By JULIE YOUNG
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Shedding, shriveling, suffering. Such is the fate of a houseplant whose family is on vacation.
While you're sipping drinks with umbrellas on a beach, your indoor plants may be going thirsty. Unless you have a housesitter to tend your blooms, you may need strategies for keeping them moist while you're away.
The most important thing? "Make sure the plants are well-watered before you leave," said Doug Hensel, president of Great Big Greenhouse.
Hensel and other experts also recommend keeping your home reasonably cool so plants don't suffer from a sudden spike in temperature while you're away. "Also, shut the blinds and move them away from the vents" to keep down moisture loss, said Allison Cyrus, foliage-house supervisor at Strange's Garden Center in Short Pump.
Here are some methods for making your houseplants self-sufficient:
Place a sheet of plastic in the bottom of a bathtub or kitchen sink. Cover the plastic with a thick layer of newspaper, then wet the papers. Thoroughly water potted plants and place them on the newspaper, where they'll absorb additional moisture as needed. "You also can fill the bathtub full of water and sit the plants [on something] so they're slightly above the level of the water," suggested Bonnie Appleton, professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech.
"Be sure you water the plants well and pull the shower curtain, making sort of a greenhouse effect. It's open so there's a gas exchange, but there's high humidity."
Purchase a self-watering container with a wick and water reservoir in the bottom. A popular variety is Eezy Gro, which comes in a variety of colors and sizes ($2.50-$10). To create one yourself, simply bury the tip of a shoestring or oil-lamp wick in each pot near the plant's root ball and place the other end of the string in a pan of water.
Double-pot your plant in a container of peat moss. Put moistened peat moss in the bottom of a larger empty planter. Place your plant's pot down in the larger container. Moisture will be absorbed through the holes in the bottom of the smaller pot into the plant.
Irrigation granules release moisture into potted plants. Cyrus said to use about 2 tablespoons of soil-moistening granules ($3-$7 a can) for a 5-gallon pot. Poke holes in the soil and insert the spongy granules, which puff up and then shrink when they release water.
Watering spikes should be pushed down into the soil as far as possible to reach the root system. Soil Moist spikes (about $3) store more than 40 times their weight in tap water, releasing a steady supply as plants need it.
Glass water bulbs, GelSpikes and other devices that utilize drip irrigation work well but can be costly if you have a lot of plants. The Terracotta Plant Nanny (about $20), for example, is a spike that holds an upside-down bottle of water. You push the hollow terracotta stake into the soil, flip the bottle into position and natural absorption takes care of the plant.
Some online garden sites suggest constructing a makeshift terrarium for each plant using a clear plastic bag and bamboo stakes or straws. Be sure the plastic bag is large enough to cover the pot and the plant. Put the straws or stakes at an angle around the rim of the pot. Water the plant, pull the bag up and seal the bag above the plant with tape. Water is recycled into the soil after it evaporates from the leaves. Don't cover the plants too tightly; it's important that some air get in.
Our houseplant experts universally shot down this idea. Appleton said excessive moisture could build up in the bag, "causing it to become too wet an environment and rot the plants." Hensel agreed that trapping in moisture "could start fungus growth."
SOURCES: Strange's, Great Big Greenhouse, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, EHOW.com, Better Homes & Gardens
Contact Julie Young at (804) 649-6732 or jyoung@timesdispatch.com.
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