Houseplant Care for Travelers: Tips to Keep Your Plants Alive While You're Away

Houseplants are a great addition to any home, bringing a touch of nature indoors and purifying the air you breathe.

But when you travel, it can be hard to keep your plants alive and healthy.

In this post, I’ll be sharing tips on how to care for your houseplants while you’re away so that you can come home to thriving greenery instead of dried-out leaves.

By following these tips, you’ll be able to travel with peace of mind knowing that your plants are well taken care of.

Let’s dive right in.

Assessing Your Plant’s Needs

The first step in keeping your houseplants healthy while traveling is to understand their individual needs. Different types of houseplants have varied requirements for water and light. Take some time to research your plants and ensure you are providing them with the correct care. Consider the following factors before leaving:

If your plants are sitting in direct sunlight, move them to a shadier spot. ###

Determine the type of plant you have and its specific needs, including the amount of water it requires and how much sunlight it needs to thrive. Some plants, such as succulents, require very little water and can go longer periods without it. Other plants, such as tropical houseplants, need to be watered more frequently.

Consider investing in a moisture meter to measure the moisture level in your plants’ soil. This will help you determine when they need to be watered.

If your plants are sitting in direct sunlight, move them to a shadier spot. This will help protect them from drying out.

Plants that require higher levels of humidity may need a humidifier or a pebble tray to help maintain the necessary moisture levels. Check the humidity level in your home and adjust accordingly.

Taking the time to assess your plants’ specific needs and making any necessary adjustments before leaving will give them the best chance of surviving while you are away.

Get the Timing Right

Scheduling plant care based on the duration of your travel is very important. If you’re going to be away for a few days, it’s best to water your plants the day before leaving. If you’ll be gone for longer than a week, it’s important to make sure your plants have a steady supply of water.

For longer trips, consider asking a friend or neighbor to come over and water your plants every few days. Alternatively, you can use self-watering planters or create a simple watering system using a plastic container with holes poked in the bottom placed near each plant.

It’s also important to consider the timing of fertilizing, pruning, and cleaning your plants. Generally, it’s best to do this a few days before you leave so that your plants have time to adjust before you go.

Finally, be sure to check the weather forecast before you leave. If extremely hot or cold weather is expected, make arrangements to keep your plants in a stable temperature environment. This may require moving them to a room with better temperature control or making use of fans or space heaters.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your plants stay healthy while you are away, and continue to thrive when you return home.

Provide Enough Water

Proper watering techniques are crucial to keep your plants healthy when you are away. For most houseplants, it’s best to water deeply before you leave, but don’t water again until the soil has become slightly dry. However, different plants have varying water needs, and you should adjust accordingly. Succulents, for instance, can go a couple of weeks without water, while ferns and mosses need relatively frequent watering.

If you’re going to be away for an extended period, consider investing in a self-watering planter. They come in different sizes and designs, but they all work similarly. These planters have a water reservoir at the bottom that gradually feeds water to the plant’s roots for several days or even weeks.

Another solution is to use a wick watering system. It involves placing one end of a wick deep into the plant’s soil and the other end in a glass or bottle of water. As the plant draws water from the soil, it also pulls water up through the wick, making sure there’s a steady supply of moisture.

When implementing either of these solutions, you should avoid placing the plant directly in sunlight as the extra heat can cause the water to evaporate too quickly. Instead, find a spot with indirect sunlight, and make sure the plant isn’t too close to any heat sources or air conditioning vents.

By providing enough water for your plants before leaving and implementing one of the watering solutions mentioned above, you can ensure a water-stress-free vacation for both yourself and your plants.

Control the Light

Ensuring that your houseplants have sufficient light is crucial to keep them healthy and thriving. As a travelling homeowner, you want to make sure that your plants receive enough light even though you are not around to adjust their location according to the light source. One way to deal with this is to use timers. If you are away for an extended period, using a timer can be a reliable way to ensure your plants receive enough light. You can set up a timer to turn on the light in the morning and turn it off in the evening.

