✈️🌿 Holiday Travel? How to Prep Your Plants Before You Leave
The holidays are here with family visits, long weekends, Christmas trips, New Year getaways. But if you’re a gardener, your very first thought is usually: “But… what about my plants?” Don’t worry, with a little prep, your indoor and outdoor container plants can thrive while you’re away. Whether you’re gone for two days or ten, here’s how to make sure you come home to healthy, happy greenery instead of crispy leaves or soggy soil. Let’s get those plants vacation-ready! 🌱 𝟏. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 (𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐨 𝐌𝐮𝐜𝐡!) Most plant mishaps happen because gardeners water too heavily right before they leave. The goal: 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 not swampy soil. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬: * Water well the day before you leave * Allow extra water to drain completely * Empty all saucers so roots don’t sit in water 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 (𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠): * Water earlier in the day to avoid overnight freeze * Skip watering if temps will drop below 32°F in the next 24 hours * Frozen wet soil = cracked pots + rotted roots If you have a friend checking in, leave simple instructions only: “𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐫𝐲 𝟐–𝟑 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧.” 🌤️ 𝟐. 𝐀𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 Plants won’t grow much while you’re gone and that’s good! Less growth = less water needs. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬: * Pull them a bit farther from bright windows (reduces light stress + water loss) * If using grow lights, set them on timers for 6–8 hours * Grouping plants together helps maintain humidity levels 𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐩: Move them away from areas that get 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 during low winter angles. This can scorch or dry indoor plants quickly. 🌡️ 𝟑. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 & 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐬 Plants do 𝑛𝑜𝑡 tolerate sudden temperature swings, especially in winter. Before you leave: ✔ 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐬 Move plants away from: * doorways * old windows * fireplace zones * heat vents ✔𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝟔𝟎–𝟕𝟎°𝐅 * Anything lower than 55°F can stress tropicals. * Anything higher than 75°F dries them out. If you’re letting your thermostat drop while you’re gone, move plants closer together and away from cold glass.