Vacations Tips to Help Care for Your Houseplants

Most people go on vacation to relax and have a good time. You do not want to have to worry about your houseplants while you are away. Here are some tips to help you keep your houseplants healthy while you are away from home.

Houseplants like sunny spots in your home. Most of them will grow better if they get some sunlight through your open windows. However, this also means they will need more water. When you are not at home to give your plants the water they crave after a day in the sun, move them to cooler, darker spots in your home. If you have plants on your porch or deck, you should bring those inside and put them in the dark, cool places, as well. This will help your plants need less water, so they will not get as thirsty while you are on vacation.

It may seem like a good idea to leave plants in a bucket of water while you are gone on your vacation. But, in reality, even a deep saucer full of water is too much for them to handle at one time. When plants get too much water their roots will rot and eventually, the stems and leaves can rot, too. Making their environment more humid is a much better solution. To do this, group your plants close together in a cool, dark place. Place trays and saucers around the plants and fill them with pebbles and water. The evaporating water will keep your plants moist from the outside. This will result in a lower need for water in the soil.

There are some commercial waterers that are available at a low cost that will help regulate the amount of water that your plants get. These can be a life-saver when you go on vacation. The glass globe type that is stuck down in the soil will only let more water get to your plants when the soil starts to dry out. This will help prevent root rot from too much water at one time.

If you are going to be gone on your vacation more than a week, be sure to have someone check on your plants. This should be done about once a week to keep your plants from drying out. They should be aware that the water in the trays of pebbles needs to be replenished, as well as watering the plants themselves.

If you are going on a vacation to relax, you do not want the stress of worrying about your houseplants. But, there are always ways to help lessen stress. Hopefully, these tips will help you have a worry-free vacation, at least as far as your plants are concerned.