How to water my pots when away?

[PeteSam]

Hi Team,

I have just started gardening and have few pots (shown in the pictures) some plants have grown and other are seedlings. I will be going out of the town for a month and want to ensure that the plants are watered, can you please suggest what are my options. I don't want to spend too much money on this as this is not a regular occurrence. I have around 17 pots.

Thank you.

  

[JacobZ · Accepted solution]

Hi @PeteSam,

Thank you for your question about watering your plants while you are away from home.

You might like to start by having a read through How To Keep Your Plants Alive While You’re Away.

For the period you are looking at, the wicking method seems like a cost-effective solution.

Grab a couple of buckets and some twine. Set your plants up around the buckets in an area that gets plenty of shade. Run the twine between the bucket and the pots, ensuring it touches the bottom of the bucket. This will allow your plants to access water when they need it without overwhelming them.

As you will be away for around a month, it would also be worthwhile contacting a friend or neighbour to check in with your plants once a week or so to ensure they still have access to plenty of water.

Allow me to tag experienced gardeners @mich1972 and @Noelle to see if they have any advice.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[Noelle]

PS:  Make sure the twine is thoroughly saturated before positioning it ion top of each of your pots - it won't wick up the water from the bucket if it's dry. Maybe some damp newspaper over the top of each pot (and over the wick) will also help the wicking system to remain working in your absence.

[mich1972]

Good morning @PeteSam I agree with Jacob’s advice. I’m just a little concerned because they are small pots that will dry out quickly. I personally would be asking family / friends / neighbours to pop in and water them OR drop them at someone’s house to look after if you only have a few. Good luck 🌿🙂

[PeteSam]

Thank you so much @JacobZ @Noelle @mich1972