How to ensure watering of indoor flowers during the holidays. Automatic watering of flowers during vacation: several simple and effective methods

It is not always possible to delegate the care of green pets to relatives or neighbors, so experienced gardeners have developed many techniques for automatically watering flowers. Self-made structures, various moisture-saving techniques, and industrial options offered in garden stores work.

Prevention before long absence

First of all, I suggest you familiarize yourself with useful tips, allowing to reduce moisture consumption by plants, and necessary measures before leaving on a business trip or vacation:

Regardless of the selected method of automatic watering, on the day of departure, carry out abundant watering and irrigation from a sprayer with soft water.
A day before departure, give all your pets a bath day: place flowerpots at the bottom of the bath, spray the leaves of flowers from a warm shower, and spray capricious specimens with a spray bottle. After such irrigation aboveground part flowers and soil soil They will be abundantly saturated with moisture, which will stop the loss of fluid for several days.
Watering before vacation has worked well by immersing an earthen ball with rhizomes in water for 20-30 minutes.
Do not fertilize before leaving. A lack of moisture will not allow the roots to absorb nutritional compounds. Plan to water with fertilizers 1-2 weeks before your business trip.
Move all pots to a cool, dark place or install shades on windows that receive direct sunlight. In this mode, the evaporation of moisture from the soil surface is significantly reduced.
Place all the flowerpots side by side so that the most capricious and moisture-demanding plants are in the center, surrounded by other flowers.
During the flowering period, the amount of water consumed increases. Remove all excess branches, leaves (if possible), buds, flower shoots and flowers. Don’t regret them, you still won’t be able to enjoy flowering due to the absence, and any pruning starts the rejuvenation processes and stimulates the laying of new flower buds.

Professional watering devices for vacations

Experienced flower growers and professionals, in whose homes there are many exotic plants who are demanding of care and capricious, purchase modern technological devices from specialized markets: automated watering systems (with control of soil moisture levels), flowerpots, flowerpots and pots with automatic watering.

The simplest and budget option The purchase of an aquaglobe is considered to be a design made in the form of a flask with a very thin tube. An aquaglobe filled with water is stuck into the ground with a sharp tip; due to the tiny diameter of the hole, moisture seeps out of the device slowly. A flask of a certain volume is selected for each pot, depending on the moisture needs of the crop and the time of absence of the owner. One copy provides drip irrigation of the soil for a period of 1 to 2 weeks.

Time-tested home methods of automatic watering

Sphagnum moss and plastic bag. Moss, soaked in settled water and spread on the surface of the ground in pots, perfectly retains moisture, gradually releasing it into the soil. A plastic bag placed on top and secured at the bottom of the flowerpot with adhesive tape creates an additional obstacle to the evaporation of moisture. In this mode, the plant can exist without problems for up to 10 days.
Tea bags. Before leaving, used and pre-dried tea bags are soaked generously with water and the entire surface of the earth in the flowerpot is covered with them. Thanks to the mulch layer, the water-saturated soil will remain moist for a long time, and the microelements of the tea will provide the flower roots with additional nutrition. Immediately upon arrival, the bags are removed and the soil is sprinkled with a thin layer of plant ash to prevent the development of mold and the appearance of pathogens.
Plastic bottles. Automatic watering is based on the principle of aquaglobes. In a bottle of the required volume, 2 holes are made using a hot awl tip - in the bottom and in the lid. Having poured water into the container, it is immersed in the soil of the flowerpot with the lid down. The roots of the plant absorb water as needed. About 20 days before departure you should experiment with homemade device to determine for how long and for which plants 0.5, 1, 1.5 or 2 liters are enough.
Pallets. Flower pots are placed on pallets, the bottom of which is filled with expanded clay, agroperlite, broken brick, small pebbles or coarse river sand. After abundant watering before leaving for vacation, water flows out of the drainage holes of the flowerpots and fills the pan. This irrigation method is suitable for undemanding crops that do not respond to waterlogging or drying out of the soil mixture.
Wick watering. Burlap, thick cord or strips of coarse fabric are rolled into a rope, one end of which is placed on the surface of the ground in a pot, and the other is lowered to the bottom of a jar filled with water. It is placed near the plants, at some elevation relative to the level of the window sill. It is imperative to determine in practice how much water enters the soil and what volume of jars to use for the estimated period of time. For moisture-loving flowers, several wicks are used.
Hydrogel. Granular hydrogel is currently commercially available. Mixed with soil, it is used to replant indoor plants. This material absorbs water, retaining it in its structure, and significantly reduces the rate and frequency of watering.

