Plant care during your holidays

You've worked hard and you deserve your holiday! Everything is ready for the big trip, sunglasses and sun protection cream in your bag. You planned for everything, but maybe not your plants. No way to take them with you! Unless you give them to someone or you have a nice neighbor who generously offered to watering them in your absence or use a garden maintenance company, here are some tips and tricks to find them in very good health when you come back:

Light

This is the first condition for a good survival of your green or flowering plants. When leaving for holiday, you close all the windows, curtains, shutters and blinds stopping suddenly the source of light plants need. It is best to leave them a bright spot, even subdued light, and gather all the plants there. Think about the bathroom or toilet which often have a small window. It’s a fact that some plants need a dormancy period (break light), but summer is absolutely not the right period to do so! If you choose a balcony, terrace or veranda, be careful that the plants do not suffer from direct sunlight or you may find them grilled on your return. If you place them outdoor you also need to make sure that they will not suffer from draughts and secure them so they don’t fall in case of wind.

Water

Water and moisture are essential to the good health of your plants. Water does not mean that your plants need full of water. So do not let your plants soak in your bath filled with water, it would only drown the roots and they will rot. It is better to focus on a reasonable and regular watering. A good way to keep moist soil for your plant is to add clay balls in the pot directly on the ground.

Here are the different possibilities recommended by your florists:

• Automatic watering (sprinkler system): the most reassuring but also the most expensive solution. There are now automatic sprinkler systems with a drop by drop process which gives your plants the amount of water needed to keep the best moisture condition.

• Reversed bottle of water: certainly less aesthetic than a tray water tank or a sprinkler, but by far the most economical. Use a plastic bottle and make tiny holes in the cap (it is essential that the holes are very small). Upside down and fill it with water, the bottle will maintain a constant humidity to the ground. Use a bottle with a size depending on the size of your pot and how long you will be away from home or office. In garden center, you'll find specific cap or tips if DIY is not your cup of tea!

• Cotton wick: called capillarity solution. For this you will need a bowl or bucket and a cotton wick. The water source/bucket should be put a little bit higher than the plant and placed nearby. Place one end of the wick in water and the other one in the pot/soil allowing it to naturally draw the amount of water needed.  

With all these tips, you can enjoy your holiday and find healthy plants when you are back!