How to Keep Your Plants Alive While On Vacation

If you are a houseplant parent I guarantee you’ve stressed about how to keep your plants alive when you go vacation? I mean – am I right, or am I right?

When Caleb and I go on vacation we usually send our dogs to Skydance Pet Lodge or they go to my mother-in-laws house. I am always pretty stress-free about their wellbeing, but sometimes I get a weary about our beloved houseplants. We have 31 plants peppered throughout our house and I would be devastated if I came home after a vacation to a dead or droopy plant. I am absolutely positive that I am not the only one that worries about their plants when they go out of town, so today I am talking about How to Keep Your Plants Alive While Away on Vacation. 

My Tips for Keeping Our Houseplants Alive While On Vacation

• Clip & remove any dead, browning, dry, or decaying leaves/buds/stems.
• Clip & remove any flowers or buds that are just about to bloom. This is so sad, I know, but if you leave them your plant will need more water & use more energy than usual. Don’t feel too bad because they most likely would be at their prime while you are gone anyways.
• Purchase set-watering devices; we use Terracotta Plant Waterers. They work really well and it is a “feel-good” eco-friendly watering system because you can use recycled glass bottles over and over again for these. We water the soil in an area close to the plant, insert the Terracotta Waterer, fill a bottle with water, and then stick it upside-down into the waterer. The water will slowly be absorbed from the bottle as the soil starts to dry. Honestly, for our super thirsty plants (our Umbrella Tree and our Peace Lily – both receive a lot of sunlight and reside in our sunroom) we keep these watering tools all year round.) I like this watering system because it makes sure our plants are never thirsty or neglected.
• Add some mulch to the top layer of your soil (when watered this will help keep the soil moist).
• Move plants out of direct sunlight; this will help retain moisture.
• Water your plants one last time before you leave.
•  When in doubt, request that a friend comes to check on your plants at least once while you are gone. If you have different types of plants (some plants are thirstier than others) make sure to explain to them which ones need watering and how much verse ones that can be left alone.