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How to save flowers on vacation. How to keep indoor plants during vacation: practical methods of “remote” watering

Preparing plants for holidays

There are two weeks left before departure. Completely stop feeding plants with various additives. This will help your indoor flowers slow down their rapid growth, and, therefore, reduce their appetite and need for your presence.

There are 7-10 days left before departure. Remove all affected and diseased leaves, shoots, and buds. If necessary, treat sick plants with medicinal preparations, and healthy ones for prevention with herbal infusions.

There are three days left before departure. Trim buds and flowers without regret. You still won’t be able to admire them, but this will significantly save the plant energy and resources.

On the eve of the trip. Water and wash each plant, place all flowerpots on the floor, away from the scorching sun. In this case, the “more fun together” rule applies: place the pots as close to each other as possible to maintain air humidity longer. You can build a polyethylene cap on top, but be careful: plants with succulent leaves can rot and become moldy.

Flowers for vacation - care

Let's consider the option in which it was not possible to find a nanny for your flowers. So, how to provide watering to flowers without your participation? In this case, preventive measures are taken.

Method 1. All plants in clay pots can be buried shallowly in peat or expanded clay. You can use old basins and even a bathtub for this. Peat or expanded clay should be watered well, and each flower should be watered separately.

Method 2. Place pots with flowers that are in great need of regular watering in a container with water (basins, bath), but remember that for some flowers, waterlogging is as harmful as drought.

Method 3. My mother did the following: all the flowers were placed in one place on the floor, between them on a stool my mother placed a large pan of water. Then we cut an ordinary bandage into long strips, each of which was lowered with one end into a pan of water and the other into a pot with a flower. For large flowerpots you need several of these strips.

Method 4. If there is no one to leave flowers for, my friend does this: she puts a regular dropper in each pot, which are sold in every pharmacy.

Method 5. The most reliable, but, alas, the most expensive way to preserve flowers during the holidays: buy special containers with an automatic watering system. Another option is capillary mats. These are special mats that work on the principle of the bandage method (see above). By the way, instead of capillary mats, you can use regular felt.

What plants will survive without watering? There are also such “persistent” tin soldiers»:

• cacti, aloe, cycads, euphorbia, which can do without watering for up to three weeks;

The benefits of indoor flowers have been known for a long time. Enriching the air with oxygen and moisture, pleasing the eye with their beauty, they require constant care. When planning a vacation or a long trip, lovers of indoor plants, who have not had time to find those who will look after the green guard, begin to be overcome by an alarming question - how will the flowers be watered during the absence of the owner? Fortunately, this problem has long been resolved. It is enough to properly prepare the flowers for your departure, install an automatic watering mechanism, and you can hit the road with peace of mind.

Preparing indoor plants for vacation

Indoor flowers left unattended long time, experts advise preparing. You can do this as follows:

1. A couple of weeks before departure, stop feeding the plants with various additives. This is necessary in order to slow down their active growth and somewhat reduce their appetites.
2. When there are 8-10 days left before the coveted vacation, you need to carefully remove all diseased and affected leaves.
3. Immediately before departure, it is recommended to remove flower pots from the windowsills;
4. The buds need to be cut off. This reduces fluid consumption to a minimum. This should be done carefully, taking into account the plant’s ability to subsequently recover.
5. Sprinkle the soil in the flowerpot thoroughly with water, but it is important not to overdo it. The soil should be saturated with liquid, but not wet. It will be possible to reduce the evaporation of moisture if you wrap the pot with moistened newspaper and cellophane on top.
6. It is advisable to place all pots in a large container with liquid poured at the bottom. However, they should not touch the water. In this way, it will be possible to achieve the desired level of humidity near green spaces.
7. It makes sense to make a dome of transparent film around the leaves. Similar procedure allows you to create something like a greenhouse.
8. Clay pots would benefit from being placed in larger plastic containers. Fill the resulting void between the walls with expanded clay soaked in water.

Homemade automatic watering systems

Anyone can prepare simple mechanisms for automatic watering at home.

