Holidays and houseplants – how can you look after your plants before you go away?

Vacation – the mere thought of going away makes everyone smile. You often start preparing well in advance. You plan activities, get the car serviced, check the weather, pack your suitcases and secure the house. But what about your plants?

You take meticulous care of them all year round, remembering to water, fertilise and repot them regularly. So what should you do when you are going away for more than 3 days? How can you protect your plants before going on holiday so that you don’t come back to dried-out soil and fallen leaves? Fortunately, there are several effective methods that mean watering your plants while you are away doesn’t have to be a problem.

What to do with your plants when you go away? First, reduce water loss

Many owners wonder, “how to protect potted plants before going away and what to do with plants when we go on holiday” – the first step should always be to reduce water loss.

For a short trip, watering plants while you are on holiday doesn’t have to be necessary at all. Sometimes it is enough to prepare them well. That really does make a difference.

What can you do before leaving the house?

• Move pots away from strongly sunlit windowsills.
• Relocate them to a cooler, shaded spot.
• Keep them away from direct light.
• Provide minimal but constant air circulation.

These may seem like small things. And yet, thanks to them the soil dries out more slowly, and the question of how to water plants when we are not at home becomes far less urgent.

It also helps to place plants closer together. As a group, they create their own microclimate – moisture evaporating from the leaves stays around them. The substrate doesn’t dry out as quickly. Sometimes that is enough to go away for a few days without any extra arrangements.

Going away is just one of the moments when plants need well-planned care. If you want to learn more about the methods of caring for plants on green walls and how they function day to day in vertical systems, take a look at our article on plant cultivation methods. 

How to store water in a pot while you are away?

If the trip is going to last longer, simply reducing evaporation may not be enough. That is when the question arises: how to keep plants watered while travelling and how to leave your plants for a holiday without anyone to look after them?

One of the simpler solutions is using hydrogel granules. All you need to do is:

• mix them into the top layer of soil,
• water the plant generously before leaving,
• let the granules store the excess water.

This is a simple method for watering plants while on holiday that works well if you don’t know how to keep plants watered while travelling and how to leave your plants for a holiday without supervision. The hydrogel absorbs water and then releases it back to the plant as the soil dries out.

How to make a homemade plant watering system for your holiday?

If you are wondering how to water plants during your holiday without investing in expensive equipment, you can use a simple plastic bottle method.

All you need to do is:

• fill the bottle with water (not all the way),
• slightly loosen the cap or make a small hole in it,
• turn the bottle upside down and place it in the soil.

A setup prepared this way is a homemade way to water plants during your holiday – handy when you don’t have access to a professional system. It is worth testing it beforehand, though, to avoid overwatering your plants.

Garden centres also sell ceramic watering spikes or clay cones with a tube that draws water from a reservoir. This is a more stable and predictable solution.

A wick system with a clay cone – a solution for a longer trip

For an absence of around two weeks, a system based on a water reservoir and a clay cone works better.

You will need:

• a water reservoir (a bowl, a large bottle),
• a clay dispenser,
• a thin silicone tube.

The cone is placed in the pot. The tube connects it to the reservoir standing next to the plants. When the soil starts to dry out, the cone draws water – and it refills automatically from the reservoir. Simple. And surprisingly effective.

The cost of such a set is not high, and watering tends to be more stable than with a bottle. Of course, one rule applies here too: test it before you leave. Plants don’t like surprises.

Can you stand pots in water while you are away?

For plants with adequate drainage, the “water bath” method works well. Pots can be placed in:

• a wide bowl,
• a shallow container,
• or even a bathtub with water (1–2 cm deep).

Water seeps through the holes in the bottom and keeps the substrate consistently moist. This is a good solution for plants that require constant moisture.

If you are wondering how to keep your plants going during your holiday, this method may prove sufficient for an absence of a few days.

Wondering which species will cope best in vertical systems and how to choose them so they are also resilient during a shorter absence? Check out our article on which potted plants for a green wall work best. 

How to protect balcony plants before going away?

And what about plants kept on the balcony? How can you water balcony plants during your holiday when the sun can dry out the soil in a single day? A good solution would be to: 

• place the pots in the shade,
• shield them from the wind,
• use capillary mats,
• use drip systems.

These are steps that plant owners often forget, but they are very important if you are wondering how to protect balcony plants before going away.

Are fully automated watering cans and irrigation systems a good solution?

People who travel frequently sooner or later start looking for a solution that always works the same way. Without asking a neighbour or family. It simply has to water the plants, end of story.

If you are wondering how to water plants during your absence in a predictable way, it is worth looking at ready-made automatic systems. These are no longer ordinary watering cans, but small installations consisting of:

• a transformer with a timer,
• a pump,
• tubing that distributes the water,
• separate dispensers for each pot.

You set the time. The system switches on by itself. Every day. At the same time.

This is a solution for people who want to be sure that watering their plants during the holiday happens every day at the same time. You do, however, have to factor in the cost. Such a set can cost several hundred zloty.

On the other hand, if your trips are regular and you have a lot of plants, the expense soon stops seeming excessive. Because the problem of “what to do with the plants during the holiday” simply disappears.

And what does this look like for green walls?

Our vertical gardens are also equipped with an automatic irrigation system. In the case of solutions such as made-to-measure living walls, watering is carried out in a fully controlled and optimised manner.

The system:

• regulates the amount of water itself,
• ensures even watering of the plants,
• minimises moisture loss,
• works even during a longer absence.

Thanks to this, you don’t have to wonder how to water plants while on holiday – the technology does it for us.

Anyone interested in fitting a green wall to their space can use the 4Nature Wall configurator and see how the system can be adapted to specific needs.

Summary – how to protect your plants before going away?

If you are planning a trip, it is worth asking yourself a few questions:

• how long the absence will last,
• what requirements your plants have,
• whether you need a temporary or a permanent solution,

Depending on the situation, the following will work:

• reducing evaporation,
• storing water in the soil,
• a homemade drip system,
• a water bath,
• a professional automatic system.

And if you want plants in an office, hotel or restaurant that water themselves during a holiday or longer absence – it is worth opting for modern, automatically watered green walls. This is a solution that combines design, technology and water savings, ensuring comfort and the safety of your plants all year round.

Frequently asked questions about how to protect your plants before going away