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Watering Plants on Vacation – How to Water Plants While Away? VIDEO

How to Water Plants While Away? Watering plants while on vacation can be a big problem. Plant watering systems are an extraordinarily satisfying way to sustain a lush, green container garden while you are away for a few days. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on expensive watering systems or plant nannies that you see in TV commercials. Nor will you need to ask a neighbor or friend to come over and water your plants while you are on vacation. In this article, I show you different simple methods for watering your plants while you are away. DIY homemade methods and commercial options to keep your plants watered while away.

How to Water Plants While Away? Recycled plastic and wine bottles are easily transformed into automatic watering systems that release water when plants need it. They are environmentally and budget-friendly. In addition, they are in no way inferior to off-the-shelf watering systems. Self-built plant waterers are even superior because they hold more water than the ones you can find in shopping malls.

How To Water Plants on Vacation

How To Water Plants on VacationHow to Water Plants While Away? We have to make inventions to water our plants during the vacations.

The most common and effective is to use a container filled with water and place it upside down in the pot. The water passes through small openings that prevent it from simply spilling out. When the soil dries out, it takes the correct amount of water from the container. This is essentially how this vacation watering system works. It’s a light, easy and effective way to keep plants from wilting.

These vacation watering inventions are very useful. Here I am going to explain two simple ways to make your own plant waterers with materials from your container. You should use empty plastic water bottles and glass wine bottles. Make sure they will water your dry pots while you are on the road.

These systems can also be used to water your terrace while you are traveling or on vacation. Or any other room where you have pots, planters, or plants.

how to water plants on vacation
Watering Plants on Vacation.

How to Water Plants While Away?

Let’s see what are the options that we have to keep watering our plants while away: DIY homemade methods and affordable commercial options.

Watering Plants on Vacation – Plastic Bottle Irrigation System

Watering Plants on Vacation – Plastic Bottle Irrigation System. Plastic bottles are versatile and simple to modify. You should use different techniques and choose which one suits you best. Now I am going to tell you two configurations to make your own recycled watering systems from plastic bottles. Use any old bottle, regardless of its size.

Alternative A

Watering Plants on Vacation – Plastic Bottle Irrigation System. For this first and simple initiative, you will need empty plastic bottles with their caps, a candle, and an awl or a nail. Light the candle and burn the awl in the flame. This way, you will pierce the plastic bottle a lot more easily. Make several small holes near the neck of the bottle, fill it with water, and screw the cap on tightly. When you are done with these steps, simply turn the plastic bottle upside down and glue it to the floor until it covers the holes.

Plastic Bottle with Plant Watering Spikes and Slow Release Control Valve

Plastic Bottle with Plant Watering Spikes and Slow Release Control Valve. Here is the extra commercial option that turns this DIY irrigation system into an excellent system. These spikes allow you to adjust the amount of water, and connect them to almost any type of plastic bottle.

Watering Plants on Vacation - Plastic Bottle Irrigation System - How to Water Plants While Away?
Watering Plants on Vacation – Plastic Bottle Irrigation SystemHow to Water Plants While Away?

Plastic Bottle with Plant Watering Spikes and Slow Release Control Valve. The great advantage of using this adjustable spike to water your plants when you are on vacation is that you can adjust it before you leave, and adjust it for each type of plant.

Watering Plants on Vacation - Plastic Bottle Irrigation System - How to Water Plants While Away?
Watering Plants on Vacation – Plastic Bottle Irrigation SystemHow to Water Plants While Away?

Each type of plant may consume a different amount of water because it will depend on the location and temperature, as well as the type of plant itself. By using these adjustable spikes with your plastic bottle, you can test and adjust the water dosage on the control valve well before your departure, and then you will have the whole system perfectly adjusted while away.

Alternative B

Watering Plants on Vacation – Plastic Bottle Irrigation System. This initiative is quite similar to the previous one. The difference lies in removing the cap. The opening of the bottle should be covered with gauze and attached to its neck with an elastic band. By placing a gauze, you will prevent soil from entering the inside of the bottle. Fill the bottle with water and stick the neck into the soil.

