How To Care for Flowers and Plants When You Leave Town for a Few Days

The No-Stress Guide to Plant Care While You Travel

At Allen's Flower Market, we believe that plant care and self-care go hand in hand. What better way to relax, unwind, and relieve stress than to surround yourself with beautiful flowers and plants that you can prune, water, nourish, and dust whenever you need a break from your thoughts? Let's face it, though – life can be busy and unpredictable! Plant care is not always a priority. If there's one moment when giving your plants some extra TLC is more important than ever, it's in the day or two leading up to a trip. No one enjoys returning home refreshed and rejuvenated after a vacation to find that their plants have withered or died. Here are our top tips for taking care of your plants when you're away from home:

Set your plants up with ample hydration and humidity

Give your plants a good soak before you leave. Make sure to water each plant thoroughly without drowning its roots. This can help keep the soil moist for a more extended period of time. If your plants are potted in vessels with pierced bottoms, place the pots in a bowl or dish and add water to the dish that the plant can absorb through its roots when it becomes thirsty.

Use a humidifier to add moisture to the air and keep your plants hydrated. You can also place your plants in a cluster. When you group plants together in one area of your home, you create a humid microclimate that can help keep plants moist and happy.

Pebbles and water offer another trick to increase humidity. Place a layer of pebbles in a tray or saucer and add water. Then place your plants on top of the pebbles. As the water evaporates, it will increase humidity around the plants. The pebbles will prevent the water from evaporating all at once, prolonging the benefits of the humidity.

For very thirsty plants that you're particularly concerned about, you can create a greenhouse effect by placing a plastic bag over the top of your plants to trap moisture and warmth.

Create a self-watering system

If you're embarking on a long trip and are feeling creative, try your hand at setting up a self-watering system. There are a few types of self-watering systems worth trying:

• A wicking system uses a wick to draw water from a reservoir up to the soil. Try using a 12-18 inch length of narrow rope or braided fabric as your wick. Place one end of the wick in a large bowl of water and the other end in your plant's soil. The plant will draw water up through capillary action, keeping the soil consistently moist.
• Place your plants in a self-watering planter. Self-watering planters come with a water reservoir built into their base so plants' roots can draw water as needed.
• Use plastic bottles and self-watering spikes. Cut the bottom of plastic bottles and bury them in the soil with the cap off to keep the soil moist. Self-watering spikes can be stuck into a plant's soil and filled with water. The spikes are designed to release water slowly and keep plants hydrated.

Phone a friend

Ask a friend or neighbor to come by and check on your plants while you're away. They can water them, move them to a sunnier or cooler spot, prune dead leaves, or do anything necessary to keep them healthy. 

As ever, different plants have different needs, so it's important to learn about the specific needs of the plants in your home before you go away.

At Allen's Flower Market, we are proud to be a family-owned business and have been bringing beautiful plants into our customers' homes for over 40 years. We offer fast, easy delivery to accommodate your busy life. Have a look at our impressive variety of flowers, gifts, plants, and floral arrangements online.