Global Gardening

When the holiday season approaches, there are many things to organise. You have to put your pets into care, divert your mail or get someone to collect it, and make your house as secure as possible. With all that to think about, you’ll be unlikely to consider your garden pots until the last minute. In reality, they should be up there in terms of importance with your pets!

Many plants require frequent, ongoing care. If you’re away for a week or two at a time, there’s every chance you can come home to garden pots with no signs of life. To avoid this from happening – or to at least reduce the risk – read on.

Soil

The first thing to consider is the soil. Before you leave, add potting mix to your garden pot that contains moisture-retaining polymers. Otherwise, add those polymers to the soil already in your garden pots. These polymers will give your plants additional water when they need it.

Weather Conditions

If you want to give your plants the best chance of survival, change their living setup. Move your garden pots out of direct sunlight and keep the house cool. It may also help if you put your garden pots close to each other so they can share shade and moisture.

Shelter

If you know you’ve got some sensitive plants that may not make it, then do everything in your power to keep them alive. Put them inside makeshift shelters you can make from plastic rubbish bags. Put them over each plant with holes in them for oxygen, and use stakes in the soil to stop the bags from touching your plants.

Water Conservation
If you have outdoor plants you know will miss water without you there, group your garden pots together. They can then shelter from wind and stop them from wasting water.

Bury Them
While burying your plants won’t keep all of them alive, it might help with a few of the hardiest ones. You can bury them up to the rim of the garden pot with mulch, giving them a fighting chance of retaining their moisture for the entire time you’re away.

Rely on Neighbours
Finally, if you’re going to be away for longer than a week or fortnight, then it might be time to rely on your neighbours. Many children jump at the opportunity to earn some pocket money. If it’s going to be as easy for them to earn it as watering your plants, then many kids will jump at the chance. Just don’t forget to leave instructions.

Not every plant is going to survive in your absence, but that’s something you’ve got to live with. Even if you put all steps in place, there’s always going to be a chance you’re coming home to barren garden pots. However, with the right precautions, they have more of a fighting chance than they would if you left them to die.