How to Water Indoors Potted Plants While Away – Capillary Water Transfer

How to Water Indoors Potted Plants While Away – Capillary Water Transfer for Plants. As an alternative to this option is to place a plastic container with water and use some large shoelaces. Wet the shoelace completely and place it over the soil of indoor potted plants.

How Capillary Water Transfer for Plants Works? Through capillarity, the water will be transferred from the water container to the pot or pots. If you don’t have shoelaces at hand, a wick cord like this one is helpful and affordable for self-watering plants by capillarity using a wick cord.

ORIMERC 120 feet 1/6 inch Self Watering Capillary Wick Cord Vacation Plant Sitter DIY Hydroponic Wicking Watering Planter Pot Automatic Water System Device Potted Violet Auto Seedling Waterer Rope
  • DIY AUTOMATIC WATERING VACATION IRRIGATION SYSTEM: put the one end to a water source, this slow release watering wick will suck water to the other end automatically, and drip within 15 minutes (the practical time depends on the length of the rope you cut off; make this watering rope completely soaked in water before use then it will drip instantly). Easy to make a DIY automatic watering device system, help you care your plants while you are away from home or when you go outside or on business.
  • AN ECONOMICAL & EFFECTIVE DIY SELF WATERING WATERER: easy to make an economic and effective self watering waterer, NEVER WORRY that it is fragile easily break, or hard to refill, or gets clogged with soil easily, or does not hold enough water, an ideal alternative to watering orb, watering globes, glass watering bulbs, watering stake, and terracotta watering spike. NO NEED to care the angle to plunge it into soil, or how to make it stay upright in the pots as a watering spike/globe does.
  • EASY TO FIT & CONTROL & WASHABLE FOR REPEATED USE: you can pick whatever water container, NEVER WORRY hard to find a bottle to fit, especially if you can find a nice one that compliments your planter and plant. You can control the volume & time of dripping by choosing a proper water container size. The watering dripping is stable, NO WORRY that you’ll either get a clog and no water will come out at all or all of the water will come out at once. Not rotten, washable, can be used repeatedly.

Watering Plants on Vacation – Glass Bottle

Watering Plants on Vacation – Glass Bottle. Instead of ridding yourself of old glass wine bottles, how about transforming them into fancy plant watering cans? They look really nice in more substantial planters and all it requires you to carry out is to carry out holes in the threaded caps.

  • Use a hammer and punch to drill small holes in the cap.
  • Fill the bottle with water to the bottom and place it in the pan in the manner in which plastic bottles are placed. It is advisable to fix the bottle between two stakes to ensure that the home watering system does not fall over. This could happen with wine bottles because they are much heavier than plastic bottles.
  • You can replace the screw caps with duct tape. The procedure is the same: in the center of the strip of duct tape, you build small holes. If you want to be clever, you can use spray paint or mosaic tiles to decorate the bottle. Whichever option you choose, your handmade glass watering system will become a beautiful, simple, and serviceable watering gadget.
  1. Use larger plastic or wine bottles if you plan to be away from home for more than a few days.
  2. Always water before adding the bottle and test the home watering system the day before you leave.
  3. Make sure there are no leaks or bubbles at the top.
  4. If you notice such warnings, possibly the mouth of the bottle has not sealed against the soil.
  5. Take the bottle out of the soil, fill it again with water, and insert it into the moist soil.
  6. Fix the bottle near the rim and it will then rest in the pot.

These simple ideas are indeed effective and will keep your garden beautiful with happy plants while you are away.

Let’s see this affordable commercial option using decorative plant watering globes with awesome reviews from customers that provide a helpful option for watering plants while you are away.

Brajttt Plant Watering Globes Automatic Glass Watering Bulbs, Glass Ball Planter, Decorative Garden Watering Cans Glass drip Ball with 4 Tags, 4-Pack, 2.95 inch Diameter
  • ❤Grow healthy plants. This set of 4/6/8 decorative glass watering globes are a perfect automatic watering system for your small indoor or outdoor plants. No more over or under watering your plants! Self-watering bulbs slowly release the perfect amount of water needed into the soil to feed flowers, herbs and other plants.
  • ❤Cultivate healthy and strong plants for you - these watering requirements can provide plants with water for about two weeks, help maintain proper nutrition, and are suitable for use during business trip or vacation.
  • ❤Beautiful and high-quality colorful glass - made of high-density, super durable glass, which is very strong and suitable for indoor and outdoor use, hanging basin and floor plants.