People look forward to vacations all year long, make grandiose plans, buy tickets, and pack their things. And here the question necessarily arises of how they will endure separation. If there is no one to care for them, they can easily get sick and even die. What to do? How to keep flowers healthy?

Departure for a week

If you plan to be absent for a period of less than a week, radical measures to maintain the vital activity of plants need not be taken. When they talk about how to preserve flowers, they first of all talk about the need for regular watering. This is especially important for plants such as aloe or cacti, which can easily survive for a couple of weeks without regular watering. All the rest will need to be watered well and removed from the window to reduce the drying effect sunlight. And only the most fastidious ones can be packed in plastic bags.

Long absence

What to do if you plan to leave for more long time, for example, two or three weeks? In this case, potted plants will not get by with just one watering. They will, again, have to be removed from the window; it is best to put them in a large container, for example, a basin. It is not recommended to pour water into it, as our grandmothers sometimes did, because the flowers may well rot within the specified time. root system. It is better to organize a kind of drip irrigation. To do this, a sufficiently capacious container filled with water (for example, a basin or pan) needs to be installed slightly above the level flower pots. Then, strands of fabric are pulled from it into each pot. Due to the difference in levels, the liquid will gradually flow out of the upper vessel and water the plants. All plants can be wrapped in film to provide a greenhouse effect. But this option has its drawback: if the plants are close together, they can exchange diseases. And flowers such as cacti or aloe may begin to rot. Therefore, it is better to pack in bags those plants that especially love moisture. For a long absence, you can provide another way to preserve flowers during the holidays. To do this in a traffic jam plastic bottle you need to make a small hole through which water will gradually drip. Then the bottle needs to be filled with water and secured upside down. In this way, the plant can be replenished with moisture for a long time. You can fill the space between the pots and underneath them with wet expanded clay. In some cases, they also use various devices that can be purchased at a specialized store. When solving the problem of how to preserve flowers during the holidays, they purchase capillary mats that provide irrigation to the plants from below, through the holes in the pots. And if necessary, you can get a whole drip irrigation system.

Adviсe

When you return home, you should not immediately remove the film from the plants and return them back to the windowsill. This will be another stress for them. It is better to open the film gradually, for several hours every day, gradually accustoming the flowers to new conditions. Any fertilizing and replanting should not be done less than two weeks before departure. And all drip irrigation devices should be tested first to determine the watering rate. Otherwise, it may turn out that the water will flow out too quickly or will not water the flowers at all, but will wait for the owners.

It is best to trim flowers and buds, and also thin out the leaves. This will reduce your moisture consumption. And one more thing: just in case, when leaving home for a long time, it makes sense to prepare cuttings of the most valuable and favorite flowers and save them in a jar of water. And may the flowers greet you cheerful and cheerful!

It's summer, it's hot, it's July... It's time for vacations, trips to the garden, to the forest, time to live in the countryside... And who will water the flowers left at home? And although I’m not in danger of going on vacation this year, remembering my grandmother’s old ways and looking for new ones can be useful.

Method one. Almost automatic watering

This method is as ancient, ancient and indestructible as the practice of floriculture in Rus'. It consists in the fact that among your immediate environment you first need to choose a victim, and then appoint him responsible for the life, health and flowering of your pets. A neighbor, girlfriend, mother, mother-in-law, own husband are perfect candidates for the role of victim... Complete the list yourself.

So, the automatic watering system of the “neighbor” type is set up, all you have to do is introduce the beautiful gardener to the process - who to water and how often, where and when to turn on the lighting, what and in what quantities to feed, how to bathe, etc. and so on. You can play it safe and stick a note on each pot with quick guide to action.

This method guarantees you an excellent tan and good mood within 2-3 weeks or even more.

Method two. Water - water all around

This ancient method says: collect all the flowers in the house, take them to the bathroom, arrange them freely. Pour from the heart. Leave it there if there is a window in the bathroom. Just don’t forget to plug the hole in the bathtub and pour in a little water. Quite a bit, about 1/3 of the height of the pots. Remember that clay pots evaporate moisture faster than plastic ones, so it is advisable to wrap them in wet moss. Or you can place a clay pot in a plastic one, and fill the space between the walls with wet moss or wet expanded clay.