Wicks
You will need a fabric that absorbs moisture well. It is cut into strips from which wicks are twisted. One end of the device is buried in the soil of a flowerpot, the other is placed in a container with water. As the soil dries out, the wick will keep it moist. Moreover, it should not just be wetted with water, but absorb it well. This needs to be monitored. Important! This wick method can be used for up to 10 days.

The disadvantage of this method is that in the heat the tissue flagellum will dry out quickly, and the liquid will flow into the ground in small volumes. To improve the situation, it is recommended to purchase special wicks and rods made of porous ceramics. With such devices, drying out can be avoided.

Medical droppers
An excellent automatic watering system can be made from droppers used in medicine. One end is placed in a container with liquid, the other in the soil, preferably closer to the edge of the pot. When leaving for a short time, it is better to use the clip provided with the dropper.

When planning a long departure, it is recommended to close the tube by puncturing a small hole in it. Or make the gap in the needle narrower.

Alternatively, you can place a porous atomizer on the end of the tube (these are usually used to supply air to an aquarium).

Plastic bottles
A fairly simple but quite effective method using plastic bottles. This container is filled with liquid up to the neck. A small hole is made in the cap that closes the bottle. The resulting device is turned upside down and screwed into the soil of the pot. Water, gradually flowing through the hole in the lid, will moisten the soil. To speed up watering, the bottom of the bottle should be pierced. It is important to ensure that the hole is very small. In this case, more water will not flow out and rotting will be avoided.

Automatic watering mechanisms

If you don’t have the time or desire to arrange an automatic watering system yourself, you can purchase ready-made and convenient mechanisms at any flower shop. Their high price justified by reliability and efficiency in use.

1. Gardena- a device that allows you to provide dosed watering for indoor flowers that need different quantities moisture. The system, powered by electricity, provides plants with water once every 24 hours. One device can water several pots at the same time.
2. Blumat- a mechanism consisting of a narrow ceramic cone and a silicone tube. The cone should be stuck into the ground, filled with water and closed. Place the end of the tube in a container with liquid. Moisture will gradually be absorbed into the ground, seeping through the porous walls of the device. As the water leaves the cone, a new portion will come from the vessel through the tube.
3. Oasis– comfortable, absolutely autonomous system, holding 25 liters of liquid. The unit is powered by a battery. It is capable of watering up to 20 pots for 2-5 weeks.
4. RAIN SMART– a domestic system of dosed automatic watering, powered by electricity. Capable of dispensing from 50 ml at a time. up to 3.5 liters of moisture. Watering frequency can be adjusted.

"Smart pots" for automatic watering

If the upcoming long absence became known in advance, you can purchase special pots. A few months before the trip houseplants are transplanted into the following containers, consisting of three parts:

• top (for ground);
• middle (intermediate layer consisting of mesh material);
• bottom (for water).

Planting flowers in such a pot requires the most in the usual way, and take care too. But when several months pass, the roots of the plant will grow through the middle mesh layer and the flower will receive the necessary moisture from the lower reservoir.

Hydrogel will solve the problem of drought

Many gardeners use a special hydrogel. Unique polymer granules are capable of absorbing huge volumes of liquid. The crystals are pre-soaked in water for 7-8 hours. Once in the liquid, they begin to intensively absorb it, increasing in size. This moisture is then released in doses to the plant root system. Moreover, if there is excess liquid, the hydrogel absorbs it back.

How to care for plants after returning

Those who have used the automatic watering methods described above will not face unexpected surprises in the form of dried, wilted or destroyed indoor flowers. Upon return, you must carefully inspect each plant and remove any rotten or dried parts. Soak the soil in the pots with water through bottom watering.
It is not recommended to expose plants to light immediately. It's better to accustom them to bright lighting gradually.

Caring for indoor plants during long absence person is necessary. Automatic or self-made irrigation systems - great option for those who could not find a “nanny” for their green garrison.

Video: how to properly water flowers while on vacation

People have come up with a lot of ways to water flowers automatically. We do not claim to have an exhaustive list. There are only seven here, but they are simple and effective. To make all this work more efficiently, from brightly lit places to partial shade - this way the water from the pots will evaporate more slowly - water and spray thoroughly.

