watering while on holiday ideas?

I am going away for 2 weeks beginning of july and although one of my sons said he will water my pots I just cant trust him t do it as it doesnt mean anything to him! I dont really have anyone that i could ask, so what ideas can I try? I sort of remember when i was little my dad used to put a pot of water higher up then the plants then put a bootlace in or something so the water would wick down but dont know if this works. I plan to move what i can to a shaded spot and give them a good soaking before i go as well

 

What you need to do is get a growbag tray and stick it on a couple of bricks to raise it up. At the end put a bowl of water. But the water level must be below the level of the tray - hence the bricks. Then get an old towel lay it on the tray with one end in the bowl of water. Then put your pot plants on the towel. The towel will suck the water up by wicking action, and will remain wet (until the water runs out). All your plant pots will be sitting on a wet towel, and this should keep them watered, as long as the compost in the pot can be in contact with the wet towel. Stick some compost on the towel if it helps to keep good contact.

The water level must be below the tray. If it is above all the water will syphon out within ten minutes. For towel read any old fabric, but preferably not man-made. Your son could just fill the container up. If you don't have a growbag tray, you can improvise by using, say, bricks set out in a rectangle, and covered with polythene. The reason for using something like a tray is to stop the water spilling out at the edges.

Oh! and put it in the shade. It could use water up fast if the weather is hot.

 

That sounds ideal. i will give it a trial run this weekend! thanks

 

Would just like to add that I think it would be worthwhile checking each pot to make sure it doesn't have any crocks/stones/co**** grit etc at the bottom as this seems to stop the wick action. As mentioned above the compost must be in contact with the wick material.

As an alternative, I had same problem with daughter, and made it easier by putting all pots in trays, making sure same size pots in each tray and showing her how much water to put in each tray (and explaining if its still wet don't bother). No direct sunshine and watered well before I went.

That's simple enough she said, result - Plants were twice the size when I came back!

Not only that, she is now getting interested in gardening!

P.S. I did some experiments with capilliary matting first, but never found it very reliable with every pot.

Suggestion: Do your preparation, forget the plants, have a good holiday, convince yourself the plants are going to die, and its such a nice surprise when you come home!

 

I also will be going away for a couple of weeks in July - but hopefully my neighbour will water my patio pots for me.

Question - I'm going to Norfolk for four days next week. If I give everything including the rescued roses a good drenching on Monday - they should be ok til Friday in this weather shouldn't they - albeit a little limp

 

Hope the weather stays good for you Fran, as it's a scorcher here today :D

Are you sailing on the Broads?

 

Here too - thats why I am a tad concerned.

No I'm not sailing on the broads, me an my motorhome are tripping to a site in the Sandringham Estate - from where I hope to visit Blickling Hall , Norfolk Lavender and a few other places including of course the Sandringham estate. Hopefully the fine weather will hold just long enough

You could always pop over for a bevy :D

Back again at the end of the week.

 

Fran

On the way to Old Hunstanton to pick samphire, we pass Norfolk Lavender, and the car is full of:-

"Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things just dont seem the same
Actin funny, but I dont know why
scuse me while I kiss the sky"
Jimi Hendrix

The first one to see the sea chooses lunch, and the other one pays.

Hope the weather was OK.

 

LOL - wonderful. Yes thanks the weather was great - though the lavender was not quite in flower.