» Bulb Planting Tips » Care for Plants on Vacation » Garden Decor » Preparing Roses for Winter » Weathervanes Care for Plants while on Vacation Many people will be heading away for a vacation in the upcoming months. So what do you do with your house plants when you go on vacation? You can ask a friend to care for them, but this can be risky business, especially if your friend knows nothing about plants or if your friend often forgets things. Definately give it a second thought if your friend doesn’t grow indoor plants. If you’ll be gone for an extended period, check with your local independent garden center about plant sitting services. Some will board plants, but you may have to pay a handsome price for the convenience. After all, the plants take up growing space and require special treatment from paid staff. However, it is possible to leave your plants home alone while on vacation; the secret is providing them with the proper light, humidity and water. For short jaunts, such as a long weekend, you’ll only need to contend with watering. Moving plants out of the sunlight to a shaded area will sharply reduce their watering needs. And it won’t hurt plants to spend several days in a cooler corner, out of the sun. If you’re planning an extended stay, you can provide the plants with their lighting needs by setting up an artificial plant light. Garden centers and big box stores have several models that include the fixture and a special Grow Lite bulb in a single package, so all you have to do is plug them in. An inexpensive timer attached to the light fixture will allow you to simulate the nature’s rhythm of light and dark and the fixture can also sub as a security light. Plants that need to be kept moist at all times, such as African violets, can be tented with a large plastic bag. Larger is better when it comes to tenting, and the plastic must not be allowed to touch the leaves. Clear plastic dry cleaning bags or plastic drop cloths are large, light and easy to work with. A large old lampshade stripped of its material makes a great support frame. When tenting, to prevent gases from building up, make ventilation slits in the plastic. You can place the containers on pebble trays filled with water to help increase the humidity inside the tent. But be sure the level of the water is just below the bottom of the pots, since plants left in standing water will drown. The wick watering system may be just the thing for those planning lengthy vacations. To set it up, place a plastic drop cloth on the floor in the center of a bright room and set a chair in the center of the drop cloth. On the chair, place a large container of water. A 5-gallon plastic container of distilled water works nicely for this step. Now place the house plants around the chair. The tops of the pots should be lower than the top of the water jug. To make wicks, cut strips of material from an old woven synthetic blanket or buy wicking from the garden center. Each wick should be several inches longer than the distance from the plant pot to the container of water. Now, water the plants well and wet the wicks. Then bury one end of the wick deep in the soil of the plant and drop the other end into the container of water. The wick should be long enough to reach the bottom of the water jug. If you have very large plants, you may need to use more than one wick to keep the soil properly moist. To vary the amount of moisture the plant receives, adjust the depth at which you bury the wick. The deeper the wick is buried, the more moisture the soil will receive. When the plants and watering system are in place, tent the entire set-up with plastic and set up one or more artificial growing lights out side the tenting. Ask a relative or a friend to pop in once a week and check the water level of the container. Leave a funnel and pitcher handy, so they need not disturb the wick setup. The bathtub also is an excellent place to keep plants that require high humidity. Line the bottom of the tub with a large piece of plastic and then add several layers of newspaper. Add enough water to wet the newspapers and drain off the excess. Place the plants on the wet newsprint and tent them with plastic sheeting, securing the edges with masking tape. If you will be gone for a long time, set up the watering system and grow lights. One final tidbit - It’s a good idea to give these methods a trial run before you head off to be sure the mechanics are in place.