If the plant is a few days before departure, cut off the buds. You still won't see any flowers, and your green friend will need more water. Let it rest now and bloom later when you return and start watering it as usual.

1. "Drinker"

From plastic bottle you can make an automatic “drinker” for plants. Using a hot needle or knitting needle, make two holes in the container: in the cork and in the bottom. Fill a bottle with water, close it and dig it with the stopper down into the pot closer. Depth - 2-3 cm.

This will allow you to understand how quickly and how intensively a device with this hole size moistens the soil.

2. Container + fabric

The method is suitable if there are drainage holes. Place a wet cloth - wool, towels, etc. - at the bottom of some container (bathtub, bowl or basin, laundry basket). The main thing is that it absorbs well. Place flower pots on top (without stands, of course).

3. Container + fabric “tube”

Which works great. You will need a container for water (a bottle is best - this way the moisture will evaporate more slowly) and strips of fabric or thread that absorb water well (bandage or gauze, woolen threads).

Place pots on the table or floor, and a little higher, on some stand, place a container of water.

Prepare “wires” from threads or fabric. Lower one end to the bottom of the bottle, and extend the other to the pot. A wet cloth will release water to the ground.

But keep in mind that if the house suddenly becomes very hot, the fabric will dry out and watering will stop. Therefore, it is advisable to make the “wires” shorter - then the risk will be less.

4. Hydrogel

It is a polymer that is highly hygroscopic, that is, it absorbs huge amounts of water. Some can be used as a substrate and plants can be planted in it. They will need to be watered much less frequently than usual. If you're away often, consider rehoming your green pets in hydrogel pots.

You've probably seen decorative gel in balls many times. Instead of water, cut flowers are often placed in it. Balloons can also help out during departure. Place them on top of the soil, placing moss on top - they will give off moisture and water the plant. Or, if its not superficial, mix the hydrogel with top layer soil in a pot.

5. Expanded clay

The principle is the same as that of hydrogel: porous pebbles retain water well and slowly release it. and spread it on the surface of the soil, covering it with moss on top. If your plants live in clay pots, you can put them in plastic pots bigger size and free space cover with wet expanded clay. The clay will allow moisture to penetrate into the soil.

6. Capillary mat

The structure of the mat is similar to felt. Only this Automatic Watering System consists of a container of water, tubes that connect it to the pot, and a control element that can be programmed to turn on with a certain regularity. The device can water flowers twice a day, or maybe once every three days - as needed.

Indoor flowers mean beauty and comfort in the home, as well as fresh air, enriched with oxygen. However, they require systematic care and proper watering, otherwise they may die. This problem becomes especially relevant when there is a need for a long absence, when you need to leave for a vacation or a weekend.

It’s good when you have relatives or close friends who you can trust to water the flowers during your vacation. But in the summer they can also go on vacation. In order to preserve plants, it is better to familiarize yourself in advance with the options for “self-watering” systems and methods of using available materials.

Plant preparation

A long break in care and watering is stressful for plants, so you should prepare them for it in advance and make sure that no problems arise.

• In the light, plants undergo more active metabolic processes, so they consume more moisture. To slow down metabolic reactions in plant cells, it is necessary to provide them with more shady cover - to curtain thicker curtains and remove pots from the windowsill.
• The soil under the plants should be well moistened, then the pots should be wrapped in damp paper and plastic wrap on top of it.
• Small flowers can be covered with a glass or transparent plastic container during the holidays, but not tightly - air must flow from below for them to breathe. Evaporating moisture, condensing on the walls of the hood, will flow back.
• Remove large buds from flowers that require more moisture, as well as dried leaves.
• If there are diseased plants, they should be treated with medications a few days before departure.
• Ten days before vacation, stop feeding.
• Avoid drafts in the room where the plants are located.
• If the pots are standing in water, it is better to place stands under them so that the roots cannot freeze.
• Flowers will feel more comfortable in clay dishes than in plastic ones.