If you have plants that do not tolerate a “foot in the water” position, limit them to only abundant watering.

This method promises relaxing holiday grower within 7-10 days. And he guarantees that upon arrival you will find your flowers in full health and in the same composition.

Method three. Physics must be taught!

The technology of such watering of plants during our absence came to us again through centuries. And although it is based on the laws of physics, its external content is more reminiscent of subtle choreography, or more precisely, dancing with tambourines.

You will need a large water container, the largest one you have in your home. A certain amount of woolen thread, bandage or any other hygroscopic material. You need to twist wicks from a bandage or thread, one end of which will be immersed in a vessel with water, and the other will go straight into a pot with a plant, where it will need to be slightly buried.

Remembering that physics is to blame for everything, you will have to debug this infernal unit so that the water flows neatly through the wicks into the pot, and does not pour in like Niagara. You may need to experiment with the height of the water container relative to the pots. In any case, do not take up this method at the last moment as a magic wand. Test it in practice first. Still physics...

If the practical part of the task is completed perfectly, you can safely lie on the beach, climb mountains and weed carrots in the countryside for the same 7-10 days.

Method four. Spin the Bottle

The eighth rule of a florist says: never throw away plastic bottles of hated cola, healthy mineral water and other various and ugly drinks. Perhaps this will come in handy!

So, if you find it useful... Take a bottle, pour water into it, and close it with a stopper. Armed with a knitting needle or a thick needle, we make several holes in the bottle cap, heating the production tool. Do not try to immediately make huge holes in the lid, turning it into a sieve. First check how it works.

Stick a bottle of water, with the lid down, into the pot with the plant to the depth of the lid - about 2-3 cm. Observe! How soon the earth will be saturated with water, how quickly the bottle will be empty, how the plant will feel.

You understood everything correctly - this is again a method that requires verification before flying south.

If these experiments in field conditions ended in victory over drought, estimate for yourself how optimal time you will be able to leave the house without losing any of your plants. Usually - a week, another one is guaranteed.

Method five. Medical

It is suitable exclusively for doctors, paramedics, obstetricians-gynecologists, operating room nurses and others. medical workers. Because only they, with knowledge of the matter, will be able to put an IV on the “patient”. Drip irrigation– the invention is not new, but sometimes you can look at it from a different angle.

The principle is simple. You need to attach a medical dropper to the water tank in any way and adjust the water supply to the plant pot using the treasured wheel.

This method gives you freedom for 1-2 weeks so that you can heal your nervous system, loosening on the flower fronts.

Method six. Let's move to the mat

On the capillary mat. What were you thinking?

You will need a piece of hygroscopic material (an old blanket, for example), a free table near the sink, and a drain plug.

Before leaving, water the flowers generously. After closing the sink drain, pour water into it. Wet the blanket. On the table next to the sink, first spread any waterproof material (oilcloth, polyethylene, etc.), then an old blanket so that one edge of it lies at the bottom of the sink, absorbing water. On the other edge of the blanket, on the table next to the sink, place the plants. It can and should be placed quite tightly. Water will rise up through the capillaries of the fabric, and the plants in pots (we remember that each of them has a drainage hole) will absorb water on their own.

Method seven, eight and others...

Each of them is a measure of your ingenuity, savvy and resourcefulness.

Someone switches all the plants in the house to wick watering. Others manage to place each plant in a separate package - a plastic bag with a zipper. Inflate it so that the walls of the bag do not touch the leaves, and leave the plant in it for 3-4 days. Still others, remembering that they have to leave home quite often, purchased “blumats” from the store - the simplest automatic watering systems. Still others have been successfully using hydrogel for a long time, and therefore they are not afraid of any drought...

The most cunning and resourceful, of course, prepared for their vacation even when they decided to grow cacti in the house. Cacti are desert dwellers, they don’t care how long you’ve been away from home...

This is what has been helping me for several years now.

Before I leave, I take my plants into the shower. I water and bathe. I leave it there for a couple of hours so that the excess water drains and the plants do not experience temperature shock when transferred to the room. Then, I collect all the plants in one room. I don't put any on windows. There's too much light there. The best place for them, while I’m away, the middle of the room is bright, but not sunny.

