Some houseplants can go several months without water, but others can die within a week if they aren’t cared for properly. And if you’ve got a trip that takes you away from your regular watering schedule, then you’ll need to find a solution.

Read on for our top five travel tips and methods on how to water plants while you’re away.

5 Tips to Water Plants When You’re Traveling

1. How to Water Plants With a Bottle

This first method is one of the simplest because you don’t need to move your plants or buy any special supplies.

First, you need to take a plastic water bottle with a lid and puncture a few small holes around the neck of the bottle. Fill the bottle with water and place the lid back on the bottle. 

Right before you leave, water your plants as you normally would and then create a hole in the soil large enough for the bottleneck to fit in when turned upside down. Then just place the bottle upside down in the hole. 

You want to take special care not to damage the plant roots when digging a hole. You also need to make sure that the holes in the neck are totally covered with soil. While you’re gone, the bottle will slowly drip water down into your soil, keeping it moist. 

2. Automated Grow Boxes

Watering systems aren’t new to the market, but this automated grow box is something else. Not only does it water and nutrients on a programmed schedule, but it also provides varying LED lights for growth stimulation.

Beyond just watering your plants while you’re gone, this system makes urban farming truly attainable. 

This system is the perfect watering solution if you’re a frequent traveler who can’t always be home to regularly care for plants. Or if you’re a beginner plant parent who wants fool-proof growing, the automated box is the right choice. 

3. The Wicking Method 

One of the oldest and most used methods for watering your plants is wicking. You’ll need a large water vessel like a bucket or large vase, cotton rope, and water.

Start by filling your water vessel with as much water as you need to keep your plant healthy and place the vessel as close to your plant as possible. Then take your cotton rope and trim it to size. It needs to reach from the bottom of your water vessel to a few inches deep in the soil of your pot.

Place one end of the dry rope a few inches deep in your soil without damaging the roots. Then place the other end at the bottom of your vessel. 

The water will travel at a slow but consistent rate from the vessel to your plant pot.

4. DIY Greenhouse

Another method to consider, especially for longer vacations, is the DIY greenhouse. Essentially, you are creating an enclosure around your plant so that as water evaporates, instead of escaping into the air, it returns to the soil and cycles through the plant again.

This can be accomplished with smaller plants using a large plastic bag, like a garbage bag. Water your plant as you normally would. Then place the bag over the top of your plant and gather the bottom of the bag around the plant pot as tight as you can. Then create a small opening and blow air into the bag with your mouth. Once the bag is inflated enough that the leaves don’t touch the sides of the bag, try and pull the opening closed and tie.

It’s important that your plant has bright indirect light. Direct light will cause the greenhouse to become too hot and it may kill the plant. 

5. The Long Bath Method

If your bathroom gets bright indirect light, then another method for watering your plants is the long bath. To ensure that the roots don’t rot, you’ll need to make sure that any plants you put in the bathtub have good drainage holes.

Simply lay a towel along the bottom of your bathtub then seal the plug and fill with an inch or two of water. Then place your pots on top of the wet towel in the tub.

The dry soil will slowly leech the water out of the tub and pull it into the pots.

If your bathroom doesn’t have sufficient light, you should consider another method.

Ready, Set, Go!

Now that you know how to water plants while you’re on your vacation, it’s time to get going! Which method will you try first?

And visit our blog today for more expert travel tips.

The post How to Water Plants When You’re Traveling: 5 Realistic Methods appeared first on Travel Experta - Family Travel Blog.