Over the summer, it is crucial to keep your much-loved plants hydrated and well-looked after, both inside and out in the garden.
For shorter times, you might be able to get away with giving your shrubs and flowers a thorough shower to stave off any potential drought until your return.
In these cases, even simply moving the pots to a cooler room or into a shaded area could be enough to keep them ticking over for a few days.
But for longer periods, particular methods can assist with watering, all of which are based on providing an alternative controlled water source to reduce the likelihood of soil drying out.
Joe shared his top tips online with followers
|@joesgarden/TikTok
Gardening expert Joe, who goes by @joesgarden online, has shared a number of tips on the video-sharing platform for those new gardeners who are eager to enjoy their holidays while staying assured their adored plants are not slowly desiccating at home.
“Now it is worth noting the best way to do this is to ask someone to water them while you are gone, but if that is not possible then here are a few methods you can deploy,” he said in the caption beneath the video.
“There are so many quick and easy ways to keep your plants alive while you’re away, such as placing an old towel in your bath, and covering with water,” Joe explained.
“Then, simply place your houseplants on top of the towel, where they’ll draw up this moisture through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, keeping them happy until you’re back.”
LATEST GARDENING HACKS
The Royal Horticultural Society suggested using a sheet of capillary matting on a kitchen sink draining board or an equivalent surface, draping one end of the mat into a sink or bath filled with water.
The experts urged gardeners to ensure the plants “make good contact” with the mat by pressing down on them gently.
But, for those with too many plants to fit in the bath, Joe advised placing a container of water in a raised spot, soaking some cotton yarn or string - just as the RHS suggested as well.
Then, connect one end of the yarn to a weight, such as a spoon and then place the other end around your plants.
One hack involves reusing old bottles
|@joesgarden/TikTok
“As long as the plants are lower than the water, this string will act as a wick, providing moisture straight to the plants until you return,” the gardening guru explained, raving about the hack “giving them a simple yet effective lifeline” until your return.
For plants which are harder to move, such as plants in flower beds or extremely heavy pots, keep a few bottles, and poke a few holes in the cap.
Subsequently, fill the bottles up with water and stick them in the soil scattered around the garden to keep the plants happy.
“Fingers crossed for some rain while you are away too, which will really help keep everything alive as well,” Joe added.