How to keep houseplants alive while you travel for the holidays

Holiday travel is hard on houseplants. You leave for a week or two, the heat runs, the air dries out, and you come home to crisp leaves and soil that has pulled away from the sides of the pot.

Most of that is preventable with an hour of setup the day before you go. What you set up depends on how long you’ll be away, and the step people skip happens a week earlier: testing the watering method before you trust it.

Sort the plants by how thirsty they are

Not every plant needs help. Walk through the house and sort them into three groups.

• Cacti and succulents can go a long time without water. Water them on their usual schedule before you leave and let them be.
• Plants in big pots hold more water and dry out more slowly than small ones.
• Small pots and clay pots dry out fastest, since clay dries faster than plastic or glazed pots, and plants that like constantly moist soil feel it first. This is the group that needs a plan.

The day before you leave

Do these for every plant except the cacti and succulents, whatever the length of the trip.

1. Water thoroughly, until water runs out of the drainage holes, and let the pots drain.
2. Move plants out of direct sun. Pull them back from warm windows to a spot with bright, indirect light. With less light, plants use less water while you’re gone.
3. Group them together in one room, with saucers under the pots, so one water source can reach several of them.
4. Mulch the bigger pots with a layer of small bark on the soil to slow evaporation.
5. Don’t turn up the thermostat. A warmer house dries the soil faster.

A week or less

For most houseplants, the day-before routine covers a week. Water, move, group, and go.

One to two weeks: add slow water

For a longer trip, give the thirsty group a supply that lasts.

Wine bottle stakes for big pots. A terracotta stake goes into the soil, and a wine bottle filled with water goes upside down into the stake. Water seeps out through the clay as the soil dries. The maker says one bottle can water a medium to large plant for up to 10 days, depending on conditions. Use them only in pots big enough to hold a heavy bottle steady.

Wicks for small pots. Set a large bowl or jar of water among the small pots, but not between them and the window. Cut one length of wick cord per pot and soak it completely, then sink one end to the bottom of the water and push the other end a couple of inches into the soil. The wick draws water up as the soil dries.

The bathtub for a crowd of medium pots. Lay old towels in the tub, add about two inches of water, and set the pots on the towels. Leave the bathroom light on. Use this only for pots with drainage holes, and lift them out as soon as you’re home.

Clear plastic for small leafy plants. A clear plastic bag over a pot, held up with chopsticks or bamboo skewers so the plastic doesn’t touch the leaves, makes a small greenhouse that keeps moisture in.

On the long end of this range, have someone check in once. The bathtub buys about a week, and the maker says a bottle lasts up to 10 days.

Test it a week ahead

Every method behaves differently with your pots, your soil and your house. Set up the stakes and wicks a week before you leave and watch for two or three days.

• If a bottle empties in a day or two, the soil may have been bone dry or the stake loose. Water the pot first and press the stake in firmly.
• If the soil stays soggy, take that plant off the wick or bottle. It needs less help than you thought.
• If a wick isn’t drawing, soak it again. A dry wick doesn’t start on its own.

Longer than two weeks

Three or four weeks is a lot to ask of any watering method. Ask a neighbor or friend to come in once a week, and walk them through it before you leave: which plants, how much water, where the watering can lives. For trips longer than about four weeks, the University of Florida’s gardening extension suggests moving the plants to the plant-sitter’s home if you can.

Leave a short note on the counter too, so the sitter isn’t guessing.

Check the room, not only the soil

Winter trips add one more risk: temperature. If you lower the heat while you’re away, the plant room should stay cool, not cold, and the plants should sit away from drafty doors and heat vents.

A small digital hygrometer in the plant room shows the temperature and humidity at a glance and records the highs and lows. When you get home, the record tells you how cold or dry the room got while you were gone, which helps you plan the next trip.

What to actually buy

The bottle stakes. A set of four terracotta stakes that turn empty wine bottles into slow waterers. Each stake is about 7 inches tall, and any bottle with a long neck works.

The wick cord. Fifty feet of quarter-inch self-watering wick cord, enough to cut a wick for every small pot in the house with plenty left for the next trip. Soak it fully before use so it starts drawing right away.

The room monitor. A digital thermometer and hygrometer that updates every 10 seconds and keeps high and low records for both temperature and humidity.

Who this is not for

• If all your plants are cacti and succulents, water them before you go and skip the setup.
• If someone is staying in the house while you’re away, a watering note on the fridge will cover it.
• If you’re gone a month or more, ask a plant-sitter to take the plants home rather than relying on wicks and bottles.

Start on any Monday

A week before you leave, sort the plants into the three groups and set up the stakes and wicks on the thirsty ones. Watch for three days and adjust.

The day before you go, refill the bottles and the wick jar, water everything except the cacti and succulents thoroughly, pull the plants back from the windows, group them, and leave the hygrometer in the room. When you get home, check the record before you check the leaves.