Summer holiday care for house plants

Are you dreading leaving your house plants to sizzle and dry out as you head off on holiday to enjoy the summer sunshine? Well, this is the article you need, to make sure your house plants are happy and healthy when you return from your vacation. These tips will help you save your favourite plants from a crispy fate!

How do I adapt my watering regime for house plants when I go on holiday?

First things first, start your holiday house plant care about two weeks before you go away. Reduce watering in the run up to your holiday, so that your plants get used to you not being around. If you usually water them once a week, then maybe make them wait a week and half or so before giving them a drink.

Water your plants the night before or the day you go on holiday (depending on your departure time). Make sure they receive plenty of water, but don't leave them sitting in a puddle. After watering each one, give your houseplant 30-60 minutes to drink what it needs, then empty any remaining water from the bottom of the pot or saucer. This ensures your house plant doesn't get rotten roots whilst you're away on holiday.

How can I protect my house plants from pests when I'm on holiday?

The best way to protect house plants from a pest infestation is to prevent an outbreak. Inspect your plants in the week running up to your holiday, and administer any treatments needed. I love to wipe leaves down with alcohol – vodka actually – to destroy any lurking soft bodied insects. This is a great holiday care routine to minimise damage to houseplants whilst you're absent.

It's a good idea to rinse the leaves of your houseplants in the shower, too. This can help to rinse off nasty insects like spider mites or thrips and greatly reduce population if they're hiding on your house plants. Alternatively, pop your plants outside when it's raining, for a more natural approach. This method is great way for reducing the likelihood of a pest outbreak on house plants whilst you're on holiday.

Another option is to increase humidity, which makes it harder for pests to reproduce. Grouping plants together achieves a higher humidity. Simply move your plants near a shared light source, like a window or a grow light, trusting that their fellowship will help them survive whilst you're away on vacation. Sharing is caring, as they say!

TIP: Isolate any plants that you notice had pests when you cleaned them. It might be safer to place these houseplants in a clear, plastic bag to contain them and prevent the movement of insects in or out of the sealed environment. (Using a clear plastic bag ensures that your plant still has access to light.)

I usually shut my blinds or curtains when I’m on holiday, will this affect my house plants?

You need to make sure your house plants have enough light to survive whilst you're away. Place your plants in a space where you know they will receive plenty of light and won’t burn. If you tend to shut your blinds or curtains whilst you're away, if you're on holiday for a week or more, then consider putting your plants under grow lights. If your house plants don't receive enough light whilst you're away, then you might return to some very sorry-looking foliage!

Should I ask somebody to check on my house plants while I’m away?

If you're going away for a week to 10 days, then your house plants probably won't need special care whilst you're on holiday. However, if you're concerned that they're going to dry out too quickly or get re-infested with pests, then find somebody you can trust.

It's very important that the person you choose knows how to care for house plants. Overwatering is the number one cause of house plant deaths! It's best to leave your summer holiday helper clear care instructions for your house plants. Make sure you set out how much water to give them and insist that they empty excess water from saucers or plant pots.

It's best that anybody checking in on your house keeps windows and doors closed, just in case any plant pests drift in and lodge themselves on your leaves!

I’m going on holiday for 2-3 weeks, is there anything I can do to care for my house plants so they don't die?

If you don't trust anybody close to you to care for your house plants whilst you're on holiday, then it might be best to look for other options.

Here's three ideas to keep your house plants hydrated for a longer period of time:

1) Hire a professional.

Check to see if any house plant experts are active in your area. It might be worth paying someone to check in on your house plants whilst you're on holiday to make sure they get the care they need. The Plant Parlour takes enquiries for holiday house plant help within the Surrey area, so drop us a message if you need assistance!

2) Self-watering pots.

These are relatively easy to use and easy to get hold of and set-up. They have a planting area and a reservoir beneath to hold water. Plants then take water up via a wick when they need it, meaning they stay hydrated and never get overwatered. Pretty handy! Lechuza are the market leaders in self-watering pots and do some great examples which were designed to work with their semi-hydro Lechuza Pon substrate.

3) The Hozelock Aqua Solo.

These unusual cone-shaped devices are made of ceramic and gradually release water into the pot. Each cone is placed on a filled water bottle, turned upside down and will water your houseplant at a rate between 7-30 centilitres a day. Be sure to match your plant with the right colour Aquasolo to make sure it doesn’t receive too much or too little water.

Should I worry about my plants if I'm only away a few days?

If you’re going on holiday for less than one week, then your houseplants will most probably be fine. It’s best to move them away from extremely bright, sunny, windowsills though, just to make sure they don’t burn on bright days.

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