So, we move everyone deeper into the room, after watering. We cover the windows with tulle. We arrange the plants quite compactly, with those who are sensitive to air humidity in the middle; at the edges - the most hardy and capricious. If you have particularly delicate specimens (like impatiens, cyperus, etc.), think about it: maybe it makes sense to put them in a pot with water, or even give them to someone for a while.

You can and should place containers of water around the plants. The water will evaporate, making life easier for the flowers. They will be able to absorb the moisture they need with their leaves.

So in the shade and moisture, my plants can wait for me for up to three weeks. Checked!

Hooray! Finally the long-awaited vacation. All thoughts are occupied with the upcoming trip. Just don't forget to take anything with you. And at some point it dawns on you, “How can I leave indoor flowers without watering for two weeks?”

How long can indoor flowers last without watering?

The option of having relatives and friends who will find time to come and water your house plants is no longer available. It is not always possible to get help from loved ones. Therefore, we are looking for other solutions on how to preserve indoor flowers when going on vacation.
Some types of indoor plants need daily soil moisture, and some flowers can withstand a two-week drought.

Plants such as cyperus, calamus, and azalea require large amounts of water.
The soil should be constantly moist (but without stagnation of water in the ground) for begonia, alocasia, calathea, lemon, oleander, ivy.
decorative foliage houseplants need to water when upper layer The soil in the pot will dry out a couple of centimeters. For dracaena, clivia, monstera, palm trees, syngonium, columna, aspidistra, and aglaonema, it is important that the soil dries out between waterings.
but before the next watering, the soil should dry completely for hippeastrum, gloxinia, zygocactus, crinium, caladium, philodendron. Cacti do not require moisture at all during the winter season.

Knowing how much moisture your plants need and how often will help you understand how long you can leave indoor plants without watering. And if the issue remains in your absence for up to five days, then, having previously watered your house plants, you can safely leave and not worry about leaving indoor flowers without watering.

Read Wikipedia about indoor flowers and their care.

How to preserve indoor flowers without watering.

If you are leaving home for two weeks, we do not recommend leaving indoor flowers without moisture. Otherwise, upon arrival you will have to buy your favorite plants again.
There are two ways to protect indoor flowers during the holidays. One of them involves spending family budget, and the other at minimal cost.
You can take the risk of leaving indoor flowers without watering for a long time, without any financial investments, like this:

indoor plants need to be prepared for your absence. For you, leaving home is a joy, but for flowers it is stressful.
We trim buds and blooming flowers. This way we will help the plant not to waste its energy for flowering during the “separation” from you. Now they will direct all their strength to maintaining their livelihoods. Plus, you still won’t see the flowering itself.
We reduce the plant’s moisture consumption during this period by thinning the leaf mass. You will have to make a sacrifice because indoor plants will lose their decorative value. Some of them will take a long time to recover, but it will be worth it.

indoor flowers in ceramic pots need more water than in plastic flower pots.

we move pots with house plants from window sills to the floor. Preferably in the far corner of the room. This is necessary so that the plant receives less light and heat. Reducing the amount of lighting and heat leads to a decrease in the amount of moisture evaporated by flowers. And, as a result, the plant consumes it minimally. Upon your return, be mentally prepared for the fact that you will not recognize your home oasis. Without proper warmth and lighting, indoor flowers will slow down their growth.
We place pots with indoor plants close to each other. This creates a mini-greenhouse that will keep the humidity around and in the middle slightly higher. The only thing I would like to warn you about is that if you place indoor flowers in this way, you increase the risk of disease in all plants if there is already a diseased one. After all, it is not always possible to immediately determine the presence of diseases or pests on any one flower. And then the affected flower will “reward” all other indoor plants with the disease.

You can ensure the actual watering of indoor flowers on vacation as follows:

Place all house plants in a large container (basin, baby bath, tray). Cover the bottom of such an improvised pallet with a thick layer (at least five centimeters) of expanded clay. Fill the expanded clay up to half with water. And place flower pots on the damp layer. Also fill the gaps between the pots with expanded clay or cover them with damp sphagnum moss.

Sphagnum moss is a good moisture accumulator. The plant takes moisture from the moss as needed.

