Plan ahead to help your plants survive the separation.
You’re planning that much-needed summer vacation – maybe for a week or longer. But what will you do about your plants and lawn while you’re away?
Just like you would for your pets, plan ahead to help your plants survive the separation. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- In the absence of rain, irrigate your lawn before you leave.
- Vegetable gardens and container plants will need watering every third day or so – enlist the help of a friendly neighbor.
- Mow the lawn one day before you leave, but don’t lower the mower blades as it will stress the lawn even more.
- Deadhead perennials and annual flowers.
- Add mulch to areas where there is none to help plants retain water and reduce soil temperature.
- Harvest all ripe or nearly ripe vegetables. (Give some to the kind neighbor tending to your garden!)
- Soak houseplants thoroughly and store them in the bathtub with a few inches of water; the plants will absorb it as needed through the container drain hole.
Now that you’ve prepared your plants, rest easy knowing they’ll be alive and well when you return. Get out and enjoy that vacation!
