6 Products for Keeping Plants Alive While You're on Vacation

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You’ve booked your flight, packed your favorite swimsuit in your suitcase, and you’re ready to hit the road. But then you think about your plants. How could they possibly survive for two weeks? The last thing you want is to come home to a house filled with plants that are sad, limp, or—worst of all—dead. Don’t worry, though. There are a few things that you can do to ensure your plants will be lush and growing when you return.

The most obvious thing to do is to ask a friend or family member to come over and water your plants for you. If you do this, make sure you provide them with a watering schedule since care differs between plant types and species. Be clear about how much water each plant should get, either by designating different measuring cups to each plant, or by putting a piece of tape on the inside of the planter for where the waterline should reach.

But if you have one too many plants and no one wants to deal with the pressure of caring for your plants while you’re on vacation, we’ve got you covered. There are a number of products that will ensure your plants stay alive and well while you’re enjoying your vacation.

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The easiest thing you can do is purchase a self watering wick cord. You can usually find a 30-foot one for less than $5. All you have to do is cut it up into pieces and place one end down into the soil of your plant and the other in a bottle filled with water. The wick is slow release and will automatically take water from the bowl and move it into your plant's soil. Make sure you get the rope completely wet before setting up your system to ensure your plant gets watered right away. This is a great option for watering your plants when you’re away because there’s minimal chance for error. Your plant’s roots will just suck the water out of the string when it needs it! It’s really that simple.

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If you don’t want to have a bunch of bottles and bowls scattered around your house you should use a watering globe. You can get them in a number of styles, but we love these hand-blown glass ones. All you have to do is fill it with water and then place the stake into the soil of your container at an angle. Your plants will naturally draw up water from the globe through the soil. The soil will only absorb the water when the roots need it, so you don't have to worry about your plant being overwatered and getting root rot.

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When you have a lot of plants, setting up your own watering wick cord or using watering globes can get tedious and expensive. Instead, it’s a great idea to invest in an automatic drip irrigation kit. This one can water 15 plants at once. All you do is design your loop so all of your plants will have a tube in their pot. Then you can set the water timer so your plants are getting watered when they need it! It’s a great option for people who travel quite a bit and have plants that need water at about the same time. Once you set it up one time, you don’t have to do it again.

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If you’re not going to be away for a long time, water storing crystals are a great option for plant care while you’re on vacation. You mix them with your soil to reduce the amount of watering you need to do. It helps prevent them from both over- and under-watering by absorbing water and slowly releasing it as your plant needs it. It’s an inexpensive way to keep your plants watered while you’re away.

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Self-watering pots are really helpful (and not only while you’re traveling). If you have a particularly finicky plant, plant it in a self-watering pot. Plants will water themselves when they need it. They consistently draw up water as needed. This pot is great because it also has an alarm that tells you when you need to refill it. Plus, it’s pretty stylish!

The 11 Best Self-Watering Planters of 2023

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Another great option is a pop-up greenhouse cover. You’ll need to have enough space to use this, but if you have it, it’ll help a lot. Group some of your humidity-loving plants together in this greenhouse and the humidity in the tent should actually keep soil moist. Make sure you give your plants a good watering before placing them in here and don’t keep this in a hot place or else your plants will roast under the clear plastic cover! If you’re going away for a few days you can leave the tent's opening completely closed, but if you’re going to be away for longer, it’s a good idea to leave it opened a tiny bit to allow some ventilation.