On the other hand, if you are only away for a week or two, it may be best to move your plants to an area in your home where they will receive enough light. Alternatively, you could ensure that the window coverings that could block light from the plants are open so the plants can get enough light while you are gone. Don’t forget to monitor your plants once you return, as moving them back to their usual location without allowing an acclimation period to occur may lead to shock and stress for the plants.

Keeping your plants healthy while you are away requires planning and preparation. Measuring and adjusting light with the aid of timers can help your plants thrive while you are away.

Limit Temperature Fluctuations

Managing your home’s temperature is crucial to keeping your plants healthy while traveling. Temperature fluctuations can cause stress on your plants, and extreme temperatures could even kill them.

If you are planning to be away for a while, there are some things that you can do to limit the impact of temperature changes on your plants. First, consider the weather conditions during your absence. If it will be extremely hot or cold, take steps to adjust your home temperature accordingly.

For instance, if you’re leaving in the winter, set the thermostat at a minimum of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is suitable for most plants that can tolerate low light and cold temperatures, such as succulents, cacti, and herbs. If you have heat-loving plants, such as tropical plants, you may need to turn up the thermostat a bit.

In the summertime, set the thermostat at a maximum of 85 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure your plants don’t overheat. If your home gets a lot of light and heat, consider shading your windows with curtains or blinds to limit the amount of sunlight that enters your home.

You can also create a microclimate for your plants by grouping them together. Plants generate heat and humidity, which can create a small microclimate that helps them withstand temperature fluctuations.

By taking these steps, you’ll ensure that you return home to happy and healthy plants.

Give Your Plants Some Extra Care Before Leaving

To ensure that your plants don’t suffer while you are away, giving them some extra love before you leave is vital. Pruning your plants, deadheading them, and removing any unhealthy leaves or stems is essential. Removing wilted flowers and leaves will not only make them look great but also promote growth. You should also feed them with a plant food high in nitrogen, but don’t overdo it, as too much fertilizer can damage the roots of plants. Before leaving, ensure that you clean your plants to remove any dust or cobwebs. Unwanted pests also love to nest in dirty plants, so cleaning your plants will also be keeping pests at bay. Take a closer look at your plants and keep a lookout for bugs and insects. If you spot anything, use neem oil or insecticidal soap to eradicate these pests. These extra efforts are worth it, as they will ensure that your plants look their best and are healthy when you return.

Ask for Help

When you’re going to be away for a long time, it’s essential to think about the right person to trust your houseplants before you leave. Here are some tips on finding a plant-sitter:

First, ask a plant-loving friend or family member if they’d be willing to care for your plants while you’re away. If no one is available or willing to help, check out online forums, such as community groups or social media platforms, which may have plant care enthusiasts to turn to.

Also, ensure the person you assign to take care of your plants can understand your specific plant care requirements before leaving. Share with them the particulars - type of plants, watering schedule, light and temperature needs. Also, be sure to emphasize the significance of the care instructions and the plant’s tendency to being quite delicate.

In addition, provide easy-to-read notes with pictures of the specific care instructions and also include your contact information in case of an emergency.

If you’re looking to hire a professional plant sitter or caretaker, check out apps like Tend or Hire Horticulturist, which link you with professional plantsitters within your community. A professional plant sitter can provide peace of mind, know-how while you’re away, and care for your plants specifically as you wished.

Keep in mind that hiring a professional plant-sitter is more expensive than asking a friend or family member to help, but in some situations, it might be worth the investment.

Ensuring that your plants are in good hands when you’re on vacation is essential. These tips will assist you in finding a trustworthy person to look after your plants so you can relax and enjoy your trip, knowing that your plants are in good hands.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, keeping houseplants alive while traveling can seem like a daunting task, but with the right strategy, it can be done successfully.

By assessing your plants’ needs, getting the timing right, providing enough water, controlling the light, and limiting the temperature fluctuations, you can help ensure that your plants will be healthy and happy when you return.

Remember to give them some extra love before leaving and try to find a plant-sitter if possible.

Now, over to you.

Which strategy are you going to try first during your next trip?

If you have any other tips or tricks for keeping houseplants alive while traveling, I’d love to hear them, so feel free to send me a message!

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Thanks for reading, and happy travels!