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If you own indoor plants, chances are good it’s happened to you: You come back from vacation to find that your roommate, or other appointed caretaker of your windowsill herb garden, failed to actually take any care of it. Somehow they’ve managed to both over and under water your plants, despite your carefully detailed instructions. They completely forgot about the basil, which now has withered leaves that rattle and hiss in the breeze like an agitated rattlesnake. It can be really hard to find the right person to take care of your plants while you’re away—which is why you should let them take care of themselves.
You might have seen some novel methods for setting up self watering systems, including those as-seen-on-TV glass bulbs or a straight up water bottle inverted into the soil. But these methods only work for larger houseplants with plenty of room to accommodate a large bottle in the soil. For a collection of herbs and smaller plants, this simply won’t work. A popular online hack involves using a long cotton wick and a bucket of water. This method allows your plants to suck up as much water as they want, using the absorbent wick like a straw, and, when set up correctly, that wick can keep your plants happy and hydrated for several weeks. I tested this method out for several months at home, and came upon some tips and tricks for preventing any potential mishaps or plant disasters. Here’s what to know about watering your plants while away on vacation.
If this is your first time using this system, I recommend getting it all ready to go at least two or three days before you plan on leaving, that way you can get a good sense of how much water each plant will need, how to bury the wick, and whether or not the location for the setup is actually ideal. No matter how well you think you know your plants, expect some surprises; you’ll see what I mean.
The wick-watering method is relatively simple. All you need is a skein of absorbent cotton wick—like the stuff you put in outdoor torches— and a bucket of water. You can give each plant its own water source, or arrange your plants around one giant bucket on a kitchen table, depending on your space limitations. Either way, each plant should get its own dedicated wick. Cut a generous length of wick and submerge it in water, before drawing it from the bucket to the surface of the plant. Make sure there isn’t any slack in the line on its way from the bucket to the plant, as it might hamper the water’s ability to travel through the wick. Some blogs recommend setting your water source to be above the plants, so that gravity can aid in the water flow as well. This is helpful with less absorbent soils, but I have found in most cases that a jar of water right next to the plant works fine. That’s basically it, but there are a couple other pointers to make sure everything runs smoothly.
This is the primary reason for setting your system up early. You may have your plants on a consistent watering schedule, but once you put the straw in their hands, you may be surprised at how eager they are to help themselves. The thirstiness of a plant dictates where and how the length of wick should be situated in the pot. For a greedy plant, you might only need a couple inches of wick placed on the surface of the soil to get the job done. Give it too much wick, and it might absorb so much water and actually overflow. On the other hand, a plant that has a harder time drawing surface moisture might need the wick to reach below the surface an inch or two. Soil also plays a role here, as some “moisture-retaining” soils contain ingredients that ironically hamper the flow of water from the wick initially.
If you plan on leaving for a longer period of time, you will want to make sure you’re not making any major adjustments to your plant’s source of light. However, for full sun plants this can be a bit of a problem, as sun can accelerate evaporation from the water source and the wick itself, preventing your plants from getting the water they need. This is one case where you do want to elevate your water source as that will help minimize evaporation. You should also put the water in an opaque bucket, rather than a glass vessel, to prevent additional evaporation. Also, try and keep the wick out of the sun as much as possible; you might need to be more generous with the wick or bury it deeper than you otherwise would.
You might be tempted to set up all your plants this way, but remember that some plants can do just fine with an ample watering before you leave. This is especially true of succulents and other xeric plants, which aren’t typically accustomed to a steady inflow of moisture. Refresh yourself on what your plants prefer to avoid any potential drownings.
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