Remote watering methods

How to water flowers during vacation so that they do not dry out or disappear from excess moisture? Those leaving should take the following facts into account.

• Plants in ceramic pots can be left for up to seven days or a little more using easy way: Having sufficiently moistened the soil in the pot, you need to wrap it in a thick layer of wet moss. If it is not available, you need to place the clay pot in a larger plastic container, and between them, pour a layer of expanded clay and moisten it well with water.
• Plastic pots with moisture-loving plants It is advisable to leave it in trays filled with water to a third of the height of the pot. The top of the substrate should be covered with wet moss or expanded clay.

• well, water all the pots generously before leaving them at home;
• then you need to leave them in the tray for a while to drain excess moisture;
• collect all the flowers in the back of the room, as compactly as possible;
• place pots with moisture-loving plants in the middle, surrounding them with more hardy ones;
• place around as many containers as possible with big amount water - evaporating, it will be absorbed by green leaves.

• cover the stand with waterproof oilcloth or film;
• put a soft, damp cloth on top of it - an old blanket or thick batting will do;
• Place one edge of the fabric in a large container of water;
• place pre-watered pots on the blanket;
• The flowers will absorb moisture from the damp fabric thanks to the drainage holes.

Wick watering

• You can organize continuous watering of indoor flowers during the holidays using a wick made of woolen twine. One of its ends should be placed in a flower pot, lightly sprinkled with soil, and the other should be lowered into a container located above the pot and filled with water. This watering option is very convenient, but you need to correctly calculate the number of wicks depending on the size of the plant.
• The wick method is often used for watering, not very big flowers, for example, violets. But it requires replanting them in a container with a cord laid at the bottom. The pot itself is placed on a jar of water, and the second end of the cord is lowered into it. Water, rising along the cord, ensures soil moisture.

• Since it is very convenient to water flowers using devices that provide uniform drip access of water, thin tubes are often used for this purpose, for example, pharmaceutical droppers without tips. If there are a lot of pots, you need to connect the same number of droppers. Next, you need to tie a sinker to them and lower them into a large bucket of water. Place it on an elevated place, and place pots around it, in each of which secure the second end of the tube. If you correctly regulate the water flow, you will get an excellent “self-watering” system, which will help you out during departures.

• One of the most simple options drip irrigation is a plastic bottle:
• make small holes in it at both ends;
• fix it upside down in flower pot or above it;
• adjust the flow of water by changing the size of the hole so that indoor flowers do not dry out.

The main thing is to choose optimal size bottles for each plant. Due to its low cost and availability, this method is also widely used in gardens and vegetable gardens.

Use of hydrogels

• There are special polymers that have the unique ability to absorb large volumes of water and then gradually lose it. Their soft granules are added to the substrate for indoor flowers, so the pots do not need to be watered frequently. If you transplant the plants into such soil and water them well before leaving, they will be provided with enough water and will not dry out.
• Colored balls of Chinese hydrogel can be filled with water for several hours. The swollen granules must be mixed with the top layer of the substrate, and covered with moistened moss on top.

Automatic irrigation systems

Today there is big choice systems for automatic watering plants. While on vacation, you can trust them with flowers without fear that they will dry out.

The simplest of them and the cheapest consists of two parts. A ceramic cone with porous walls is installed in the ground and filled with water. It slowly nourishes the soil with moisture. Using a thin tube, water is supplied to it as it is consumed. The system is extremely easy to use and reliable.

More complex devices have approximately the same mechanism of action and differ in price and time period during which watering is carried out. Basically, they consist of the following elements:

• a spacious container for water and tubes through which it will be supplied to the plants;
• special (not clogged with soil) tips made of porous material;
• timer for automatic irrigation control;
• regulator that determines water flow;
• a sensor that measures soil moisture;
• pump for pumping water.

If you know how to organize watering during vacation, you can safely go on vacation and not worry about the flowers temporarily left at home. However, the chosen method must be tested and adjusted in advance to be sure of its reliability.

