Watering indoor plants in the absence of owners for 2 weeks or a month

Plant lovers often face the question: how to preserve indoor flowers when going on vacation for a month? After all, there are plants that can withstand the absence of watering for 2 weeks, but there are also those species that need daily irrigation. In order not to have to persuade relatives or friends to visit, it is necessary to organize automatic watering. Such designs can be purchased in a store or, in order to save money, make them yourself.

Automatic watering of indoor plants during the holidays

You need to use drip irrigation, funnel, wick, smart pot system, or other methods. Any of these structures will protect the soil from drying out and excessive moisture, so that the plants, even in the absence of the owner, will continue their full growth.

Caring for green pets

Homemade autowatering systems

The simplest method is to water with a bottle. It is not difficult to make such a construction:

1. You need to take a plastic bottle with a cap.
2. Fill the container with water.
3. Make a hole in the cover.
4. Make several holes in the bottom to improve passability.
5. Insert the bottle into the ground with the neck down and the device is ready for use.

Systems for autowatering from the store

If it is not possible to independently build a cunning structure, then you need to purchase it in the store.

You can buy a polyethylene dropper or a Blumat sensor system.

A dropper for indoor plants works on the same principle as for a person, so you need to try it before you go on vacation. It is worth adjusting the moisture supply and make sure that everything will be in order with the flowers.

The Blumat system was developed by an Austrian scientist. It is a plastic cone, the tip of which is made of special clay. It is through it that moisture enters the soil. Thanks to their unique design, indoor flowers absorb the required amount of water.

Blumat system

Drip irrigation systems for indoor plants

Today there are many drip irrigation systems from different manufacturers.

Basically, this kit includes:

• container;
• cone;
• droppers;
• holders;
• stubs;
• filter;
• hoses;
• hose clamp.

For the irrigation system to work, you need to install the tank above the level of the pots. This is an important rule for all systems. The cones are inserted into the pots and the droppers are connected with a hose. The number of droppers depends on the size of the pot. All flowerpots form a common network.

There are also large structures with which you can save the lives of half a thousand indoor flowers.

"Smart pots" for automatic irrigation

Watering indoor plants in the absence of owners can be done using special pots. They are of double construction. A flower grows in one tank, and the other is filled with water. The moisture supply can be from the bottom or from the side. Many of these pots are equipped with an indicator, which is a float with marks for the minimum and maximum water levels.

From such pots, moisture enters the soil gradually, as the soil dries. The only disadvantage of using "smart pots" is that some models are suitable only for those plants that have a well-developed root system. If the root does not reach the drainage layer, then the flower will not be able to get saturated with moisture. However, there are pots that are suitable for young plants as well. This information must be specified when purchasing.

Their use has many advantages:

• water in them at room temperature;
• there is no risk of waterlogging of the soil;
• with them it will be possible to avoid diseases that are associated with improper watering;
• there will be no need to drain water from pallets;
• no need to worry about water not getting on the plant;
• there is no need to ensure that the soil does not dry out;
• flowers can be left unattended for a long time.

Smart pot

Wick irrigation

Using a wick will help answer the question: how to keep indoor flowers without watering for 2 weeks? This is exactly the case when the flower lover goes on vacation.

This method involves creating a simple construct:

1. Next to the flowerpot, for example, on a stool, place a container of water. It must be above the flower pot.
2. Gauze tubes (woolen threads / bandage strips) are dipped into the bottle with one end. The other end of the tubes is lowered into the soil.
3. The water will be absorbed into the threads and gradually fall into the ground.

Using a wick, like other auto-irrigation methods, has its advantages and disadvantages.

The main advantages of such automatic irrigation include:

• abundant flowering of plants, if we are talking, for example, about violets, which love wick watering;
• this method supplies moisture depending on the needs of the plant, therefore it is impossible to fill it;
• young flowers are fast developing;
• there is no need to monitor the soil, the moisture in the containers can stay for several weeks.

You should also take into account the disadvantages of this method when using wick irrigation:

• if you make the wick very thick or wide, then the plant may suffer from an excess of moisture;
• in winter, you need to monitor the temperature of the water, if it is cold, the plant will die;
• the soil with such watering should be loose and airy, otherwise the moisture will stagnate and the roots will begin to rot.

Funnel watering

Plastic and clay funnels are available on the market. In plastic products, holes are made in the walls, and clay funnels have no holes. They simply do not burn the bottom, and water easily penetrates into the soil. Moreover, clay products are also an excellent decorative adornment. They can be in the form of a frog or a turtle with an open mouth, where water is poured.

Using a hydrogel

If you are interested in information on how to ensure watering of indoor plants in the absence of the owners for a long time without the use of any structures, then a hydrogel will help. 1 g of such a polymer material is able to absorb about 250 ml of water, and then gradually release it into the soil.

Flower in hydrogel

The hydrogel can be placed in a pot instead of a drainage layer when planting, or it can be buried 2 cm from the surface. It can also be soaked for 8 hours - it will absorb water and swell. After that, it is laid out in pots, and covered with wet moss on top. This is necessary so that the hydrogel does not turn into dust, since it is believed that in this form it is toxic to the body.

There are several ways to provide indoor plants with moisture, so you should not burden your friends with your problems, or refuse a vacation or leave flowers to die. You just need to choose a convenient system for watering home flowers while on vacation and set off on a long-awaited journey with a pure heart.