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Going away for 2 weeks what to do!!!!!!

Hi everyone

Not sure if this is the right thread anyways if its not please mvoe it somewhere..

Now to the point, Around mid to the end of June i will be going away for awhile and i don't know what i will do with my neps especially the big ones...I asked my dad and he said probally i can move them temporarily to my cousin's house and let him take care of it during that time (he uses RO water lol) Well im fine with that i will most probally be moving all my small plants there since those are the only ones which are small enough to be moved in a car..Others are just way to big to even fit into a car without cutting down the vines....Sooo what can i do? I was thinking about moving it into the toilet since it has considered bright light but not as much as my balcony but i'm worried about air circulation but main point here isn't air circulation more like just keeping them ALIVE for 2 weeks..Will the plants die if i keep them in a deep tray for the 2 weeks so that it'll dry out slowly?

Ken
 
Hi everyone

Not sure if this is the right thread anyways if its not please mvoe it somewhere..

Now to the point, Around mid to the end of June i will be going away for awhile and i don't know what i will do with my neps especially the big ones...I asked my dad and he said probally i can move them temporarily to my cousin's house and let him take care of it during that time (he uses RO water lol) Well im fine with that i will most probally be moving all my small plants there since those are the only ones which are small enough to be moved in a car..Others are just way to big to even fit into a car without cutting down the vines....Sooo what can i do? I was thinking about moving it into the toilet since it has considered bright light but not as much as my balcony but i'm worried about air circulation but main point here isn't air circulation more like just keeping them ALIVE for 2 weeks..Will the plants die if i keep them in a deep tray for the 2 weeks so that it'll dry out slowly?

Ken

Do what I have done for years: put the pots in trays and flood the damn things. I have yet to lose a plant by over-watering while I was away for a couple of weeks. Dried out is another matter that I would rather not face . . .
 
Here's an idea i've had in mind for a while. Though it may not work for larger plants this would definitely work for smaller ones.

I've wanted to try cutting out Styrofoam belts and place them around the pots and let the pots sit in as much water as needed which will slowly evaporate while you are away.
Basically just make a donut out of the styrofoam and place the pots in the middle. I think this would look pretty neat outside on a pure water pond. Floating CPs! Hope you can use this!
 
I have wrapped my CPs and bonsai in plastic for two weeks..

water well, sit CP's in deep water trays, then encase each plant in a clear plastic bag..(or group several pots in one large bag)..sealed tight so no water vapor can escape..if no water can escape to the outside air, the plant wont dry out..

light is a problem, because you want *some* light, but too much direct sun will cook the plants inside their bags..so I sit them next to a window, where they get some light, but not direct light..

yes, its not ideal, the plants wont be thrilled with the arrangement..its too dark and too humid for a week or two, mold could grow..but they will live, and the main goal is to keep the plants from going totally dry..

I agree with Bella..too much water is better than too little in a case like this..

Scot
 
Here's an idea i've had in mind for a while. Though it may not work for larger plants this would definitely work for smaller ones.

I've wanted to try cutting out Styrofoam belts and place them around the pots and let the pots sit in as much water as needed which will slowly evaporate while you are away.
Basically just make a donut out of the styrofoam and place the pots in the middle. I think this would look pretty neat outside on a pure water pond. Floating CPs! Hope you can use this!

thats a great idea! :)
they sell those foam floats at water garden nurserys..

If your collection isnt too huge, just get a cheap storage tub, like the kind I use for my rain water collector:

CP2008-088.jpg


about $5..
fill it water (I would even use tap water in a case like this if necessary..tap will be fine for a week or two..ANY water is better than NO water! ;)..then float the plants in the tub..
that much water wont dry out in two weeks!

Neps are more difficult of course, but I think a nep would be fine if the bottom 25% to 50% of the pot is submerged in water..it could handle the extra wetness for a week or two..

Scot
 
well here is an idea that i learn from an elementry school bio teacher. and i m sorry about my poor drawing skill :blush: i never actually use it but gimme your opinion.

first u fill RO or rain water in a bucket and then place the plants next to the bucket that filled with water and place the plant about 2 to 4 inch lower then water level, not in the water but otherside next to the bucket, please check the attachment that i drew lol don;t laugh at my drawing skill (depent on how many plant u put next to the bucket the more plant the lower the better). and then use a fiber rope to connect the water in the bucket with the soil. that will keep it perfectly water for up to a month as long as the rope r connected. but make sure u use a thick fiber rope.

or u can try to use plastic rap to rap around the pot and soil to keep the water from evaporate away.

