Survival Mode - how to keep your plants alive while on vacation.

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Oh, Hell! No, Just Another Tucson Summer
When I was in high school and college I used to house sit for friends and neighbors while they went away on summer vacation. All I asked for was food in the refrigerator and that the electric bill was paid up. In return I fed the pets and made sure the plants got watered. I also added chemicals to any swimming pool if needed, picked up mail, mowed the lawn, and made the house look lived in. Of course some of the houses had air conditioning, and one owner always left me the keys to a sporty red Triumph TR4 that I truly enjoyed driving.

Since I never minded pushing around a vacuum cleaner or mop, I always left the house cleaner than I found it. And no, I never threw any wild parties or watered down the contents of the liquor cabinet. Today I realize my mistake was never asking for money although most home owners always gave me some cash on their return or made sure I had some available while I took care of the house.

Now that I'm a home owner and have to get away every once in awhile I realize what a terrific service I offered. Especially in the summer when plants need to be watered. And those pet hotels aren't all that inexpensive nor are the animals particularly fond of being left alone in some strange place. My cat holds a grudge for several weeks after I stick him in kitty prison for a week or two.

Unfortunately I don't know any kids as reliable as I once was. That doesn't mean there aren't any out there; it just means I don't know any. I'm also the type of person who hates to ask the neighbors to take care of the yard while I'm out of town. I'm sure they're willing, I just don't like to ask.

So unless I want to hire a professional housesitter I have to put the place in survival mode to last me a week or two. Sometimes I'm successful; other times I have to toss plants in the compost bin when I get back. The biggest mistake I ever made was turning off the cooling system for a week. Talk about being hard on the houseplants. I was lucky they didn't all dry up and cook in their pots.

Plan Ahead
Usually you know when you're headed out of town so you need to plan accordingly. June can be one hard month on plants and you know your non drought tolerant plants will need a long drink of water every two or three days. In July and August you can only hope the summer monsoons bring an afternoon rain.

If you travel a lot, I recommend the entire watering system be put on automated timers so you can travel without worrying about your vegetation.

Potted plants are something else. You can put them all under drip irrigation and hook the system up to an inexpensive battery powered timer that will turn itself off and on. It may have to be programmed to turn on twice a day if the pots dry out really quickly on hot, windy days. I've found burying my smaller containers in a raised bed with a soaker hose running over it and attached to a timer works well. (Don't leave your potted plants buried all summer or you'll find them almost impossible to remove from the soil. The roots will grow through any drainage holes in the container.) You'll want to test it a few days before you leave on vacation to make sure the system is working the way you planned.

Inexpensive, battery operated valve attaches to the faucet. You can set the time for the water to turn on; the number of days between watering, and watering duration.
Programming the timer looks difficult but instructions are easy to follow. Make sure you get the device up an running so it can be tested before you leave on vacation.
Sinking potted plants in soil keeps the pots from drying out too quickly and running a drip line over the tops keeps them watered.

I've also learned to water indoor plants heavily before leaving. I put them in a well lit area of the home and then place them in a shallow tray of water and make sure the cooling system is set at about 85. Any hotter than that and things are going to dry out pretty darn quickly.

In summer, if I still have plants in the vegetable garden, I'll add some shade cloth to help cool the plants a little and keep the leaves from burning. I also make sure the plants are well mulched with straw to cool the soil and hold in the moisture.

Straw mulch and shade cloth help these squash survive a little longer until the squash borers have their chance to destroy the vines.
Straw around young Chilean mesquite holds in moisture. Fencing around trunk keeps away bark nibbling rabbits.

For trees and flower beds I make sure they are well watered and mulched with a couple inches of straw. If you have a drip irrigation system and a timer you're all set. If not, you'll have to find a friendly neighbor who doesn't mind stopping by every couple of days to check on things.

Since most of my vegetation is hooked up to a drip system I'll ask a neighbor to come over and check to see that everything that's automated is working and none of my plants have died. Some things, like javelina, harvester ants, hungry rabbits and rodents can't be controlled all of the time. Burglars are another problem altogether. (1999)