before leaving:

1. Fertilize the plants for a month before departure.
2. Leave flowers on the windowsill while you are away.
3. Go on vacation without making any preparations.
4. Leave flowers with buds and flowers that require more moisture to reach the root system.
5. Close the curtains tightly, completely eliminating the flow of light. Otherwise, the flowers may die; they require moderate lighting.
6. Leave flowers in a draft. Most plants are afraid of drafts and may die.
7. Place the flower pot in a container of water. This can lead to rotting of the root system and death of the plant.
8. Create a greenhouse effect by covering the top of the pot with plastic wrap, without ensuring a constant supply of water.

How to leave indoor flowers without watering for two weeks

Well, that's what happened! The long-awaited vacation has arrived. While you are having a pleasant time getting ready, suddenly you realize that during your absence, indoor flowers will remain without watering .

The question arises: What to do to save flowers from drought ? There is a solution! Here are a few techniques that can be used to leave flowers without watering for two weeks to a month.

Basic steps to create conditions for flowers that will remain without watering for a long time

1. First of all, sort the flowers according to moisture consumption. Those that can remain without water for a long time ( cacti , succulents , etc.) and those that require frequent and regular watering.

2. Give the flowers a refreshing shower and water them.

3. Remove flowers from sunny windows and radiators (in winter). Place the flowers in the middle of the room, where the heat from radiators and the sun will not reach them.