How to Prepare the Bottles for Watering Plants While Away

How to Prepare the Bottles for Watering Plants While Away. This is another very effective and easy-to-do method. If you are going on vacation, the buried bottle is a good home watering system.

  1. The first thing to do is to make the hole where you are going to bury the bottle.
  2. Then, you take a plastic bottle and make holes in all parts of the bottle.
  3. Then, you have to fill it with water and cover it with a cap.
  4. Next, you bury the bottle in the hole that you had previously made, and you cover it well with earth so that only the stopper shows.
  5. With this, you will get an effective home irrigation system buried, and your plants will have water while you are on vacation. Tranquility assured.
water plants while vacation Watering Plants on Vacation - Plastic Bottle Irrigation System - How to Water Plants While Away?
Watering Plants on Vacation.

Is Drip Irrigation with a Bottle a Good Method?

Is Drip Irrigation with a Bottle a Good Method? I can tell you that for me it is the best home method to water while you are on vacation. The drip irrigation method is ideal to take the worry out of it while you go on a family trip. This way, you won’t have to worry about your plants not having enough water, nor will you have to ask anyone to water them while you are on vacation.

Watering Potted Plants While on Vacation

If you don’t have the time to put together one of these homemade watering systems for when you are on vacation, we recommend these products that come ready to use and give very good results.

Sale
Upgraded DIY Automatic Drip Irrigation Kit, 15 Potted Houseplants Support, Indoor Watering System for Plants, with Digital Programmable Water Timer
  • 🌿Automatic Drip Irrigation Kit: This kit is a system of water pumps, timers, tubes, and drippers that deliver the proper amount of water to each plant, which helps you avoid both under- and overwatering. It is a compact design for your home potted plant irrigation. vacations, busy schedules, and changing weather conditions can all leave flowers, veggies, and shrubs thirsty. Now Free your hands to water your plants with no worries.
  • 🌻Easy DIY Installation: In just 10 minutes, you can install a drip irrigation system for your home potted or hanging plants. The kit includes all necessary accessories - 33 ft of tubing, 15 watering stakes, multiple T-joints, and cross joints - making it easy for you to create your own watering irrigation kit.
  • 🌷Scientific Water-Saving Design: Using watering stakes can save at least 70% more water than traditional spray and drip heads. You can spot the water only where the roots need it, preventing water evaporation over time and making the drip system ideal for saving water during drought conditions. Generally, one gallon of water can last for at least three weeks for ten potted houseplants.

Sale
RAINPOINT WiFi Automatic Watering System For Indoor Potted Plants, DIY Drip Irrigation Kit Remotely Control Auto/Manual/Delay Watering Mode via APP, Automatic Self-Watering Irrigation System with Pump
  • 【Remote Control App】With RainPoint APP, you can remotely manage multi-watering plans, notifications will be sent to APP when "Automatic" watering plans are active or pump is out of water. it's perfect to take care of your potted plants when busy with chores or away on vacation.
  • 【Notice Before Purchase】Only connect with 2.4GHz WiFi, for dual-band router, please independently enable the 2.4GHz WiFi band and name it differently from the 5GHz WiFi band. Before pairing WiFi, make sure the USB cable is powered on.
  • 【Worry-free Watering】With “Automatic” function, customize your irrigation plans with local weather, temps, humidity, sunrise/sunset or weeks. Settable timed mode, which watering duration is from 20s to 30mins and watering frequency is from 1hr to 24hrs or from 1 day to 7 days.

Either of these two products will work for watering potted plants.

We hope you found this article about watering plants during vacation useful. We recommend our article about how to measure soil pH.

About Julia Morgan

Julia Morgan is an agronomist and a master gardener. In her previous roles, Julia was an advisor promoting large-scale food growing in urbanized areas, introducing the concept of chemical-free produce. She is an expert in putting her hands in the soil, developing organic foods, and improving production processes for decades. Julia is a natural teacher and encourages every person in her way to grow their own food. She split her days between writing and reviewing for The Garden Style Website and offering assessments to cure edible land. Julia enjoys connecting with The Garden Style Community.

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