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tips on keeping beds/pots wet while away

16 years ago

I will be leaving on friday and returning on Monaday, is there anyway to help the beds and pots retain moisture for a few days. I don't want to ask someone to water for me last time they didn't show up and I came home to baked pots and beds. I was thinking if I watered well on friday right before I leave and then cover with grass clippings or wet newspaper that would help but will it hurt the plants? Is there something that works really really good?

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Comments (4)

lindac
16 years ago
Depending on what's in the pots and the size of the pots, I sit them in a big tub with about 2 inches of water in the bottom.
If it's hot and the pots are large and you pack them closely and keep the plants in the shade....they will flourish.
Just remember to put them to drain when you come home.
Linda C
calliope
16 years ago
Do not put grass clippings on your flowers, nor wet newspaper. Get them out of the sun and in a shade situation, and water them in well. I don't know what to tell you about the beds. Do you really have to water them more than every three days? If you do, water them in well late thursday night or very early Friday morning before the sun hits them. Not usually a recommended practise, but it will help the soil and plants get turgid without a lot of evaporation. I'd consider planting something with easier upkeep. I do not water my beds at all, just choose plants for each location tolerant of the conditions. I'm serious. Other than immediately after planting, I do not have to water my flower beds.
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Many ares of the New Orleans metro area are reclaimed swamp land- dig two feet and you hit "water", that along with lots of afternoon showers especially in spring seems to cause many plants to grow to mutant sizes. So drainage can be a problem so much water in the saturated ground. I am often surpised to see plants here in Texas that at first I don't recognize- they just don't get as big. But Black Spot is a very bad problem there. Another odd thing, during Katrina parts of Metairei and Kenner were flooded by salt Water from Lake Ponchatrain backing up thru the pumps ( no back flow preventers )-around my former house thewater reached two or three feet and subside within a few days. When I went back to see my house( which was destroyed)-my roses were growing like mad and my Blood Orange Tree ahd nemerous large oranges on it. I imagine the salt water cleansed away some of the things that harm plants?
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*Water Grabber*, and I think you could get it at Home Depot or even Walmart in the garden section. You just soak it in water and add it to the soil. Since the holidays are coming they might not have as much garden stuff out and you might have to order that online though. Or you could get some of those glass things you put water in and stick in the pots, if you don't want to disturb the soil. They have them at the dollar stores and drug stores now. Some plants of mine did fairly well when I went away placed in a tray of pebbles with water. (But I left them in zone 4)
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Two ideas come to mind: Water Cooler Method: Use seed trays or any containers to put both your plants and the reservoir in. Poke a hole near the bottom of a bottle (size dependent on how long you're leaving for). The height of the hole will determine the water level in the seed tray. Once the water level reaches the hole in the bottle, water will stop flowing and the water level will be maintained as long as there is water in the reservoir. Same idea as a water cooler. Wicking Method: Pot your plants with some cotton string dangling out of the drainage holes. Place the ends of the string in a tray or bucket of water, and water will wick up the string into the pot using capillary action. To keep the string from accidentally pulling out of the pot, I loop it through some non-slip mesh you can get as drawer liners in the kitchen department. I hope this helps, you can use whatever method would work best for you. Water bottles if your plants might get root rot, cotton string if you don't mind repotting. Or hey, go for both and use a reservoir in a tray that feeds wicks :)
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Rita, when I moved to this area, the house and garden were new about 10 years ago. The landscape was poorly done with a regular lawn and few bushes, most of them were taking out because they were the wrong plant in the wrong place. First we put in the fruit trees, then the raised beds. The fruit trees were originally amended with black cow and the raised beds have a combo of peat moss, black cow, some hay all the way in the bottom and some pine bark fines. When planting again I add more soil and whatever fertilizers I need for the next coming crop. Tomatoes always go in pots and after the season is over, I recycle the soil in the fruit trees. I have seen rich black soil in some other places but not here.:) we have no choice but use any organic material available. On the other hand, the ornamentals have the native soil and pine bark mulch on top. I do keep on eye for pests and disease, that can take the plants in no time unless attended.
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Kat SE Wisconsin z5
16 years ago
I go on vacation for 2 wks every year in late July. I do something similar to Linda. I have some very large saucers that I fill with water and keep my pots in a shady area. My son only has to water them twice a week then. By the time he comes over, the pots have soaked up the water and they are getting on the dry side. I have a couple of gardens that need a deep watering once a week. I mulch them, but these dry out more than my other gardens. My other gardens can handle going without water for 2 wks. Even when the temps are in the 90s, they still do ok.
Btw, I do most of my watering late at night after I come home from work. I work 2nd shift and this time works the best for me. I use a water wand and just water the ground, not the leaves. I've been doing it this way for 28 yrs and I've never had a problem with my plants or my lawn. I feel the plants have a longer time to absorb the water before the ground and pots dry out.

Kat
ImaHockeyMom
16 years ago
I keep moisture crystals in my pots. You can also run a soaker hose thru your beds and turn it on a "trickle" instead of full-bore.

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