Buy an autowatering system or transplant plants into smart planters. This is a reliable way to water your flowers while you are on vacation. Pour water into the tank and until twelve weeks you don't have to worry, the flowers will not dry out.
But bad luck, these options are not cheap. The cost of expensive models drags on by almost 5 thousand hryvnia. Therefore, if the free capital has already been spent, it will be necessary to resort to alternative irrigation options.
First of all, remove the flowerpots from the windowsills and put them on the floor in the shade, and curtain the windows in the room. If possible, when leaving during the cold season, adjust the temperature in the room to an average of 18 ° C. By doing this, reduce the evaporation of moisture, and reduce the need for watering during your absence.
- Water the plants well before leaving.
- Tumble the soil in the flowerpots with natural mulch - sawdust, shavings, crushed bark, etc. This will help keep moisture in the pots longer.
- Thin the leaves on each plant to reduce evaporation.
Option 1: water sprinkler for flowers during the vacation "Knee-deep in water"
The easiest way is to provide watering to moisture-loving plants (monstera, ferns). Place the flowerpots in deep trays of water, and moisture will constantly be sucked in through the holes in the bottoms, wetting the roots.
But apart from "water loaves", this method is not suitable for any plants. From constant stay in water, the root system rots, and the flower dies.
Option 2: watering flowers in the absence of the owners "Leaky bottle"
- Take an empty plastic bottle with a screw cap:
- for small flowerpots half-liter,
- for large - one and a half liters.
- Punch a few holes in the plastic cover with an awl.
- Fill the bottle with water, twist and turn upside down.
- Set in the ground and reinforce with several sticks stuck in a flowerpot.
Flowing out gradually, the water will provide watering for the flowers during the vacation.
Option 3: how to keep indoor flowers, or "A vessel with wicks"
- Place a large basin or pot of water on a stool.
- Place the pots and planters on the floor around the stool.
- Cut 50-70 cm strips from the bandage, based on the number of flowerpots. For large pots, not one, but two or three pieces are better.
- Twist the bundles (wicks) from the cut strips.
- Dip one end of the tourniquet in water and dip the other into each pot.
The water will wet the tourniquet and travel along it to the ground. It is only necessary to correctly estimate the volume of the container with water in order to ensure uniform watering of the flowers during the holidays. It is even better to place each such wick in a plastic tube (in common parlance "cambric") so that it does not dry out even in the heat.
Option 4: "Watering with electronics"
My neighbor - an engineer with a KPI diploma - equipped a simple electronic system for irrigation.
- I drilled a hole in the bottom of an old boil, put on a tripod, and inserted a drain tube into it.
- I installed a solenoid valve on the tube (he says it's not a problem to get it). The tube near the valve diverges into several tubes, each of which leads to its own flowerpot - they are placed around the boil on the floor.
- The valve is controlled by a conventional time relay. And now, before leaving on vacation, the engineer sets a time interval on the relay, after which it is triggered and opens the valve on the drain pipe for several minutes a day.
Thus, full watering of indoor plants is ensured.
Option 5: "Water accumulator"
The latest "squeak" of floriculture fashion is hydrogel. It is a translucent polymer in balls, pieces or granules. If it is soaked in water for 6-8 hours, it swells. Then, poured on the ground in a pot, it gradually releases moisture into the soil.Needless to say - an elegant way to water your plants at the time of departure! But British scientists have found that the hydrogel dries up dusty, releasing dangerous toxins.
Nature has long invented an absolutely harmless "water accumulator" - ordinary moss! Soak it in water and place it on the surface of the soil in a flowerpot. It regularly moisturizes the soil for several days.
Whichever method of watering you choose - try it a few days before leaving to adjust the "watering equipment".
Good weather on vacation and a happy return home to your plants!
Useful article: "How to keep flowers in a vase longer"
Watch a video on how to make automatic watering of flowers using laces