EDIT: if its outside try to use plastic rap to rap around the fiber rope prevent the water from evaporate from the rop,
 
I usually bribe someone to come over to the house and monitor/water the plants - friends, family or as a last resort - one of those pet-sitting services.

While I've yet to try it, it might make sense to advertise at a local horticulture society or plant dept at a nearby college - at least you'll get someone who enjoys plants and many plant people are broke & looking for some spare $$.
 
I had the same problem before with my carnivorous plants over a 2 week break. I used a large plastic storage container and plunked the pots in there and filled the bottom with a couple inches of water, not a lot because I was afraid that sitting them in too much water may be a problem. Sadly I could have used more water because it must have disappeared several days before I returned. Luckily a few of my small neps had plastic bags over them because I was trying to get them to root and they were o.k. because the water in their soil didn’t evaporate as quickly but one of the larger, uncovered neps was pretty dehydrated and was not able to be revived. The previous year on a two week break I did not have artificial lighting and a much smaller collection so just sitting them in a water tray and moving them away from the window to reduce light worked fine for everyone. This year I just forgot about how much the lights would dry everything out alot faster...

Based on my limited experience, I would suggest putting them in a tub or some large container and giving them several inches of water and if possible using some plastic to reduce evaporation.
I’ve seen those rings to put around pots to use as floating islands used in ponds before and I’d think it would be neat to make my own, I’d only be concerned that they would be unstable and flip because I am not necessarily the best engineer. If anyone has made their own I’d love to know what they did to try to create some stability and the particular material they used which was (hopefully) cheap but durable and where to find it.
 
Whatever you do, you might want to do a trial run first to see how long the water will last - you don't want to underestimate and find the plants dried up. Also, maybe instead of covering the whole plant with plastic, just cover the pot, which will prevent moisture evaporation, but allow the plant to breathe.
 
  • #10
Also, maybe instead of covering the whole plant with plastic, just cover the pot, which will prevent moisture evaporation, but allow the plant to breathe.

that might work for a week vacation, but I wouldnt trust it for two weeks..
if you only cover the pot, but not the entire plant, the plant will still exhale lots of water out into the open air, eventually sucking all the water from the pot..I dont think covering the pot would slow down that process very much..it would only slow down direct evaporation from the soil surface..the plants normal "breathing" probably removes much more mositure from the pot than evaporation alone..

but if you encase the WHOLE plant in plastic, the air inside the bag stays very humid, the plant cant really "run out" of water because its a closed system..
yes, you then have issues with too much moisture...but a plant can survive too much mositure far better than drying out completely..

Scot
 
  • #11
well here is an idea that i learn from an elementry school bio teacher. and i m sorry about my poor drawing skill :blush: i never actually use it but gimme your opinion.

first u fill RO or rain water in a bucket and then place the plants next to the bucket that filled with water and place the plant about 2 to 4 inch lower then water level, not in the water but otherside next to the bucket, please check the attachment that i drew lol don;t laugh at my drawing skill (depent on how many plant u put next to the bucket the more plant the lower the better). and then use a fiber rope to connect the water in the bucket with the soil. that will keep it perfectly water for up to a month as long as the rope r connected. but make sure u use a thick fiber rope.

That's called the "wicking system" using capillary matting cut into strips.

I never use it though. Too involved with several dozen plants...........
 
  • #12
Don't you live in the tropics? Why can't you put them outside where they will get natural rain?
 
  • #13
All this stuff about floating plants and capillary matting is unnecessary in my opinion.

David has it right - put them in trays full of water, just as you would sundews, pings, etc. It won't do much damage in the short run.
 
  • #14
Hi all

Thanks for your replies...Well in my opinion the easiest and most convinient way would be water trays and covering them with a zip lock bag......Anyways Dex yes i do live in the tropics but my balcony does not get rain...Not all the time it all depends on where to wind is flowing..(I live in an apartment i don't trust putting my plants outside..)

Ken
 
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