To perfect the source of moisture for your indoor plants, we create a greenhouse. Cover all the flowers in the tray with transparent plastic film. If you don’t have a large piece of film, you can create individual moisture guards by wearing plastic bags for each plant. Make an exception only for plants with fleshy or pubescent leaves. Such as Saintpaulia, Pelargonium, Kalanchoe. Otherwise, they will rot or become moldy without regular ventilation.

If you are worried about the effectiveness of any method of watering indoor flowers during the holidays, then prepare cuttings of your favorite plants. Before you return, they will put out roots in a jar of water.

We immediately warn you that after you return from vacation, you will need to remove the bags from the flowers gradually. Accustoming a houseplant to low air humidity and constant ventilation open form, should be done over the course of a week, then removing and then putting back the mini “cap”.

If you can't find a tray for indoor plants, place the potted plants in the bathtub.

You can ensure a constant supply of moisture using plastic bottles. To do this, we make small holes in the lids. Then we pour water into the bottles and place them upside down either on a tray between the pots of indoor plants, or directly into the pot itself. Seeping drop by drop, the water will moisten the expanded clay, moss, or soil.

moisture through the holes in the cap of a plastic bottle directly into the soil is good for large indoor flowers in tubs. For small plants, the bottle watering method is not suitable.

Many of you have heard about the following method. It consists of passive watering using improvised wicks. We twist ropes, laces, woolen threads, bandages or cotton fabric. We lower one end of such a wick into a container of water, and stick the other into the ground. The container with water should be above the level flower pot. Due to the difference in capillary pressure, water will begin to flow to the plants.

For orchids during your vacation, an acceptable method of moistening is in which the plant feeds on moisture from the bottom. The pot with the orchid is placed in a container, at the bottom of which you pour a little water and add drainage.

Watering systems for indoor flowers.

Watering indoor flowers while away can be entrusted to industrial devices. You will have to spend money on such systems. But the acquisition of such technologies will pay off at least in the fact that upon returning from vacation, you will not have to buy new indoor plants again.

Autonomous watering systems for indoor flowers are called Aqua Globes. The simplest ones are a glass flask connected to a ceramic cone. The cone is immersed in the soil to ensure uniform moistening of the earthen coma. The capillary-porous structure of the cone walls allows water to trickle drop by drop into the ground.

before installing both homemade and industrial systems humidification, test the speed and volume of water supply. And then adjust the required “pressure”. This is necessary in order not to flood the plants and prevent the soil from drying out.

The Austrian Blumat system is distinguished by the fact that the lower part of the conical cone is made of special clay, which is able to react to soil moisture and independently maintain the necessary moisture in the ground. Also connected to the cone is a thin hose, the other end of which is lowered into a container of water. As soon as the soil in the pot with the indoor plant dries out, the system will begin to supply water drop by drop. The amount of water is regulated by the level at which the water container is located.
For passive irrigation, capillary mats are available for sale. Such hygroscopic mats are sold in garden centers and large supermarkets in the houseplant care departments. Operation is very simple. Having covered the pallet or even kitchen table plastic film, place a capillary mat on top and place pots with indoor flowers on it. Place one of the edges of the hygroscopic mat in a container of water. The water will saturate the mat, and indoor plants can easily absorb moisture into the soil through the bottom of the pot.

By cutting the capillary mat into strips, you can use it as bundles for passive irrigation.

By choosing any of these methods of watering indoor flowers during your vacation, you will not leave your home oasis without life-giving moisture. And upon your return, the flowers will thank you with lush growth and flowering. After all, they will miss you just as much as you do.

Video about DIY watering methods

Often, along with the beauty and picturesqueness of home flowers, we are also overtaken by problems associated with caring for them. Perhaps the main issue remains and will always be caring for plants during a period of long absence. I propose to look together at all the possible and easily implementable ways to solve the problem.

Where should I start?

Watering indoor plants in the absence of the owners is not the end of the world. All difficulties can be easily overcome if you go through the initial stages in advance:

Image	Plant preparation
	Step 1. Remove open light sources. You can avoid losing your pets if you remove them from open light sources (window sills, balconies, open air flowerpots) in advance or close the curtains tightly. The basic life processes of plants depend on lighting, and therefore less moisture will be consumed in the shade.
	Step 2. Eliminate drafts. Before leaving, be sure to check the rooms with plants for drafts; it is better to close the doors in advance.
	Step 3. Remove damaged sheets. Remove all damaged or dried leaves; it is also worth cutting off very large buds and shoots. Regularly monitor your flowers for pests or diseases. Treat diseased plants with special preparations; this will help keep the flowers alive during your absence.

