Vacations and AVs

15 years ago

As a topic brought up in another thread, I am interested in how you manage a vacation without all your AVs tanking while you are gone.

I wick water, so I am generally good for about 10 days. I am fortunate that my husband will begrudgingly water if necessary, since he still owes me for the water every day bonsai collection he used to have while he travelled for his job.

I do have a friend and fellow AV club member that will also fill in if necessary.

How do you all manage?

Barbara

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Comments (12)

m3rma1d
15 years ago
I'm never home anymore (ha!), but thankfully Reggie (my awesome neighbor) fills my reservoirs for me :-)
fred_hill
15 years ago
Hi Barbara,
I also wick water and my plants are good from 7 - 10 days also. Generally our vacations last less than a week in most cases so it isn't a problem. I have had a few plants that have gone dry and barely survive but when I got home I was able to take the crown and reroot it.
Fred in NJ
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Larry's method is great. I used a different method. I put all my violets on my kitchen table and used a clear painter's drop cloth to make a tent for them. Put it under and over them with sticks to keep it off of the plants. Sealed it with masking tape. Left room between them so they would not touch. My plants are all in self watering pots but I only put enought water in for about a week. I was gone for three weeks. Lost none and all were either in bloom or started up again as soon as their light was increased.
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1. You can wick every plant and put a Glad refrigerator type reservoir with each. This is good for about 14 days. 2. You can put all plants on a blanket in the tub. Leave the water dripping. Blanket should be damp when you set the plants on it and the dripping water should keep them for the time needed. I wouldnt' put a tent over them because with the sides of the tub, the humidity might get to be too high. Nancy
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has any one tried using praetor nematodes and praetor mites to control spider mite, broad mites and thrips. They are like little lions feeding on the pests, praetor nematodes live in the ground killing any thing they find and most of the pest live part of their live there. Thrips spend the first part of there live under ground. The praetor nematodes come in a little sponge that you cut 1/3 of put in a spray bottle of water and let it sit for a 1/2 hour, shake it up and spray the surface potting mixe and then water them in good. It cost $18.00and the 2/3 that you have not used put in the cooler and treat you plants ever 2 weeks till it is gone. They will live on the sponge in the cooler for 6 weeks. I also treat my plants with praetor mites at the same time , they like to find the bad mites and lay their egg among the spider mites and broad mites eggs . When the praetor mites they are hunger an the love to eat mite eggs. they come in several different ways praetor mites"NEOSEIULUS CUCUMERIS" come in quick release packets $1.99 and it is enough to treat 1-2 plant racks 4 shelves 48 in. long. You springily the product which looks (it is ) wood saw dust over the plants It is import to do these after dark. sun light kills praetor mites nematodes & praetor mites mites!!!! Praetor mites"NEOSEIULUS CUCUMERIS"also come in slow release pack $1.99, you but pack on each shelve and as they hatch they leave the pack ove 6 week periodAs a Added protection !!! They best thing is they very best Insecticides /Miticides likeForbid 4F Miticide, Avid EC Miticide and Marathon a systemic insecticides do not kill the praetor nematodes and praetor mites so you can still use them!!!! YOU CAN NOT USE NEEM OIL Why because it kills every thing even the good praetor bugs then you have nothing to keep spider mite, broad mites and thrips under control!!! The day beforetaking your plants to a show put NEOSEIULUS CUCUMERIS mites "in the slow release pack in your box with your warping- material and leave it there for the whole trip with your plants
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Jodi, You may want to try a trick I have been using for years. Water well, turn off your lights and go! I travel a lot, I grow orchids and violets and have been using this with much success. Growth is slowed down to such an extent without light that I can go away for about three weeks at a time. If you are going to dome your plants, the main reason you would want to dis-bud, I believe, is so the blooms do not get mildewy and then you would have to deal with getting rid of that. Blooming plants under a dome will not kill a plant. I have lots of bloomers under domes. Enjoy your trip! Linda
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thominindy
15 years ago
I'm leaving this week for five days. My plants are all wicked and they will probably enjoy me not picking at them for five days.

Thom
nwgatreasures
15 years ago
My violet Buddy (you've seen pictures of her and me during our potting sessions where we play in the dirt) and I partner and trade off.

When she is out of town, I take care of hers and when I'm out of town, she takes care of mine. We only need to do this if we are going to be out of town for more than 7 days. My wick containers will support the plants for at least 7 days.

Dora
judypots
15 years ago
This topic is very timely for me as I will be going away for 7 days in a couple of weeks, and I don't have anyone I trust to water my violets - and most of them definitely need to be watered more often than once a week (they aren't wicked). I plan to cover them all with plastic - those that are too large for bags I will cover with dry cleaner plastic. I'm experimenting now with a large violet that has been covered for about 8 days and is still moist and doing fine. Hopefully they will be okay.

Judy
dragonfly2008
15 years ago
Before I leave for vacation I cut the lights back to 6 or 8 hours. I have mostly Oyama planters and they are good for at least a week to 10 days. The other ones I stick in individual plastic bags, or a large bag over a tray of baby plantlets. They can stay in the bags for a long time with no apparent ill effects other than sometimes an outer leaf looks a little brown and mushy. If it is something special I will take a couple of them to a neighbor's house. I suppose I could hire someone to come in and water everything, but I have so many plants, I would probably have to pay a lot.
irina_co
15 years ago
Lynn-

welcome back! Did you plant everything you and your lucky husband won on the Convention? I am still repotting the starters.

About the bags and such - do you have the high domes? The ones with vents? They are great for the young ones and keep the humidity high but not that high.

It was such a pleasure to meet you in person.
Irina
dragonfly2008
15 years ago
Hi Irina!!!!!!!!
It was wonderful to spend some time with you at convention! I worked hard all Sunday and got all the leaves planted. Still have to repot the starter plants. Lots of new stuff!
As for the plastic domes, I don't have those (yet), but quite often I will use the plastic, sort of squatty type wine glass size cups for smaller plants when I go away. I just put the solo cup in one and then use another one on top to cover it up, and then tape the sides of the cups since they don't stay together very well on their own. It is a much neater look than the plastic bags actually.
Lynn
irina_co
15 years ago
I will look them up for you. I can get them from local stores - and I sent some to Thad - but the shipping is way too expensive. Every time I repot - and get some plants with flimsy roots or if I root suckers - I just cover the tray with a dome for a couple of weeks.

Irina
irina_co
15 years ago
I found a place with good price on them

Irina

Here is a link that might be useful: plastic domes
dragonfly2008
15 years ago
Irina
That 7" tall plastic dome will be perfect for keeping violets as well as streps moist while we are traveling! And, much, much, more attractive than a shelf full of fogged up plastic bags!
Thanks
Lynn
nwgatreasures
15 years ago
Irina,
The place that you ordered the dome from - I'd love to have several of those but ones that I've gotten from other sources don't fit the trays that I have.

Is the dome pictured made for a certain tray? I'd order those in a heartbeat if I could get a tray that they fit so I could actually have a greenhouse instead of a clear dome that sits on top of something but doesn't seal.

Dora

Vacations and AVs

Comments (12)

m3rma1d

fred_hill

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