There is such a thing as turgor plants. Turgor is the filling of plant cells with water. If the plant does not have enough water, the leaves and branches droop, become sluggish, then they talk about the loss of turgor. If the plant was not dehydrated for a long time, then it is enough to thoroughly saturate the soil with water for the turgor to recover. But if the roots are very dry, watering will no longer help, the plants will die.
Everyone probably had to leave home for a while, leaving flowers and even animals. During our absence, we worry about our favorites - how unattended they are. Everyone is looking for their own way out of the situation, depending on the terms of the business trip or vacation. Someone will leave the keys to the apartment to a neighbor or relatives with a order to water on time, but many do not have such an opportunity or simply do not trust an experienced person in such a sensitive issue.
You need to prepare for your vacation in advance, while you choose a swimsuit or just look at the colorful illustrations of travel agencies, you should not only inquire about the methods of automatic watering of plants, but also try them in practice, spending at least two days in advance.
After all, incorrectly organized auto-watering can lead to disastrous results when plants turn out to be dry or flooded opposite. If you leave the care of plants to a neighbor or friend, then at least take care of the exact instructions on this matter. Any person may have concepts of measures different from yours, and if for you copious watering means a glass of water per pot, then someone may mean copious watering and 2-3 glasses of water.
The frequency of watering is known to depend on the species of plant, air temperature and season. Therefore, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer as far as it is possible to leave a plant without water without referring to its physiological state. So cacti and some succulents are in a state of growth in the summer and will painlessly endure the lack of watering for about 2 weeks. In winter, during the dormant period, this period can be up to 1 month.
Plants with leathery leaves, such as ficuses or scindapsus, will endure about a week without water in summer, 10-14 days in winter. But plants with thin and velvety leaves, for example Calathea rufibarba, red-bearded Calathea, last 4-5 days without water in summer, depending on the temperature, and about 7-10 days in winter. Bulbous and tuberous plants during the growth period will withstand about a week without watering.
More and more auto-watering methods are being invented, in a large flower shop you can even purchase special devices and entire systems to provide plants with water. Many lovers of indoor plants, who have to leave the house quite often for several days, solve the problem radically - they switch to hydroponic cultivation, which greatly facilitates the task (but does not deprive the problems of care in general).
Indoor plant auto-watering
If we talk about plants planted in the soil, then there are several ways to provide plants with water:
Feodor: the system - "Smart Pot," appeared quite recently, but I already have a lot of plants growing in them. Its great advantage is the ease of landing and care. I add water 1 times 3-4 week and the plants feel great. Fertilizers are added along with irrigation water.Method one - The plants are watered abundantly so that the earthen lump is completely saturated with water. If the pots are clay, then it is advisable to wrap each pot in moss, which is also thoroughly moistened. You can also place a clay pot in a larger plastic one, and fill the space between the walls of the pot with moistened expanded clay. In plastic pots, the soil is covered with moist moss or expanded clay on top. Watered plants are placed on pallets or in wide basins with water, without saucers, so that the lower part of the pot is in the water. Plants that categorically do not tolerate when "feet in water" are left on saucers, and the water drained after watering is drained. This method is effective if the plants are left for 7-10 days and if there are many plants.
Method two - Useful if there are not many plants, and also if the plants are very sensitive to excessive moisture (both soil and air). The plant is watered so that the earthen lump is saturated with water. A plastic bottle with water and a thin knitting needle (or vice versa with a thick needle, you can also use an awl) heated over a fire is taken, a hole is made in the cork, then the same hole must be made at the bottom of the bottle. The bottle is dug into the pot with the plant neck down to a depth of 2-3 cm. Water, flowing out dropwise moisturizes the soil. There is a very important point here - you need to practice in advance on bottles in the size of the holes. After all, it may turn out that the water will flow out too slowly, or vice versa too quickly. It is best to try this method some time before departure on a pot without a plant filled with dry land.
Observing how the soil fills with moisture for several days, you will determine for yourself whether such a hole in the bottle is suitable or you will have to change it. When you are able to optimally "adjust the bottle" - the problem of watering during your absence will be solved once and for all. The duration of such watering depends on the size of the bottle.
Method three - From a bandage or strip of fabric, a wick is twisted, one end of which is placed on the surface of the earth in a pot, and the other is lowered into a container in water, which should be located above the pot. Here you should provide for the number of wicks for a certain size of the pot. So for a pot with a diameter of 10 cm, one wick is enough, and a pot with a diameter of 25-30 cm will need 3-4 wicks for sufficient water supply. This method is effective if the plants are left for 7-10 days.
Method four - If your plants are grown in pots with good drainage holes on the bottoms, then this method is also suitable for you. Oilcloth is laid on the table (so as not to spoil the furniture), on it - a wide strip of any dense woolen fabric (cloth, felt, an old baby blanket, folded in several layers of batting, etc.), previously moistened in water. Pots with already watered plants are placed on the fabric (naturally without saucers). The end of the fabric should hang off the table and drop into a large container of water placed just below the level of the table with the plants. The tissue is wet all the time and the plants receive water through the drainage holes of the pot. This method is effective if the plants are left for 10-20 days.
Method five - If you leave not for 7-10 days, but for 3-4 weeks, and even not once a year, then it will be advisable to purchase an auto-irrigation system. Now they are sold in any major city and are a container of water, a set of thin tubes and software control that ensures that the water supply is turned on at regular intervals, for example, 2 times a day.