The main thing that plants will need in your absence is water. Globally there can be two ways out:

Retain the moisture that the plant received with the last watering for as long as possible. This a good option for a two-week absence. It can, with reservations, work even up to three weeks. It has only one advantage: it requires virtually no financial investment.

Figure out how to provide plants with water without human help. There are a variety of ones, including automatic ones. They are indispensable if plants have to exist independently for three weeks or more.

First, let's look at how to get out of the situation with a minimum of costs. So, indoor flowers can last up to fourteen days without watering, and even a little more if they are properly prepared. Of course, this is a last resort method, which has its drawbacks.

We remind you: this method of preserving plants is, after all, quite stressful. Therefore, if you are leaving for longer than a week, it makes sense to prepare cuttings of your favorite species. They will take root in a jar of water while you are away.

Now about how ensure moisture supply. The design described above will last longer if you add an additional source of water. This could very well be "handicraft" option. For example, make holes in the caps, pour in water and place the bottles upside down between the pots. Moisture should seep in drop by drop and moisten the expanded clay. The size of the hole is determined experimentally.

Bottles prepared in this way can be placed directly in. Required size bottles depends on the size of the root ball. For example, large tubs may need several bottles at once. But this method is unlikely to be suitable for plants in small pots.

Meanwhile, this effective method: there are similar devices industrial production . The simplest ones in English are called aqua globs (glass aqua globes, glass watering sphere, watering tubesArchimedes from Brigadier Werkzeuge). They consist of a glass bulb connected to a ceramic cone, which is immersed in the ground to more evenly moisten the earthen clod.
Thanks to the capillary-porous structure of its walls, water trickles into the pot drop by drop. For large plants It is recommended to use several such devices at a time. In the same row we can mention ceramic cones Blumat Austria). They do not have a water tank that screws on top. They are connected to the water supply using a thin hose.

Another well-known and most common among amateurs method of passive watering of indoor plants- “connect” the plants to a container of water using improvised wicks. It can be ropes, laces, woolen threads different diameters, rolled bandages and so on. One end of the wick must be lowered into a container of water (for example, a basin), and the other end must be placed in a pot (to be secure, it will need to be secured, for example, with a peg). Water will flow to the flowers due to the difference in capillary pressure.

In any case, both industrial and homemade systems humidification must be tested in advance. For example, monitor the speed at which a particular wick conducts water. Otherwise, it may turn out that in an hour or two the basin will be empty, and the plants will end up in a puddle of water. It is also important to choose a container of the appropriate size so that the plants have enough water, and determine at what level in relation to the pots it is best to place it: at the same height, higher or lower.

Good decision for passive irrigation can become capillary mats- mats made of hygroscopic material. They are sold in many garden centers and are inexpensive. (For home use, you should not purchase capillary geotextiles made from recycled materials.) The capillary mat can be spread on any flat surface, for example, on a table, lowering one of its edges into a container of water. Be sure to place a film under the rug to protect the surface from moisture. If it is difficult to lower the end of the mat into a container with water, you can cut strips from its edge, moisten them with water, and then lower one end into the container and place the other under the mat. By the way, you can try to adapt these same strips as wicks.

There are ready-made trays for automatic watering of plants using capillary mats, for example, produced by Garland (England). They consist of a deep outer tray, an inner tray and a capillary mat. You need to pour water into the outer tray, insert the inner tray lined with a mat into it, and place the plants on it. The mat will draw water from the pan and give it to the plants. Manufacturers promise that in this way the plants can survive up to two weeks of your absence. Moreover, the roots of the plants are guaranteed not to rot.

Do not mix directly into a container of water. Even if you don’t want to buy capillary mats or expanded clay in “industrial” quantities. This method is well suited, for example, for, but for most other species common in indoor culture, if the pot is immersed in water for a long period of time, the roots are likely to rot.

It is likely that, having considered all these “simple” methods of watering indoor plants, you will decide to purchase an automatic watering system, designed in a similar way, but working more efficiently and reliably.

We thank the online store Mastergrow.ru and Nikolai Vavakin for the samples provided for the shooting.