Watering suggestions for holiday

We are going on holiday soon for 2 weeks and for the first time we do not have anyone we can ask to water the garden, not even a neighbour. I haven't yet made up my hanging baskets, although I have all the plants in the greenhouse ready to do so. I am not sure whether to make them up or wait until we get back. I would appreciate some suggestions on what others would do in these circumstances. Many thanks.

 

Thank you for posting this. I am sure we will all benefit from other GCs' tips.

 

the plants in the garden will survive for 2 weeks without watering, but give them a good watering the night before you leave

same as the hanging baskets

 

Thanks Dim. In the garden yes I agree. Hanging baskets, I think would be dead if there was no rain for two weeks?

 

The only thing I can suggest for hanging baskets is to mix in some water retaining gel crystals.

 

use this compost for the hanging baskets (biobizz all mix):
http://www.greensea-hydroponics.co.uk/shop/Biobizz_All_Mix.html

it holds water/moisture very well

google to find your nearest hydroponic store and most hydroponic stores stock this compost

then add 1/4 miracle gro expand n'gro (available from most good garden centres)
http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod10570002&itemId=cat50154

water well on the morning that you leave, and get a bottle of spring water such as evian ..... open the bottle and insert the neck into the soil of the hanging basket .... the water will slowly seep through into the soil

 

That sounds like a plan. Many thanks both.

 

I would make up the hanging baskets, using water-retaining gel etc, as recommended, because the rootballs will do better in a large volume of compost than left in their little pots. Water extremely well, even leave them standing in a container with water in, then make sure they are in a spot that gets little direct sun, especially between 9 and 5.

Even if the sun shone for a fortnight they would survive under these circumstances. They might get a little drawn from the shade but they would soon recover from that if hung in a sunny spot when you get home. Better that than a dead plant.

If the weather carries on being this cold and miserable you could probably leave them where they are and they wouldn't dry out. But with a bit of luck the sun will shine now and again.

 

or .... plant huecherella redstone falls with huecherella sunrise falls in your hanging baskets .... they will supply colour 12 months of the year

they like a bit of dry between watering and are hardy

 

Thanks. Will find something to stand them all in with water. I already have all of the plants ready in the greenhouse.

 

Have a good holiday Jupes. Hope you are going somewhere sunny - looking at the Saturday telegraph European weather map,it's like this all the way to the North coast of Africa.

 

One trick we use when going away for a week or more is to fill the sink in the Utility room with water, lay an old bath towel on the drainer and down into the water.
Stand all the pots you can on the drainer and they will take up water by capilliary feed from the sink via the towel. It works better with smaller pots, so your plants for the baskets/pots should survive OK - unless you have a huge amount of them.

 

I've heard people fill empty coke bottles and fill them with water, then put them into the soil and it slowly drips into plants..