Contents
Tricks for your plants to survive when you go on vacation
Care and advice
Taking care of them from direct sun exposure and taking care of watering times is always essential, and more during the hot months
The plants in our house require constant attention. Although we must not be 24 hours pending, they are living beings that need the adequate amount of water, a good placement to obtain light but not burn and some other special care, such as fertilizers or specific transplants. If this care is always necessary, in the summer time we must be even more careful, since the heat, the sun (and our vacations) can be terrible agents for the health of our plants.
The main thing is to answer a question that has surely crossed the heads of many: Is it necessary to water the plants more frequently in summer? If we talk about outdoor plants, Mariano Bueno, pioneer in organic farming and author
of books such as “The ecological family garden”, explains that direct sun and intense heat accelerate the evapotranspiration of plant leaves, so it is need to water much more frequently in these warmer times. If what interests us are indoor plants, Juan Giménez Olavarriaga, from the Columelas florist, comments that, with modern air conditioners, it does not have to increase the evaporation of water. «The best thing, in these cases, is check the moisture level of the soil and wait – except in species that require very abundant humidity, such as ferns – until the soil is completely dry, “he says.
Beware of pests
Likewise, Juan Giménez Olavarriaga comments that due to the increase in dryness and humidity typical of summer, more pests may appear that we must keep under control, such as the geranium butterfly, mealybugs and all kinds of fungi. “In addition, other insects, such as the spider mite, proliferate more easily in dry environments, so those plants that appreciate moisture should not be denied it by frequent spraying,” he points out. In short, it urges us to monitor the possible appearance of pests and modify, as far as possible, watering habits.
On sun exposure, Mariano Bueno comments that indoor plants should not be exposed directly to the sun, since “they do not tend to perspire or evaporate as much water as those exposed directly.” In the case that we are talking about outdoor plants, or crops, he recommends preparing a “sunscreen”. This is prepared “by crushing pieces of aloe vera leaf, or a few twigs of” Sedum sediforme “, in a liter of water”. After filtering it, the plants to be protected must be thoroughly wetted. “This is more effective and healthier than any commercial sunscreen. In times of heatwave, we can perform the treatment once a week “, says Mariano Bueno.
Avoid transplants
If we want transplant one of our plants, Juan Giménez Olavarriaga recommends leaving the process for the winter months, “when the plant is more asleep”, unless it is essential. Finally, both professionals talk about what to do if we go on vacation and we have no one to water our plants. “The advice is not to leave the plants without someone to care for them. Any other system can end the life of the plant or its fresh and lush appearance “, says Giménez Olavarriaga. Even so, both experts agree that an automatic irrigation system can be a good solution. “A home system should not be used for periods longer than three days,” concludes the Columelas expert.