Amateur Gardening – 13 July 2019

Plant care for the holidays

J

ULY is the start of the UK’s peak

holiday season, but whatever time

of year you choose to take a break,

you still need to make sure your

plants are catered for in your absence.

You may be fortunate enough to have

a family member or neighbour who is

happy to do the watering for you. If not,

forward-planning is key to keeping your

plants alive, productive and colourful

while you are away.

Houseplants are easy to sort for your

average week or fortnight-long holiday.

Feed and water them before you go,

and leave seedlings and young plants

in a cool room where they are less likely

to dry out.

In our house the bathroom is the

best place, so I tend to cluster them

there, even standing plants in the bath

with a little water to keep their compost

damp for the duration of the holiday.

If you close some curtains and blinds

for security, move houseplants to a

room with open drapes if they are

small enough to carry safely.

More thought needs to be given

to garden plants. If the weather is dry

they will need watering, and if storms

are forecast you need to think about

protecting them from the worst the

elements can throw at them.

Plants in containers can be clustered

together somewhere sheltered where

they are out of full sun, won’t dehydrate

so fast, and have some protection from

heavy rain and wind.

They can be kept watered using

various drip systems or even by creating

a ‘wick’ out of old towels, with one end

in water and the other tucked into the

compost in each container.

Check that tall border plants are

securely tied to their supports and give

your borders a good soak before you go.

Remove dead flowers and those

about to go over to encourage more

bud development before you go, and

deal with pest problems so they don’t

escalate in your absence.

Then off you go – have a great holiday

and we’ll see you when you get back.

Ruth reveals how to keep house and garden plants alive

Cluster containers of plants somewhere sheltered

to protect them from the worst of the weather

1

Place plants somewhere light

and cool. I sometimes stand ours

in the bath in very shallow water so

they don’t dry out.

2

Make sure plants are standing

on damp gravel as this will

create healthy levels of humidity

around their leaves.

3

Place plants on capillary

matting with one end in water.

The dampness seeps up and

keeps the roots irrigated.

4

Remove damaged foliage and

deadhead so plants may start

to produce more flower buds for

when you return home.

Keep indoor

plants alive

A damp, cool environment is ideal

Step

by step

Feed and water
houseplants before leaving

Don’t forget to pick ripe fruit

and veg crops before you

go so they don’t rot or are

stolen by birds. It will make

room so that those still

developing have space

to grow properly.

Give garden plants a

soak before departing

4 AMATEUR GARDENING13 JULY 2019