How to Keep Plants alive while Traveling

Alright, I’m going to say it- I’m a plant lady! I have over 30 plant babies and while we approached our 3 week vacation, I knew I needed a plan to that they didn’t die. I figured out a super easy trick. The good news is that my plant babies did great! I can’t wait to show you how simple it is to keep houseplants alive while away!

how to keep plants alive while traveling

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that!

step 1

Start by gathering all of your plants into a room with indirect sunlight. You still want it bright, but direct sunlight will dry out the soil faster. The shade will help plants stay alive longest.

step 2

Next, spend some time cleaning up your plants. Look for any dead leaves or stems and cut them out. Why? Because your plant will give more energy to the dying vegetation. Plus, the dead areas can carry disease that can make the rest of the plant weak.

step 3

And now, it’s time to create a self watering system! To do this, just

fill a pitcher or milk jug full with water.
Next, place plants around the jug.
Cut yarn so that it can reach from the soil of the plant to the bottom of the jug.
Note, it’s important that the jug is taller than the plant it’s trying to water. On the plant where I didn’t do this, It didn’t get watered. You can kind of see the dry string below.

After the water is placed in the jug and in the plant, it should take 30 minutes for the water to travel through the yarn and into the soil.
If the string is wet, it means that it’s working! Make sure to check that it’s working before you leave!

step 4

Finally, make sure to water the plants early well right before you leave on your trip. Make sure that the soil is nice and moist. This guarantees that for at least a few days, most plants can survive even without the self watering system..

after

Here is how my plants looked after being home alone 16 days. Note, my mother in law came and filled the jugs half way through my trip. I’m not sure how low they were, but I’m confident the self watering system worked!

Another option is to buy an aqua globe. You can get them on Amazon. They’re a glass globe that you simply fill with water and place in the soil. They can keep plants watered for up to 2 weeks!

You can also use a glass bottle filled with water for a similar effect.

And now, you have all the information you need for how to water plants with string! It really is quite simple and most people can use items they have from home. When I knew my trip was coming up, I saved milk jugs in preparation and they were really nice to have!

Isn’t that such a simple solution?! I’m so thrilled it worked! Now I just need to travel more now that I’ve figure it out 😉

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