Choosing the right method

Even the most experienced florist Sometimes unexpected situations happen. For these purposes, you can choose the least expensive method - both from a financial point of view and taking into account the amount of time. But how to keep flowers in perfect condition if you go on vacation?

Among the possible options are:

requiring us to have sleight of hand and some available materials;
requiring the use of a special automatic watering system.

3 options for automatic watering of flowers from scrap materials

What can you do in as soon as possible to preserve the beauty and health of green pets? Instructions on how to make automatic watering of indoor plants with your own hands are presented in the table:

Description	A good example
	Option 1. Watering through a “wick”: From a strip of fabric, gauze, bandage or thick wool thread twist the wick; We lower the first end of the wick into the surface of the earth, and the other into a container of water; Place the container either higher flower pot, or under it. For a pot with a diameter of 10 cm, one wick is enough. If the dimensions of the container are large - 2–3 cm.
	Option 2. Humidification through fabric: Lay an oilcloth on the surface and place a dampened cloth on top; Place pre-watered flowers on top of the fabric. Dip the end of the material into a container of water; Be sure to check the drainage holes in the pots. This method will provide automatic watering of indoor plants for 10–20 days.
	Option 3. Plastic bottle: Water the plants well in advance; Take a bottle and make 2 holes in the cap with a well-heated needle; Fill the bottle with water and place it upside down in the pot. The water will gradually moisten the soil.

Option 4 - professional products

Today there are hundreds of ways to build automatic watering for indoor flowers. Automatic watering indoor plants can be arranged using special devices. They can be found in almost any flower shop. The devices differ in cost and time during which self-watering is carried out.

Aquaglobe - simplest design. This is a special vessel, usually made of glass (less often plastic) with a thin cone-shaped tube. The aquaglobe is filled with water and lowered with its neck into the soil, the water gradually drains and moistens the soil. When the soil dries out, the process of gas formation begins, air bubbles enter the vessel and some of the water returns to the soil.

What watering system for indoor plants will be best for you? To answer this question, you first need to determine what elements it should have:

Water containers and vessels who will guide her;
Special tips made from porous components so as not to become clogged with soil;
Timer to determine the time and frequency of watering;
Water flow regulator in the tank;
Sensor to determine soil moisture;
Pump pumping water.

The price of such devices can vary greatly. But in the future, you can safely leave flowers during your vacation.

Types, material and shape of the pot

Flower care is greatly simplified if it is carried out systematically and taking into account the characteristics of each plant. But not only the variety of a particular type of flower plays a key role, it is also important that the material from which the pot is made is of high quality.

And in order for the plants to feel quite good during your absence, you need to pay attention to the size and material of the container. Types and shapes of pots that would become cozy houses for indoor flowers are varied. Main options:

clay;
plastic;
ceramic.

Each of them can be either with or without holes on the side or bottom (pots). Separately, we can highlight pots with automatic watering systems.

Do not forget that for some plants, for example, you need to be especially careful when choosing a container. So, flowers that require very frequent watering may not take root in clay pots. Therefore, they should be used only after a thorough study of the characteristics of a particular flower.

It is convenient to plant young plants in plastic pots; this greatly simplifies the process of their propagation. It is advisable to use clay and ceramic pots for mature flowers that have grown sufficiently.

So, if for the most part your indoor plants live in clay pots, then one of the most the right ways How to water flowers during a long absence will involve moving this container to a larger plastic one.

The space between the walls must be filled with moistened expanded clay or a well-moistened cloth. WITH plastic pots things are a little simpler, it will be enough to place the plants in small containers filled with water so that the lower part of the pot is in the water.

Conclusion

An active lifestyle, vacation or unforeseen circumstances should not affect your cozy green paradise. By building a self-watering system for plants, you don’t have to worry about their safety for a long time.

In the video in this article there is great examples, how to water flowers when you go on vacation to avoid their death. Ask any questions you have in the comments.