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In Today’s post, we will show you 7 tried and tested plastic bottle garden hacks for vacation watering, especially in summer when you can go on your long dream vacation without worrying about your garden and plants.
1. Mini Green House Method
A simple yet effective vacation watering method of keeping your beloved plants hydrated and healthy for a short period of time. Water your plant as usual. Then all you need is some wooden stakes or aluminium pipes and a transparent or semi-transparent plastic bag. Insert the stakes around the plant leaving some space around it. Then place the bag over and around the plant. It is very important that the plastic cover is transparent or non-coloured to prevent the plant from dying due to heat absorption. This works on a simple concept of evaporation of water. When the temperature is high, the water starts to evaporate and it accumulates by condensing on the inner side of the plastic bag and then it returns back to the soil. This is best suited for medium to large plants and is proven to be effective for up to 1 week when placed in indirect sunlight, but may last lesser when placed in direct sun. And in fact not wise to keep in direct sunlight as it can burn your plant foliage due to excessive heat.
2. Wick Supply
Here is another easy fix for watering all your plants while you are away. Take some cotton rope and soak it in water. Place one end of the rope in an elevated water source and the other end around the plant or bury it on the topsoil. The tiny fibers in the cotton rope serve as capillaries and siphon water to the plants by capillary suction. This is helpful to supply water to your plants for a longer duration when you are on vacation. Whenever the soil dries, it sucks up the required water by capillary action. In this method, the duration of the supply can be controlled by choosing an appropriate size of the water source.
3. Wick Planter
Try this easy DIY wick planter method for vacation watering small plants and succulents for up to 10 days. All you need is an empty soda or water bottle and a small piece of cotton rope to act as a wick. Cut the bottle along the half-length, flip the top part upside down. Cut the rope to the length of the planter and insert it through the top. Pour some potting mix in the top and fill the bottom part with water. Ensure the wick is fully covered in water. There you go, you have your self-watering wick planter ready. This is best suited for small desk and indoor plants and with this method, your plants only need to be watered once every 2 weeks.
4. Water Bath Method
A one-step arrangement to make sure your plants do not feel the heat. Place some water in a wide dish and place the pot in the water bath. Make sure that your pot has a lot of drainage holes at the bottom. As water is required by the plant, the tiny air spaces in the soil act as capillaries and transport water upwards to the root system. This is one of the simplest vacation watering systems. This is a very frugal arrangement so best suited for plants that do not need much water and the duration of watering in this method, can be varied with the size of the water bath. It is important to note that the water level should not be more than 2 inches from the bottom of the pot and there are sufficient drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
5. Siphon Method
This is a super easy way of watering your plants. All you need is a small pipe, a stone/small rock as dead weight and a water source – like this air stone used as bubblers in aquariums. Place the water source at an elevated spot. Dip the pipe completely in the water source till it’s filled with water. Without removing the pipe from the water, close one end of the pipe with your finger and move it to the pot. The water will start siphoning from the source to the plant. You can adjust the speed of the siphon by varying the height of the open end of the pipe. This is best suited for plants that need a lot of watering and the duration of watering in this method can easily be varied by choosing the size of the water source.
6. The Bottle Flip Method
This is a most simple yet very effective way of watering your plants. All you need is an empty plastic bottle. Use a push pin to make some tiny holes in the cap and then place the bottle inverted with the cap side into the soil about 1-2 inches deep. Make sure to place it away from the root system to prevent damage to the roots. This way is most effective for small to medium plants and lasts for up to a week depending on the size of the bottle and size of the holes. This method is best suited for pots kept in indirect sunlight.
7. A Bonus Build
This can be a great fun activity for your kids and encourage them to take interest in gardening this vacation. This is built using some waste recycled plastic materials. All you need is a cleaned-up plastic can (make sure to remove traces of whatever was in it), a small piece of PVC pipe, and an old soda bottle. Take the base of the soda bottle and place it around one end of the pipe. Heat it up with a lighter. It should shrink and clamp around the open edge. No glue is needed. Use a pin and poke some holes in the bottle base. This will be our spout. Next, cut the edge of the pipe at an angle using a saw blade. Place the inclined cut at the base of our can and mark the outline. Make sure to make a snug cut on the marking. Next insert the pipe into the inlet and use some hot glue to hold it in place. Optionally, color it to get that beautiful look. You are done with your DIY watering recycling your old plastic waste.
Please watch a detailed video demonstrating various Vacation Watering Systems below:
