How to Water House Plants While on Vacation
Houseplants, like children and pets, can require a lot of maintenance. These plants typically require daily watering. During a vacation, a forgotten houseplant can wilt and may even perish from neglect. Properly care for houseplants, during a short or long vacation, and prevent garbage bags full of deceased lilies or dead ficus. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Plastic grocery bags
- Twist tie
- Plastic bucket
- 3-foot section of thick yarn
Instructions
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Plastic-Bag Method
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1
Remove any dead or decaying leaves and blossoms from the plant.
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2
Water each house plant thoroughly. Place each plant onto a saucer that will allow the excess water to run out. Throw this water down the train.
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3
Place towel onto the bottom of the bathtub.
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4
Place each individual plant into the bottom of a plastic shopping bag.
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5
Blow air into the bag so that it puffs out.
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6
Quickly close the top of each bag and tie them shut with a twist tie.
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7
Set each individually wrapped plant into the bathtub. The plastic bags will help hold in the moisture and will create a small terrarium-like environment for the plants to thrive in. The bathtub provides a temperate climate that will keep the plants moistened for approximately two weeks and will work well with smaller potted plants that can be moved.
Yarn Method
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8
Fill a plastic bucket three-quarters full with water.
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9
Place the bucket next to the plant that will require watering. You can place three to four plants next to the bucket if you have multiple plants that require care during an absence.
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10
Cut a piece of thick yarn into a 3-foot section.
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11
Place one end of the yarn into the bucket, making sure that the end of the yarn touches the bottom.
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12
Stick the other end of the yarn 3 to 4 inches into the plant's soil. The water will transfer itself from the bucket to the soil slowly over the matter of one to two weeks, depending upon how much water is in the bucket. This method works well for large plants that cannot be moved easily.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Ask a trusted friend or neighbor to water the plants. The watering schedule may differ for certain plants in the home so write down specific instruction on how to care for the plants. You may want to ask a multitude of people in your life to perform this task if you are planning to stay away for an extended period of time.
References
- Photo Credit house plant isolated image by Yuriy Mazur from Fotolia.com
