If you don’t have anyone to check on your houseplants, these tips from horticulturists can help.
Have a growinghouse plantcollection and not sure about their care when you take off for vacation?
There are several tips and tricks to ensure your plants manage without you.
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Leave the plant to absorb moisture for about a half hour or so.
Then let any excess moisture drip out.
You dont want to drown the roots in too much water.
Most plants can handle dry soil rather than soggy and wet soil.
Adjust Lighting
Each plant has its preferred lighting conditions, whether its direct or indirect sunlight.
Sometimes adjusting how much light they receive daily while youre away can reduce growth and water needs.
Generally plants should be left where they are doing their best, say Gillahad and Waldroop.
But if you have several houseplants, you may want to move them so they are all together.
Group Plants
Have severalplants in your living room?
Placing them next to each other can be beneficial to preserve and maintain humidity.
Grouping plants on a pebble filled tray that holds water will help add humidity around the plants.
Hancock agrees and has used his bathroom as a place to keep his plants while hes been away.
Potting soils with lots of peat or compost will also hold water longer, say Gillahad and Waldroop.
[This is] appropriate for plants that like a more constant moisture level like African Violets and Abutilons.
Use a Self-Watering System
Want to ensure your plants have access to water?
Consider using watering wicks.
Water wicks are a good way to extend the time between watering, say Gillahad and Waldroop.
There are different systems you’re free to buy or make yourself.
The larger the reservoir, the longer the plants can go without water.
