How to water when away for ten days

[jdlondon]

I have to go away soon, coming back in November, and I'm racking my brain for how to see the plants get watered.

They're all on the balcony now - greens/orientals seedlings, taro/eddoes/elephant ears and daikon and chayote/chowchow which have all grown like wow, and mint and another fleshy herb and a couple of mini rose bushes - and I've noticed that now the freak hot weather is over, I can water once every other day, so they can possibly last about four days of neglect.

Not the seedlings in individual newspaper pots, so I'll transfer them to a bigger container.

Then put all the containers in some water tub with pebbles raising them up - would that work? The biggest problem, I think, is the daikon which is basically in a compost bag turned long side up - or would a water tub slid in under it work too?

Any ideas? Or could I get away with soaking them thoroughly before I go?

[The Large One]

Any chanc of a neighbour or relative popping in to water ? As leaving to chance always leads to disappointment

[jdlondon]

Unfortunately not.

Done some research and it looks like I have a few options - drip method with a big bottle and the cap loosened just a touch, towel in water container and the plants suck up water as they need, and possibly using frozen water in that drip method. I might combine it all as I'm leaning towards it's better to drown than dry out! *g*

[roitelet]

How about capillary matting? Kept my Mums plants going for a fortnight in high summer with that.

Method;- Water container and matting. Put a layer of matting under the plants and soak the matting. Make a wick (very thin) and put one end in the container and the other on the matting and, hey presto, watering system. You will need to experinent with the size of the wick and it is supprising just how small it needs to be.

Best of luck

[jdlondon]

Someone just told me about it at the shop yesterday! Two weeks in high summer? - that's amazing, especially for something that sounds ridiculously simple. I was getting bogged down thinking the shop stuff all required either a tap or a big water butt and electric pumps and tubes everywhere.

[Bren In Pots]

I also use capillary matting in my greenhouse you can get the general idea how to set it up from info here on Two Wests - web site

[scarey55]

I did a similar thing a couple of years ago but I used a bucket of water and an old towel. I expect that matting would work better but the towel did it for me. The plants were fine, it was only one week though.

[jdlondon]

Bren In Pots - That's surprisingly affordable.

scarey55 - Did you put the whole towel in the bucket, or is it similar to the matting idea ie trailing out from the bucket and the plant pots rest on the trail?

[scarey55]

... Did you put the whole towel in the bucket, or is it similar to the matting idea ie trailing out from the bucket and the plant pots rest on the trail?

Very similar to the matting idea but using a towel instead of matting.
I had a big towel (completely soaked) on top of plastic sheeting on a table
I put one end (not too much, but enough - iykwim) in a big bucket of water that was standing on a chair and, therefore lower than the table and the plants on top of the wet towel on the table.

[jdlondon]

The plants are alive! I'm so relieved. And I had no idea when I started this growing biz that I'd worry over these darn things like they were pets.

Due to a variety of reasons and last minute complications, all I ended up doing was using frozen water - one big milk 4pinter with a pin prick at the bottom for the builders bucket with the taro and the oriental seedlings, and two small milk pinters with pinprinks on the tall growbag. And rested the other individuals on containers of water, slightly raised out by whatever means. Don't know for sure, but it might have rained a few times too.

A couple of the seedlings in the newspaper pots look a bit unhappy, but all in all, it's all very lush and alive.

I'll experiment with your other methods too, for future reference, thanks for your suggestions.

[scarey55]

Glad to hear that all was well on your return I agree, we do tend to worry about them as if they are pets

[Two_Sheds]

Pets yes, but pets that you eat

I've just checked on the school's plants: perfectly fine after 11 days without me (it rained a bit)

[jdlondon]

Edible pets, yum... Gardeners, a secret circle of deeply disturbed peeps, who knew! *g*