How to keep plants watered in your absence ?

[Ankit]

Hello Sir
I have around 10 planters at my flat, which I keep in open and water them twice a day.
I generally go out for couple of days and am just worried if that duration increases plants may die due to water shortage.

I just wonder, what simple solution can be there. I thought if I can put a bucket, and then some rope/cloth kind of thing which may soak water via capillary action and quench the thirst. Not sure if it will work.

Any other simple tips which may not require use of electricity ?

Thanks

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum! I have used terracotta plant waterers in the past, and found them to be quite good. Basically they have a terracotta 'spike' that goes into the soil, and a container which you fill with water. The water is gently and slowly released into the soil if it gets dry. Might be worth checking them out!

 

[mgmine]

You could try a drip system on a timer. Do a Google search and you should see plenty of them.

 

[Corzhens]

You could try a drip system on a timer. Do a Google search and you should see plenty of them.

That's also my recommendation. A drip irrigation system can be designed for that particular occasion - when you are away for 2 days or more. Get a hose or tubing that can be laid out on top of the plants. Puncture holes where the water can drip. Attach the one end of the hose to a bottle of water (make sure the other end is plugged). This is the tricky part. You have to get a good estimate of how long the dripping would last with that bottle. If it lasts for 1 day then get a bigger bottle.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Hire someone/ ask a favor from a friend or family member to go to your house and water the plants once a day? I think that's the most reasonable option, rather than buying equipment or a complex sprinkler system, just make sure someone goes there regularly and takes care of them. It wouldn't take a lot of time and effort, so it wouldn't be as much as an issue with your friends/family, the only thing though is you will be leaving your keys to the house with them, so you absolutely must trust them for it to work out.

 

[aquaticneko]

Welcome to the forum! I have used terracotta plant waterers in the past, and found them to be quite good. Basically they have a terracotta 'spike' that goes into the soil, and a container which you fill with water. The water is gently and slowly released into the soil if it gets dry. Might be worth checking them out!

I've had these recommended to me by a friend and have been using them whenever I go away camping each year. I can vouch for these since they require no upkeep at all. You just buy the spikes and use a bottle that you have recycled. It works similar to a pet waterer.

"A small and a large version are available. The 5-1/8" long small spike includes a screw-on adapter that fits plastic pop bottles, and with a 2l bottle can last up to 2 weeks without refilling."
http://www.leevalley.com/us/Wood/page.aspx?p=62803&cat=2,66758&ap=1

 

[Ankit]

Thanks to all of you for your valuable suggestions. Will surely consider.
thanks again.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

How long are we talking????? a week, 2 weeks, a month? One week, I give them a lot prior, then I do not worry and I am gone. 2 weeks, hope they are outside and mother nature does its thing, and I also do not worry. A month--they better be outside. Or I would have a friend come in weekly. that is it. Our issue is we turn off our well pump anytime we go away for that length thus access to the water will be not for a friend. And if its a month, I might have to just move them to my friends house for that time. But most likely I would not be gone for a month as I do not want to leave my cats that long.

 

[Fernsdaddy]

The most I'm gone is maybe over the week end so I make sure every body gets a good drink, or I'll put them in the bathtub with a little water in the bottom of the tub so they stay damp if I'm gone longer the 2 or 3 days.

 

[remnant]

I use a plastic bottle. One only needs to fill it with water and then dig it into the soil at the base of the plant roots. The soil around the mouth of the bottle gets wetted and transmits the water to the root system laterally and vertically. This is a simple form of drip irrigation. However, one should occasionally remove the bottles to soften the soil around the roots for better seepage.